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Tad Hershorn: Norman Granz - The Man Who Used Jazz For Justice
Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz For Justice Tad Hershorn
Hardcover; 488 pages
ISBN: 9780520267824
University of California Press
2011
That this is the first comprehensive biography on groundbreaking jazz impresario
Norman Granz
b.1918The title of this book—from a
Nat Hentoff
producer1925 - 2017
The jam sessions Granz initiated at Billy Berg's L.A. club, Trouville, in early 1942—a precursor to the all-star jam sessions of the "Jazz at the Philharmonic"—was on the condition of a racially integrated audience. Granz's proposals, it seems, were always of the take it or leave it variety. The phenomenal success of the nightly jam sessions at Bergs, which featured top players of the day, enticed other clubs to follow Granz's lead. Two years later, Granz's first JATP production was, typically of the man, a fund raiser in the name of social justice, to defend Latinos in a high-profile murder case.
By the late 1940s—with JATP a coast-to-coast touring phenomenon—Granz turned down an estimated $100,000 in bookings from promoters who refused his contract stipulations for strictly non-segregated audiences. Little wonder that the black press was so supportive of Granz's concerts. Civil rights, then, is an essential part of the Granz story—he once sued a restaurant which refused to serve his black musicians—and Hershorn captures numerous first-hand accounts from musicians who laud Granz's tireless campaigning for racial equality.
Many also speak of his fairness in financial dealings. Pianist
Oscar Peterson
piano1925 - 2007
Ella Fitzgerald
vocals1917 - 1996
Granz is arguably better remembered for his contributions to the music. Jazz at the Philharmonic, described by Hershorn as "the most influential series of jazz concerts in the music's history," began as a celebration of swing, just as be-bop was surfacing. Hershorn portrays vividly the roaring juggernaut that was the JATP, succeeds in transmitting the excitement of the all-star performances, the passion of the crowds, and provides real insight into the Herculean efforts of Granz in organizing the incredibly successful tours. By 1953, the JATP tours, which would take in up to sixty US cities, had extended to Europe and Japan, and by Granz's reckoning the concerts that year grossed $600,000, playing to an estimated half a million jazz fans.
More significant, perhaps, was Granz's bringing together of the different generations of jazz—from swing to be-bop and beyond—in improvisational jam sessions. The JATP jams divided opinion, however, with more than one critic doubting the intrinsic musical value of cutting contests, epitomized by the battles between drummers
Gene Krupa
drums1909 - 1973
Buddy Rich
drums1917 - 1987
Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet1917 - 1993
As a record producer, Granz also left an indelible mark with Verve and Pablo, and effectively pioneered live recordings. Few would argue with the author's statement that Granz produced "an unparalleled body of work." The esteemed journalist Hentoff, however, provoked Granz's ire for suggesting that the extensive Songbooks series did little to challenge Ella Fitzgerald's rare talent. On balance though, Granz's essential recordings of pianist
Art Tatum
piano1909 - 1956
Charlie Parker
saxophone, alto1920 - 1955
Fred Astaire
vocals1899 - 1987
Count Basie
piano1904 - 1984
Duke Ellington
piano1899 - 1974
Joe Pass
guitar1929 - 1994
And as Hershorn points out, it was Granz's loyalty to what he saw as a sadly neglected generation of musicians—with whom he had enjoyed so many years with JATP—that led him to establish Pablo Records in 1973. For the next thirteen years, Granz produced records with little or no regard for their commercial viability, but because they were, in his mind, musically important.
Hershorn delivers a welcome and illuminating insight into one of jazz's greatest non-musicians, and without drum roll or fanfare, elegantly makes the case for Granz as a major cultural figure of the twentieth century.
Tags
oscar peterson
Book Reviews
Ian Patterson
United States
Norman Granz
Nat Hentoff
Ella Fitzgerald
Gene Krupa
Buddy Rich
Dizzy Gillespie
Art Tatum
Charlie Parker
Fred Astaire
Count Basie
duke ellington
Joe Pass
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