Skye Records was formed in early 1968 by vibist Cal Tjader, guitarist Gabor Szabo and composer Gary McFarland. The Skye Recording Co. Ltd - as it was officially known - was located in New York City (even though Szabo and Tjader maintained home bases on the West Coast) and directed by Norman Schwartz, who was representing all three artists at the time. 

Skye allowed its principals to record and release the music of their own choice, as well as develop artists who had similar ideologies. At this point in Tjader, Szabo and McFarland's careers, each was trying to blend more popular elements with jazz styles. Szabo's recordings found the most success -- financially and critically. But it wasn't enough to sustain the label. 

By 1970, Skye was forced to disband and it disappeared into the Buddah Records fold. None of the three artists ever worked together again. McFarland died in 1971. Tjader and Szabo, both of whom who died in 1982, went on to other labels in the 1970s and Norman Schwartz formed his own short-lived Gryphon label, which focused on recordings by Phil Woods and Michel LeGrand. 

Schwartz, who died in 1995, began licensing the Skye recordings to DCC Jazz for the CD generation. His estate continued issuing Skye Recordings for release on CD for a short time thereafter, but legal problems have prevented additional releases - and the Skye The rather cheaply issued recordings on DCC Jazz are now out of print and, as of this writing, Skye Records remain unavailable in the United States.

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