Ambience Competitors

With a core emphasis on jazz and soul/R&B, Mack Avenue boasts a diverse roster of musical innovators such as Christian McBride, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Macy Gray, Billy Childs, Kirk Whalum, Julian Lage, Jeffrey Osborne, Alfredo Rodriguez, Joey Defrancesco, Chucho Valdes, Cyrille Aimee Jonathan Butler, Kenny Garrett, Stanley Clark, Tia Fuller, Christian Sands, The Yellowjackets and many others.

Over our 26 years we have always found this hard to answer. A record label, a clothing brand, a media company, a support network for independent musicians are all outside definitions that come to mind. None can fully define us as we evolve in our fast changing world, and so we will set sail on a further mission that will define our intent and principles for the next chapter. Ropeadope represents the intersection of creatives and listeners. We are a meeting point for creative humans: music makers, music listeners, social justice advocates, and people seeking a more harmonious world. We are a gallery, a museum, a lounge and gathering place. Art is the calling card, the point of common interest that brings us together. This network has many roots and branches around the globe; it ebbs and flows like the ocean and the air, and it brings a sense of community and joy at its best. Ropeadope is a story of inclusion. We view the world as a place of one, where music is a unifying force connecting all of us. We accept that musicians know their art better than businessmen do, and we know that our work, our artists, our music is authentic and REAL.

Founded by producer Manfred Eicher in Munich in 1969, ECM has released more than 1700 recordings spanning a broad range of idioms. After establishing an early reputation with standard-setting jazz and improvised music albums, including Keith Jarrett’s landmark “The Köln Concert”, ECM launched its New Series line in 1984 to emphasize contemporary composition, finding immediate success with Arvo Pärt’s “Tabula rasa”. The music and art of ECM have been the subjects of books, films and exhibitions around the globe, and both the label and its founder have won numerous awards.