India Navigation

India Navigation was founded in 1972 by Bob Cummins, a corporate lawyer and jazz enthusiast who helped musicians with legal matters in New York. Cummins documented the Manhattan avant-garde loft-jazz scene emerging in downtown buildings like 501 Canal St. First release was Revolutionary Ensemble’s live concert recording featuring violinist Leroy Jenkins, bassist Sirone, and drummer Jerome Cooper. Cummins recorded sessions himself, capturing the raw spontaneity of the loft scene. Early landmark: Alan Braufman’s “Valley Of Search” (1975) and Air’s “Air Song” (1975) established the label’s aesthetic—Free Jazz and Free Improvisation.

Peak creative period capturing New York’s avant-garde explosion. David Murray’s debut “Flowers For Albert” (1976) became a defining Free Jazz statement. Arthur Blythe released “The Grip” (1977) and “Metamorphosis” (1979), while Pharoah Sanders’ “Pharoah” (1977) fused Soul-Jazz with spiritual intensity. Chico Freeman became the most prolific artist with “Morning Prayer” (1976), “Kings Of Mali” (1978), and “Spirit Sensitive” (1979). Anthony Davis Quartet’s “Song For The Old World” (1978) and Cecil McBee’s “Alternate Spaces” (1979) showcased the label’s range. Photographer Beth Cummins and poets Amiri Baraka and Stanley Crouch contributed liner notes, creating a complete artistic vision.

India Navigation broadened beyond pure Free Jazz into experimental and minimal music. Arnold Dreyblatt’s “Nodal Excitation” (1982), Phill Niblock’s “Nothin To Look At Just A Record” (1982), and Yoshi Wada’s “Lament For The Rise And Fall Of The Elephantine Crocodile” (1982) represented this shift. “Flying Out” (1982) by Cecil McBee and Amiri Baraka/David Murray’s “New Music - New Poetry” (1982) continued the jazz tradition. By the mid-1980s, Cummins transitioned to compact disc releases while continuing his corporate law practice. The label ceased new activity by 1995. Bob Cummins died August 17, 2000 from prostate cancer at age 68.

Modern reissue programs by labels like Luaka Bop (Pharoah Sanders “Pharoah” 2LP box set) and renewed interest in Alan Braufman’s “Valley Of Search” introduced the catalog to new generations. India Navigation’s raw, spontaneous recording aesthetic became recognized as essential documentation of the 1970s-80s New York loft jazz scene and the birth of Free Jazz and minimal music movements.