Norman Granz

Norman Granz loved jazz music. He helped many people make great records. He started many music companies. One was called Verve Records.

He also ran big shows. These shows were called Jazz at the Philharmonic. He took these shows on long trips. They went to many lands.

Norman fought for fairness. He wanted all people to be equal. He made sure all musicians got the same pay. He also made sure they stayed in the same hotels.

He would not play shows if people were kept apart. He even lost money to do what was right. He helped many famous singers like Ella Fitzgerald.

He was a very important leader for jazz music.

Norman Granz was a big leader in jazz music. He made many music companies. These included Clef, Norgran, and Verve Records. He also started a famous concert series called Jazz at the Philharmonic. He used borrowed money to start his first big show in 1944.

Granz worked hard to help many famous artists. He managed the great singer Ella Fitzgerald. He also worked with musicians like Count Basie and Oscar Peterson. He made sure his artists were paid well. He even made a jazz film called Jammin' the Blues. It was even picked for an award!

Most of all, Granz fought for fairness. During a time when people were kept apart by race, he stood up for equality. He made sure Black and white musicians got the same pay. He also made sure they had the same hotels.

He would not play shows in places that were not fair. He would cancel a show even if he lost money. He wanted all people to be treated the same. He was a very successful man for the world of jazz.

Norman Granz was a very important leader in the world of jazz. He was an American record producer and a concert promoter. People called him the most successful impresario in jazz history. He started many famous music companies like Clef, Norgran, and Verve Records. He also founded Pablo Records in 1973. Granz helped bring jazz music to many people around the world.

Granz had a special way of making music happen. He started a concert series called Jazz at the Philharmonic. He used about $300 of borrowed money to organize the very first show. This first concert happened on July 2, 1944, in Los Angeles. He also made a jazz film called Jammin' the Blues. That movie was even nominated for an Academy Award.

His life began in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Tiraspol. After he finished school, he worked as a clerk. During the Second World War, he joined the U.S. Army Air Force. He worked in the Morale branch to help entertain the troops. Later, he moved to Switzerland in 1959.

Granz worked with many famous jazz stars. He managed the great singer Ella Fitzgerald for her whole career. He also worked with musicians like Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, and Louis Armstrong. His labels featured many talents like Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie. He even helped make the popular Songbooks series for Ella Fitzgerald. He was a lifelong friend and manager to Oscar Peterson too.

Most importantly, Granz fought for racial equality. During a time when people were kept apart by race, he stood up for his artists. He insisted that Black and white musicians receive the same pay. He made sure they stayed in the same hotels and used the same dressing rooms. He even removed signs that separated restrooms in Houston in 1955. Granz would cancel shows if the venues were not fair to everyone.

Norman Granz was a highly influential American record producer and concert promoter. He is often called the most successful impresario in the history of jazz. An impresario is a person who organizes and manages large-scale entertainment events. Granz did more than just host shows; he built a massive musical empire. He founded several important record labels, including Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo. Through these companies, he helped shape how jazz music was recorded and shared with the world.

Granz developed his career through a series of organized musical events. He began by arranging desegregated jam sessions at the Trouville Club in Los Angeles. In 1944, he expanded this idea into a major concert series called Jazz at the Philharmonic, or JATP. He started this ambitious project using only about $300 of borrowed money. The first concert took place on July 2, 1944, at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles. These concerts featured musicians playing swing and bop styles. Granz also produced some of the first live jam session recordings for a wide market.

His business grew through various agreements and the creation of new labels. Between 1945 and 1947, he sold or leased JATP recordings to labels like Asch, Disc, and Stinson Records. In 1948, he signed a deal with Mercury Records to promote and distribute his work. After that agreement ended in 1953, he released music on his own Clef and Norgran labels. In 1956, he created Verve Records to manage the career of the famous singer Ella Fitzgerald. He unified his various musical catalogs under the Verve imprint. Later, in 1973, he founded his final label, Pablo Records.

Granz's life was shaped by his early years and his military service. He was born on August 6, 1918, in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Tiraspol, which is now in Moldova. After his schooling, he worked as a stock clerk on the Los Angeles stock exchange. During the Second World War, he was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Force. He served in the Morale branch, which was the department responsible for entertaining troops. This experience likely helped him understand how to manage large musical productions.

One of Granz's most significant legacies was his intense fight for racial equality. He worked during a time of deep segregation in the United States. Granz insisted that his Black and white artists receive equal pay and equal treatment. He ensured they stayed in the same hotels and used the same dressing rooms. In 1955, in Houston, he even removed signs that separated restrooms by race. He was a fierce advocate for his artists' dignity.

Granz was willing to make personal sacrifices to uphold his principles of fairness. He often refused to take his popular JATP tours to locations that were segregated. If a venue would not allow integrated audiences, he would cancel the booking. This decision cost him a considerable amount of money. He also fought legal battles to protect his musicians. In one instance in Houston, he spent over $2,000 to successfully fight charges after police arrested Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. He also campaigned to desegregate hotels and casinos in Las Vegas.

His musical connections reached the highest levels of jazz history. He managed the legendary Ella Fitzgerald for her entire career. He also managed the pianist Oscar Peterson, who was a lifelong friend. His labels recorded a massive list of talent, including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, and Charlie Parker. He even produced the jazz film Jammin' the Blues, which received an Academy Award nomination in 1944. Granz lived in Switzerland from 1959 until his death from cancer in 2001. He died at the age of 83 in Geneva.