JAZZ

The New York-based jazz label GRP Records will be the first American record company to release digital audio tapes (DAT), with the first wave of releases hitting seven European markets (West Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and France) in early February. The titles include Chick Corea’s “Light Years,” Lee Ritenour’s “Harlequin,” the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s “Digital Duke,” Dave Grusin’s “Cinemagic,” Diane Schuur’s “Diane Schuur and the Count Basie Orchestra” and “GRP Live in Session.” The second wave of release is scheduled for mid-April, targeting the rest of Europe and the U.S. market. Major record labels have opposed the manufacture of DATs, worried that the new format will curtail sales of compact discs.