Creed taylor rip

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Creed Taylor, the visionary jazz record producer and founder of the Impulse! and CTI labels, who brought bossa nova to the global market, passed away this morning at the age of 93.

Over a 50-year career that yielded almost 300 albums, Creed Taylor’s gift as a record producer was getting the best out of jazz musicians in the recording studio. He created musical settings that enhanced their talents, and possessed an unerring ability to broaden an artist’s commercial appeal without sacrificing their creative needs..."

I expect there will be detailed obits soon...

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

"Taylor was born and raised in Pearisburg, Virginia, and graduated from Duke University in 1951. Two years in the Marines were followed by one more at Duke for graduate studies. A longtime jazz fanatic who’d chosen Duke in part due to the school’s jazz band, he headed to New York to become a record producer despite a lack of formal training. He talked his way into an A&R job with Bethlehem Records, where he recorded Charles Mingus and other legends. After leaving Bethlehem for ABC-Paramount in 1956, he founded Impulse! as an ABC-Paramount subsidiary in 1960. He signed John Coltrane to the label and oversaw a number of major releases blurring the lines between jazz and pop.

Taylor left Impulse! a year after founding it, though the label continues to be a vital force in jazz to this day. At his new label home Verve, he played a key role in solidifying Brazilian jazz and bossa nova in the jazz mainstream via songs like Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s “The Girl From Ipanema.” He also produced albums for titans like Wes Montgomery and Bill Evans. In the late ’60s, Taylor worked at A&M Records and founded CTI Records (Creed Taylor Inc.), which had become its own independent company by the end of the decade. The label struck a balance between creative prowess and commercial success, releasing music by a huge list of talents including George Benson, Nina Simone, and Herbie Hancock and helping to define the sound of jazz in the 1970s and ’80s. He won numerous Grammys and continued to oversee various tours and reissues well into the 21st century." - Stereogum

[cloughie]

"Taylor was born and raised in Pearisburg, Virginia, and graduated from Duke University in 1951. Two years in the Marines were followed by one more at Duke for graduate studies. A longtime jazz fanatic who’d chosen Duke in part due to the school’s jazz band, he headed to New York to become a record producer despite a lack of formal training. He talked his way into an A&R job with Bethlehem Records, where he recorded Charles Mingus and other legends. After leaving Bethlehem for ABC-Paramount in 1956, he founded Impulse! as an ABC-Paramount subsidiary in 1960. He signed John Coltrane to the label and oversaw a number of major releases blurring the lines between jazz and pop.

Taylor left Impulse! a year after founding it, though the label continues to be a vital force in jazz to this day. At his new label home Verve, he played a key role in solidifying Brazilian jazz and bossa nova in the jazz mainstream via songs like Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s “The Girl From Ipanema.” He also produced albums for titans like Wes Montgomery and Bill Evans. In the late ’60s, Taylor worked at A&M Records and founded CTI Records (Creed Taylor Inc.), which had become its own independent company by the end of the decade. The label struck a balance between creative prowess and commercial success, releasing music by a huge list of talents including George Benson, Nina Simone, and Herbie Hancock and helping to define the sound of jazz in the 1970s and ’80s. He won numerous Grammys and continued to oversee various tours and reissues well into the 21st century." - Stereogum

My Jazz collection would have been the poorer without CT. Only a couple of weeks ago for the sum of 25p I bought Jim Hall Concierto. Really good!
RIP Creed

[Ian Thumwood]

I have always struggled with the idea that someone who created the Impulse label would also go on to form CTI records which was perhaps underscored the commercial pressures facing jazz in the 1970s than any other label.

[Jazzrook]

Creed Taylor obit by Richard Williams:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/02/creed-taylor-obituary

JR