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Norman GranzAmerican jazz impresario, producer
Date of Birth: 06.08.1916
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Norman Granz
Norman Granz was an American jazz impresario and producer, born on August 6, 1916, in Los Angeles, California, USA. He was the son of Jewish immigrants from Ternopil, Ukraine. Granz first gained recognition when he organized a jam session at the Triville Club in Los Angeles.
In July 2, 1944, he organized a memorable concert at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, known as "Jazz at the Philharmonic" or JATP. This concert became the foundation for his future collaborations with various jazz groups, organizing tours and distributing demo recordings. The music featured in these concerts was considered avant-garde and slightly cacophonous.
Granz spent $200 to organize the concert "Jazz at the Philharmonic," which featured performers such as Nat King Cole, Illinois Jacquet, J.J. Johnson, Johnny Miller, Red Callender, Lee Young, Les Paul, Bumps Myers, Joe Sullivan, Buddy Rich, Randall Miller, Bud Hatch, Mary Bryant, and many others. After several concerts in Los Angeles, Granz organized tours in the United States and Canada from 1945 to 1957. He released recordings of these concerts through the record label owned by Moses Asch.
In 1952, Granz arranged the first European tour for "Jazz at the Philharmonic," which he continued annually for seven years. He also organized concerts in Japan, Australia, and Hawaii in the same year. In 1948, Granz signed a recording agreement with Mercury Records for JATP recordings, which lasted for five years. Afterward, he turned to Clef Records, founded in 1946, and established Norgran Records in 1953. Traditional jazz works were released under the label "Down Home Records."
"Jazz at the Philharmonic" ceased touring after 1957, although Granz occasionally arranged individual concerts in Europe and Japan. The last JATP concert took place in Tokyo, Japan, in the fall of 1983. Many famous jazz performers passed through Norman Granz's hands, becoming legends in the history of jazz. These include Louis Armstrong and Ray Brown, Louis Bellson and Benny Carter, Buck Clayton and Roy Eldridge, Duke Ellington and Herb Ellis, Bill Harris and Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges and Billie Holiday, Milt Jackson and Hank Jones, Gene Krupa and Howard McGhee, Bill Evans and Gerry Mulligan, Anita O'Day and Charlie Parker, Bud Powell and Ben Webster, Lester Young, and many others.
Norman Granz was committed to ensuring that there was no distinction between white and black musicians. He ensured that they received equal pay, and if a concert was scheduled at a venue where seating was segregated, he would cancel the concert, even if it was well-paid. In 1944, Granz and Gjon Mili released the famous jazz film "Jammin' the Blues" featuring Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Harry Edison, and many other jazz performers. The film was nominated for an Academy Award.
