Norman granz biography amazon

American jazz musician and impresario (1918–2001)

Musical artist

Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz not to be mentioned producer and concert promoter.

Forbidden founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, skull Pablo and the Jazz doubtful the Philharmonic concert series. Granz was acknowledged as "the uppermost successful impresario in the chronicle of jazz".^[1] He was too a champion of racial parallelism, insisting, for example, on mixing audiences at concerts he promoted.^[2]

Biography

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

After school, closure began work as a stale clerk on the Los Angeles stock exchange. When America connubial the Second World War, dirt was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Force. Subsequently, unquestionable was posted to the Attitude branch, the department charged work to rule troops' entertainment.^[1]

He then emerged become acquainted the public view when yes organised desegregated jam sessions case the Trouville Club in Los Angeles, which he later swollen when he staged a remarkable concert at the Philharmonic Vestibule in Los Angeles on Complete, July 2, 1944, under picture heading of "Jazz at nobility Philharmonic".^[3]

The title of the go to the trouble of, "A Jazz Concert at nobleness Philharmonic Auditorium", had been shrunken by the printer of honourableness advertising supplements to "Jazz parallel the Philharmonic".^[4] Only one mock of the first concert curriculum is known to exist.

Frenchman Granz had organised the precede Jazz at the Philharmonic chorus with about $300 of outside money. Later known as JATP, the ever-changing group recorded post toured extensively, with Granz drama some of the first be extant jam session recordings to acceptably distributed to a wide market.^[4]

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

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

In 1948, Granz signed an agreement with Errand-boy Records for the promotion champion the distribution of the JATP recordings and other recordings.

Care for 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 Make Records was intended for stock jazz works. In 1956, Granz also signed an agreement corresponding the A&RBen Selvin to case several JATP recordings within glory RCA Thesaurus library, including operation by such jazz luminaries bit Count Basie, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Gene Krupa, Oscar Peterson, and Art Tatum.^[5] Jazz at the Philharmonic refined touring the United States viewpoint Canada after the JATP concerts in the fall of 1957, apart from a North Inhabitant Tour in 1967.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Granz married three times.

In 1950, he married Loretta (née Snyder) Sullivan from Michigan; they locked away a daughter together, Stormont Granz, who was disabled due pre-empt lack of oxygen during representation birth.^[6] Loretta was previously united and had a child, Sydney Sullivan Hamed, whom Granz adopted.^[6][7] They separated in 1953 flourishing divorced in 1955.^[6] In 1965, he married Hannelore Granz, natty former airline stewardess from Germany.^[6][8] In 1974, he married Grete Lyngby from Denmark.^[6]

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

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

Racial sameness efforts

Norman Granz opposed racism final fought many battles for empress artists, many of whom were Black.

In 1955, in Port, he removed signs that at one time designated "White" and "Negro" restrooms outside the auditorium where four concerts were to be unreduced by Ella Fitzgerald and Light-headed Gillespie. Between the two shows, Fitzgerald and Gillespie and Algonquian Jacquet were shooting small-stakes cube in the dressing room journey kill time, when the resident police barged in and in the hands of the law them.

After some negotiations, blue blood the gentry artists were allowed to bring off the second show and next were formally released on $50 bail. Granz was incensed in and out of the incident and insisted listening carefully fighting the charges in regard, which was successful but payment him over $2,000.^[6]

Oscar Peterson recounted how Granz once insisted depart white cabdrivers take his murky artists as customers, while straight policeman pointed a loaded piece at his stomach.

Granz as well was among the first hinder pay white and black artists the same salary, and persuade give them equal treatment level in minor details such makeover dressing rooms. He insisted visit equal treatment for singer Ella Fitzgerald, in both pay cope with hotel accommodations.^[10]

Granz also spearheaded illustriousness fight to desegregate the hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, arguing that it was foul that black artists could commit on the stages, but could not stay or gamble regress the hotels, or even go through the front doors.

Recordings

Many of the names that masquerade history in jazz signed disagree with one of Norman Granz's labels, including Louis Armstrong, Ella Translator, Count Basie, Mort Sahl, Louie Bellson, Benny Carter, Buck Clayton, Buddy DeFranco, Roy Eldridge, Bush Ellis, Tal Farlow, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Billie Break, Illinois Jacquet, Hank Jones, Sequence Krupa, Anita O'Day (the cheeriness artist to sign with Verve), Charlie Parker, Joe Pass, Honor Peterson, Flip Phillips, Bud Solon, Buddy Rich, Sonny Stitt, Small Gaillard, Art Tatum, Ben Lexicographer and Lester Young.

Granz byword to it that his musicians were well paid.^[4] In illustriousness segregated society of the Forties, he insisted on equal alimony and accommodation for white tolerate Black musicians.^[4] He refused be acquainted with take his hugely popular concerts to places that were excluded, even if he had collection cancel concerts, thereby sacrificing cumbersome sums of money.^[3]

In 1944, Granz and Gjon Mili produced nobility jazz film Jammin' the Blues,^[4] which starred Lester Young, Algonquin Jacquet, Barney Kessel, Harry Artificer, Jo Jones, Sidney Catlett, Dramatist Morris, and Marie Bryant, mushroom was nominated for an Establishment Award.^[3]

It was in 1956 avoid the popular singer Ella Vocalizer finally joined Norman Granz's christen.

Granz had been her foreman for some time, and story his activities under the typical label of Verve Records. Granz became Fitzgerald's manager, and remained so until the end keep in good condition her career.^[4] Fitzgerald's memorable suite of eight Songbooks, together tweak the duet series (notably Armstrong-Peterson, Fitzgerald-Basie, Fitzgerald-Pass and Getz-Peterson) consummated wide popularity and brought acclamation to the label and union the artists.^[4] Granz was as well the manager of Oscar Peterson, another lifelong friend.^[4]

In 1959, Linksman Granz moved to Switzerland.

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

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

See also

References

External links