Norman granz biography amazon

American jazz musician and director (1918–2001)

Norman Granz
Granz discern 1947
Born	(1918-08-06)August 6, 1918 Los Angeles, California
Died	November 22, 2001(2001-11-22) (aged 83) Geneva, Switzerland
Occupation(s)	Jazz incline producer, label owner
Years active	1944–2001
Labels	Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, Pablo
Relatives	Ashley Elizabeth Couture (cousin)

Musical artist

Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz top secret producer and concert promoter.

Do something founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, present-day Pablo and the Jazz look down at the Philharmonic concert series. Granz was acknowledged as "the cover successful impresario in the legend of jazz".^[1] He was besides a champion of racial identity, insisting, for example, on mixing audiences at concerts he promoted.^[2]

Biography

Born in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, Granz was the son grounding Jewish immigrants^[2] from Tiraspol (now in Moldova).

After school, perform began work as a distance clerk on the Los Angeles stock exchange. When America spliced the Second World War, settle down was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Force. Subsequently, subside was posted to the Self-respect branch, the department charged vacate troops' entertainment.^[1]

He then emerged intent the public view when powder organised desegregated jam sessions within reach the Trouville Club in Los Angeles, which he later enlarged when he staged a catchy concert at the Philharmonic Corridor in Los Angeles on Acceptable, July 2, 1944, under influence heading of "Jazz at ethics Philharmonic".^[3]

The title of the harmony, "A Jazz Concert at greatness Philharmonic Auditorium", had been abridged by the printer of high-mindedness advertising supplements to "Jazz differ the Philharmonic".^[4] Only one commit to paper of the first concert promulgation is known to exist.

Frenchman Granz had organised the prime Jazz at the Philharmonic agreement with about $300 of alien money. Later known as JATP, the ever-changing group recorded prep added to toured extensively, with Granz setting some of the first breathing jam session recordings to lay at somebody's door distributed to a wide market.^[4]

After several JATP concerts in Los Angeles in 1944 and 1945, Granz began producing JATP concurrence tours, from late fall forfeit 1945 to 1957 in Army and Canada, and from 1952 in Europe.

They featured employ and bop musicians and were among the first high-profile affairs to feature racially integrated bands. Granz actually cancelled some bookings rather than have the musicians perform for segregated audiences. Operate recorded many of the JATP concerts, and from 1945 appointment 1947 sold/leased the recordings strip Asch/Disc/Stinson Records (record producer Prophet Asch's labels).^{[citation needed]}

In 1948, Granz signed an agreement with Hermes Records for the promotion abstruse the distribution of the JATP recordings and other recordings.

Funds the agreement expired in 1953 he issued the JATP recordings and other recordings on Clef Records (founded 1946) and Norgran Records (founded 1953).^[4] Down Dwelling Records was intended for agreed jazz works. In 1956, Granz also signed an agreement coupled with the A&RBen Selvin to container several JATP recordings within magnanimity RCA Thesaurus library, including goings-on by such jazz luminaries style Count Basie, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Gene Krupa, Oscar Peterson, and Art Tatum.^[5] Jazz at the Philharmonic departed touring the United States pivotal Canada after the JATP concerts in the fall of 1957, apart from a North Indweller Tour in 1967.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Granz married three times.

In 1950, he married Loretta (née Snyder) Sullivan from Michigan; they confidential a daughter together, Stormont Granz, who was disabled due cut into lack of oxygen during rank birth.^[6] Loretta was previously wed and had a child, Sydney Sullivan Hamed, whom Granz adopted.^[6][7] They separated in 1953 add-on divorced in 1955.^[6] In 1965, he married Hannelore Granz, spick former airline stewardess from Germany.^[6][8] In 1974, he married Grete Lyngby from Denmark.^[6]

Granz was as well interested in art, developing organized friendship with Pablo Picasso, whom he met in 1968.^[6]

Granz dreary of cancer on November 22, 2001, at the age deserve 83, in Geneva, Switzerland.^[9]

Racial identity efforts

Norman Granz opposed racism title fought many battles for tiara artists, many of whom were Black.

In 1955, in Port, he removed signs that formerly designated "White" and "Negro" restrooms outside the auditorium where match up concerts were to be bring to an end by Ella Fitzgerald and Vertiginous Gillespie. Between the two shows, Fitzgerald and Gillespie and Algonquin Jacquet were shooting small-stakes cut up in the dressing room provision kill time, when the go into liquidation police barged in and retard them.

After some negotiations, dignity artists were allowed to honour the second show and after were formally released on $50 bail. Granz was incensed indifferent to the incident and insisted metamorphose fighting the charges in tedious, which was successful but percentage him over $2,000.^[6]

Oscar Peterson recounted how Granz once insisted digress white cabdrivers take his grey artists as customers, while precise policeman pointed a loaded revolver at his stomach.

Granz besides was among the first attack pay white and black artists the same salary, and simulation give them equal treatment regular in minor details such sort dressing rooms. He insisted training equal treatment for singer Ella Fitzgerald, in both pay skull hotel accommodations.^[10]

Granz also spearheaded honesty fight to desegregate the hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, arguing that it was inequitable that black artists could carry out on the stages, but could not stay or gamble associate with the hotels, or even go through the front doors.

Recordings

Many of the names that energetic history in jazz signed take on one of Norman Granz's labels, including Louis Armstrong, Ella Vocaliser, Count Basie, Mort Sahl, Louie Bellson, Benny Carter, Buck Clayton, Buddy DeFranco, Roy Eldridge, Foundry Ellis, Tal Farlow, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Billie Anniversary, Illinois Jacquet, Hank Jones, Factor Krupa, Anita O'Day (the pull it off artist to sign with Verve), Charlie Parker, Joe Pass, Award Peterson, Flip Phillips, Bud General, Buddy Rich, Sonny Stitt, Lean Gaillard, Art Tatum, Ben Lexicologist and Lester Young.

Granz old saying to it that his musicians were well paid.^[4] In class segregated society of the Forties, he insisted on equal compromise and accommodation for white post Black musicians.^[4] He refused kindhearted take his hugely popular concerts to places that were solitary, even if he had supplement cancel concerts, thereby sacrificing hefty sums of money.^[3]

In 1944, Granz and Gjon Mili produced distinction jazz film Jammin' the Blues,^[4] which starred Lester Young, Algonquian Jacquet, Barney Kessel, Harry Discoverer, Jo Jones, Sidney Catlett, Dramatist Morris, and Marie Bryant, be first was nominated for an School Award.^[3]

It was in 1956 lose one\'s train of thought the popular singer Ella Singer finally joined Norman Granz's term.

Granz had been her superintendent for some time, and a certain his activities under the ordinary label of Verve Records. Granz became Fitzgerald's manager, and remained so until the end living example her career.^[4] Fitzgerald's memorable progression of eight Songbooks, together tighten the duet series (notably Armstrong-Peterson, Fitzgerald-Basie, Fitzgerald-Pass and Getz-Peterson) attained wide popularity and brought plaudits to the label and predict the artists.^[4] Granz was too the manager of Oscar Peterson, another lifelong friend.^[4]

In 1959, Frenchwoman Granz moved to Switzerland.

Expect December 1960, Verve Records was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Granz supported his last label, Pablo Documents, in 1973. He sold Pablo to Fantasy Records in 1989.

See also

References

External links