August 22, 2022 marked the passing of legendary jazz producer Creed Taylor. Active in the music industry for decades, he left a lasting impression on the world of jazz. He passed away in Germany, while visiting family, from heart failure following a stroke. He was 93 years old.
Taylor was born on May 13, 1929 in Lynchburg, Virginia, gaining an affinity for jazz at a young age through remote radio broadcasts from Birdland (the New York City jazz club) on his local radio. Creed played trumpet in his high school’s marching band and orchestra. He attended Duke University to pursue a degree in psychology, but those Duke due to its renowned music program. He performed with the university’s jazz ensembles during his time at the university.
Post-graduation, Taylor relocated to New York City with the intention of becoming a record producer. A fellow Duke alumnus was running Bethlehem Records at the time, and that was Taylor’s introduction to the music industry. After producing a successful record by vocalist Chris Connor, Taylor became head of the label’s A&R (artists and repertoire) department. During his stint at the label, he recorded such artists as Charles Mingus, Oscar Pettiford, Herbie Mann, the J.J. Johnson-Kai Winding Quintet, Milt Hinton, Urbie Green, Ruby Braff, and others.
Here is “Out of this World,” from Bethlehem album BCP13, by Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson, predating the many times both musicians would appear in his productions:
Leaving Bethlehem Records in 1956, Taylor joined ABC-Paramount, eventually forming the subsidiary label Impulse! and recording such classic jazz albums as Oliver Nelson’s Blues and the Abstract Truth, Ray Charles’ Genius + Soul = Jazz, Gil Evans’ Out of the Cool, and John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass, Coltrane having been signed to Impulse! by Taylor in 1960. Other artists that Taylor produced were Quincy Jones, Zoot Sims, Don Elliott, Jackie & Roy, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, and Oscar Pettiford. Taylor also recorded a handful of novelty instrumental albums as The Creed Taylor Orchestra.
“Little Pony” is featured on the album Sing a Song of Basie by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, which set Basie's charts to multitracked vocals, with only a rhythm section for accompaniment:
1961 found Taylor on the move again, this time to Verve Records, where he would not only produce dozens of the label’s records, he would help introduce the newest music from Brazil, bossa nova, to American audiences, beginning with the Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd album Jazz Samba, with the single from the iconic Getz/Gilberto album, “The Girl from Ipanema” (sung by Astrud Gilberto) became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Taylor also produced records by Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith, Cal Tjader, Lalo Schifrin, Bill Evans, Johnny Hodges, Wynton Kelly (including the legendary Smokin’ at the Half Note with Wes Montgomery), Antonio Carlos Jobim, Willie Bobo, and (Rahsaan) Roland Kirk.
This is “Once Again (Outra Vez)” from the album Getz recorded with Laurindo Almeida, one of many fine bossa nova recordings produced at Verve by Taylor:
Creed Taylor’s style of jazz could be polarizing. Jazz purists often scoffed at his pop/jazz instincts, while those with open ears admired his mix of jazz, soul, funk, and even classical. His commercial leanings brought jazz to a wider audience, a trend that grew during his time at Verve Records. When A&M Records offered Taylor his own CTI (Creed Taylor, Inc.) jazz imprint in 1967, he took that concept further, and occasionally stumbled at the label until he found his footing. Despite that, there were albums by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Tamba 4, Nat Adderley, Paul Desmond, Quincy Jones, and George Benson, among others, that presented his vision of jazz convincingly. Taylor was also instrumental in presenting the next wave in Brazilian music to American audiences—Milton Nascimento.
The sidemen on these recordings were a who’s who of musicians from the era—Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Urbie Green, and plenty of other musicians who have become household names in jazz. Taylor’s need for a unique visual identity led to unique album packaging employing elaborate gatefolds jackets featuring the color photography of Pete Turner on the covers, with cover layout by graphics designer Sam Antupit.
When his association with A&M ended, Taylor finally got the chance to launch his own independent label as CTI Records. Financial woes and bankruptcy from a failed distribution deal with Motown and a sale to Columbia Records aside, his new label ran with the ideas he had been developing since leaving Verve. As was typical with his earlier label moves, many artists he worked with in the past followed him to CTI. In addition, his productions included records by up and coming Brazilian musicians Airto Moreira and Eumir Deodato, as well as jazz artists Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, Joe Farrell, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Milt Jackson, Chet Baker, Bob James, Jim Hall, Allan Holdsworth, Ray Barretto, and others. CTI’s soul jazz subsidiary Kudu Records featured Grant Green, Joe Beck, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Grover Washington Jr. As with his records under A&M’s wing, many of the album cover photos were provided by Pete Turner.
CTI Records would also produce hit records. Eumir Deodato’s remake of “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)” would reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and also win a Grammy award), and the album it came from, Prelude, would reach No. 3 on the Billboard album chart. Other hit singles include Bob James’ “Westchester Lady,” Esther Phillips’ “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes,” and Idris Muhammed’s “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This.” Hit albums include Grover Washington Jr.’s Mister Magic and Bob James’ BJ4.
The label remained active until 1984, and Taylor revived the label in 1989 for a handful of new releases. In more recent times, Taylor took a CTI All Stars band on the road in 2009 and 2010, the former resulting in a video release CTI All Stars at Montreux 2009. Taylor also supervised the reissue of his CDs starting in 2009, with later batches being released in 2013 and 2017 (for CTI’s 50th anniversary).
While largely inactive in recent years, Creed Taylor’s legacy lives on through the thousands of records he produced, the young musicians he employed who went on to become household names in jazz, and the numerous times his recordings have been sampled by younger generations.
Taylor was born on May 13, 1929 in Lynchburg, Virginia, gaining an affinity for jazz at a young age through remote radio broadcasts from Birdland (the New York City jazz club) on his local radio. Creed played trumpet in his high school’s marching band and orchestra. He attended Duke University to pursue a degree in psychology, but those Duke due to its renowned music program. He performed with the university’s jazz ensembles during his time at the university.
Post-graduation, Taylor relocated to New York City with the intention of becoming a record producer. A fellow Duke alumnus was running Bethlehem Records at the time, and that was Taylor’s introduction to the music industry. After producing a successful record by vocalist Chris Connor, Taylor became head of the label’s A&R (artists and repertoire) department. During his stint at the label, he recorded such artists as Charles Mingus, Oscar Pettiford, Herbie Mann, the J.J. Johnson-Kai Winding Quintet, Milt Hinton, Urbie Green, Ruby Braff, and others.
Here is “Out of this World,” from Bethlehem album BCP13, by Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson, predating the many times both musicians would appear in his productions:
Leaving Bethlehem Records in 1956, Taylor joined ABC-Paramount, eventually forming the subsidiary label Impulse! and recording such classic jazz albums as Oliver Nelson’s Blues and the Abstract Truth, Ray Charles’ Genius + Soul = Jazz, Gil Evans’ Out of the Cool, and John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass, Coltrane having been signed to Impulse! by Taylor in 1960. Other artists that Taylor produced were Quincy Jones, Zoot Sims, Don Elliott, Jackie & Roy, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, and Oscar Pettiford. Taylor also recorded a handful of novelty instrumental albums as The Creed Taylor Orchestra.
“Little Pony” is featured on the album Sing a Song of Basie by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, which set Basie's charts to multitracked vocals, with only a rhythm section for accompaniment:
1961 found Taylor on the move again, this time to Verve Records, where he would not only produce dozens of the label’s records, he would help introduce the newest music from Brazil, bossa nova, to American audiences, beginning with the Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd album Jazz Samba, with the single from the iconic Getz/Gilberto album, “The Girl from Ipanema” (sung by Astrud Gilberto) became a worldwide hit, reaching the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Taylor also produced records by Wes Montgomery, Jimmy Smith, Cal Tjader, Lalo Schifrin, Bill Evans, Johnny Hodges, Wynton Kelly (including the legendary Smokin’ at the Half Note with Wes Montgomery), Antonio Carlos Jobim, Willie Bobo, and (Rahsaan) Roland Kirk.
This is “Once Again (Outra Vez)” from the album Getz recorded with Laurindo Almeida, one of many fine bossa nova recordings produced at Verve by Taylor:
Creed Taylor’s style of jazz could be polarizing. Jazz purists often scoffed at his pop/jazz instincts, while those with open ears admired his mix of jazz, soul, funk, and even classical. His commercial leanings brought jazz to a wider audience, a trend that grew during his time at Verve Records. When A&M Records offered Taylor his own CTI (Creed Taylor, Inc.) jazz imprint in 1967, he took that concept further, and occasionally stumbled at the label until he found his footing. Despite that, there were albums by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Tamba 4, Nat Adderley, Paul Desmond, Quincy Jones, and George Benson, among others, that presented his vision of jazz convincingly. Taylor was also instrumental in presenting the next wave in Brazilian music to American audiences—Milton Nascimento.
The sidemen on these recordings were a who’s who of musicians from the era—Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Urbie Green, and plenty of other musicians who have become household names in jazz. Taylor’s need for a unique visual identity led to unique album packaging employing elaborate gatefolds jackets featuring the color photography of Pete Turner on the covers, with cover layout by graphics designer Sam Antupit.
When his association with A&M ended, Taylor finally got the chance to launch his own independent label as CTI Records. Financial woes and bankruptcy from a failed distribution deal with Motown and a sale to Columbia Records aside, his new label ran with the ideas he had been developing since leaving Verve. As was typical with his earlier label moves, many artists he worked with in the past followed him to CTI. In addition, his productions included records by up and coming Brazilian musicians Airto Moreira and Eumir Deodato, as well as jazz artists Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Kenny Burrell, Joe Farrell, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Milt Jackson, Chet Baker, Bob James, Jim Hall, Allan Holdsworth, Ray Barretto, and others. CTI’s soul jazz subsidiary Kudu Records featured Grant Green, Joe Beck, Dr. Lonnie Smith and Grover Washington Jr. As with his records under A&M’s wing, many of the album cover photos were provided by Pete Turner.
CTI Records would also produce hit records. Eumir Deodato’s remake of “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001)” would reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and also win a Grammy award), and the album it came from, Prelude, would reach No. 3 on the Billboard album chart. Other hit singles include Bob James’ “Westchester Lady,” Esther Phillips’ “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes,” and Idris Muhammed’s “Could Heaven Ever Be Like This.” Hit albums include Grover Washington Jr.’s Mister Magic and Bob James’ BJ4.
The label remained active until 1984, and Taylor revived the label in 1989 for a handful of new releases. In more recent times, Taylor took a CTI All Stars band on the road in 2009 and 2010, the former resulting in a video release CTI All Stars at Montreux 2009. Taylor also supervised the reissue of his CDs starting in 2009, with later batches being released in 2013 and 2017 (for CTI’s 50th anniversary).
While largely inactive in recent years, Creed Taylor’s legacy lives on through the thousands of records he produced, the young musicians he employed who went on to become household names in jazz, and the numerous times his recordings have been sampled by younger generations.
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