Book: Norman Granz - The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice

I've mentioned Granz here before, 1940-70s impresario who promoted and even managed the cream of the jazz world.

Even though he was white and most of his talent was black. This was bold in those days.

I even heard he would cancel concerts, even big expensive money-making concerts, if there was any whiff of segregation in the paying audience.

So when I saw a biography on Amazon I had to order it. In these days of racial healing it's a story for our times too.

The dust jacket blurb says this:

Quote :

Granz was iconoclastic, independent, immensely influential and often thoroughly unpleasant.

Really? THIS is how you introduce the subject of the biography, "thoroughly unpleasant"? Makes me want to read it all the more....

Really well written.

Norman made himself a millionaire by promoting jazz all over the world, back when people told him there was no money in jazz.  He also fought hard for equality in pay and treatment long before the civil rights movement of 1964.

He was irascible with concert hall managers who refused to integrate, he was prickly with hotels who refused to put up his musicians or tried to relegate them to 2nd class rooms.

But he paid hospital bills for sick musicians (even drug and alcohol withdrawal), he supported families when the musicians couldn't work, and he paid "sidemen" the same royalties as the headline acts.  I wouldn't call that "thoroughly unpleasant."

I guess Granz's reputation comes mainly from disagreeing -- politely but forcefully -- with critics, and from being stuck in the 1945-1965 era and refusing to get involved in the newer bebop and fusion and avant-garde trends in jazz. He reportedly was not fond of rock 'n roll, and thought it wouldn't last.  By the end of his life he was man out of his time.

He liked cars and fine food.