Founder Steven Joerg is a native of Chicago[4] and has stated that in high school he was heavily influenced by the do-it-yourself (DIY) approach ofpunk rock, especially labels such asSST Records.[3] Moving to New York City after graduating college,[4] Joerg worked forBar/None Records. He became a manager of the indie rock label Homestead Records in 1992, where he signed and promoted albums byBabe the Blue Ox,Tara Key, Sleepyhead,Soul-Junk, and others. After releasing a well-received album byfree jazz drummerWilliam Hooker, Joerg convinced a reluctant Homestead to sign notable jazz musician David S. Ware and his Quartet. Their first release on the label,Cryptology, received a lead review inRolling Stone.[3]
Joerg left Homestead in December 1996 and founded AUM Fidelity in Brooklyn in January 1997. His intent was to concentrate on modern jazz.[5] He liquidated his savings, sold half his record collection, and took out a loan. The label derived its name partially from theCharles Mingus albumMingus Ah Um, but mostly fromOm, the mantra representing the "soundless sound of the universe, the original tone and source of all creation". Not low fidelity or high fidelity, but AUM Fidelity."[6] The label launched in September 1997 with the release of David S. Ware'sWisdom of Uncertainty, and William Parker'sSunrise in the Tone World.[3][7]
AUM Fidelity has supported the New York City downtown jazz scene.[4][3] Joerg has volunteered at theVision Festival since 1996 and producedVision One, a two-disc benefit compilation of material recorded at the festival.[5] AUM Fidelity was asked by musician and artistJohn Zorn to curate his avant-garde localeThe Stone for June 16–30, 2011, which featured performances by many of the label's artists, including its then most recent signing, alto saxophonist/composer Darius Jones.[3] In January 2009, the label was instrumental in finding a kidney donor for David S. Ware.[4] Following his recovery and prior to his passing, Ware released five new albums with the label, including a recording of his final concert appearance,Live at Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2011. Setsuko S. Ware, David Ware's widow, and Joerg produced the Memorial Service for David S. Ware, which took place on January 7, 2013.[9][10]
AUM Fidelity celebrated its 15th anniversary in June 2011 with two weeks of curated performances at the Stone, and culminated with a series of concerts in June 2012 at Suoni Per Il Popolo (Montreal) and Vision Festival (New York City).[4][11] William Parker's 8-CD box set,Wood Flute Songs, was produced the following year and released in late 2013, garnering a 5-star review inDown Beat and chosen as the No.1 Archive Release of the Year byThe Wire.[12] AUM continues to produce new recordings, and in 2015 launched the David S. Ware Archive Series (DSW-ARC) with a fully remixed & wholly expanded edition of Ware's first (1977) recordings as a bandleader,Birth of a Being.
AUM010/11 – 1998:The Peach Orchard by William Parker (In Order to Survive)
AUM012 – 1999:Test by Test (Tom Bruno, Sabir Mateen, Matthew Heyner, Daniel Carter
AUM013 – 2000:Time Is of the Essence Is Beyond Time by Other Dimensions in Music (Roy Campbell, Daniel Carter, William Parker, Rashid Bakr, with special guest Matthew Shipp)
AUM014 – 2000:Soul Search by Joe Morris & Mat Maneri
AUM015/16 – 2000:Mayor of Punkville by William Parker (& The Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra)
CaseQuarter (co–launched by AUM Fidelity; dedicated to sacred music of the American South featuring electric guitar)
CASE101 – 2003:God's Got It: The Legendary Booker and Jackson Singles by Reverend Charlie Jackson
CASE102 – 2004:You Without Sin, Cast the First Stone by Isaiah Owens
CASE103 – 2006:Singing Songs of Praise by The Spiritualaires of Hurtsboro, Alabama
CASE104 – 2009: I Got Two Wings: Incidents and Anecdotes of The Two–Winged Preacher and Electric Guitar Evangelist [Book+CD] by Elder Utah Smith (book by Lynn Abbott)
