CREED TAYLOR,
1929-2022
Creed Taylor, the jazz producer/label chief who led Verve and founded Impulse! and CTI, overseeing landmark albums by Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard and others, died Tuesday. He was 93.
His start at Impulse! included Coltrane's big-band experiment Africa/Brass. He was the head of Verve when it struck gold by introducing the world to bossa nova. And in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s, he ushered in a new strain of heavily orchestrated jazz best exemplified by Hubbard’s Red Clay, Stanley Turrentine’s Sugar and Deodato’s reworking of Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra. Taylor would win six Grammy Awards for his production work.
“Through Impulse!, Verve Records and CTI, he was instrumental in releasing and producing so many incredible and timeless albums that continue to be loved today,” said UMe President & CEO Bruce Resnikoff, whose UMG division oversees Verve and Impulse! catalog. “Impulse! was a cultural beacon of progressivism, activism and spirituality throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Creed was one of the great record executives. His contributions to the world of music will forever be remembered and enjoyed.”
A trumpet player, Creed moved to New York after serving in the Marine Corps and, knowing his musicianship was not on par with the bebop players of the day, moved into production. He started at Bethlehem in 1954, scoring successes with Chris Connor, Carmen McRae, Charles Mingus and Herbie Mann. He was also involved in promotion, marketing and artwork design. He revolutionized LP covers by introducing high-quality laminated sleeves, which would be his trademark at Impulse! and CTI.
In 1956 Taylor was hired as a staff producer by ABC/Paramount, where he made a name for himself with 1958’s Sing a Song of Basie by the vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.
Paramount then founded Impulse! as a dedicated jazz imprint and put Taylor in charge. His tenure was short, however—he produced only six albums there—but those included Ray Charles' Genius + Soul = Jazz, Gil Evans' Out of the Cool and Oliver Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth, enduring works all.
Taylor left when the opportunity arose to work with his favorite musician, Stan Getz. He joined MGM’s Verve label and produced Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd's 1962 set Jazz Samba, sparking widespread interest in Brazilian bossa nova. Its follow-up, 1964's Getz/Gilberto—featuring singer/guitarist João Gilberto and his wife, singer Astrud Gilberto—was home to the hit “The Girl From Ipanema.” Getz/Gilberto sold a million copies and won the Grammy for Album of the Year, with “Ipanema” anointed Record of the Year.
Taylor continued to emphasize pop-oriented records, among them titles by Wes Montgomery, Bill Evans and Jimmy Smith, which would continue when he departed Verve in 1967 to create CTI (Creed Taylor Incorporated) as an imprint of A&M Records. George Benson’s collection of Beatles songs, The Other Side of Abbey Road, was an early success.
A&M and Taylor later parted ways. He relaunched CTI in 1970 with Hubbard, Turrentine and Hubert Laws. Deodato’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001),” a jazz-funk rendition of the theme to 2001: A Space Odyssey, hit #2 on the pop chart.
Between CTI and sister label Kudu, Taylor scored hits with Bob James, Grover Washington Jr. and Esther Phillips. Unfortunately for the label, though, Warner Bros. and Columbia offered significant paydays to its artists. After filing bankruptcy in 1978, Taylor reluctantly sold the catalog to Columbia. In 1989, he resurrected CTI, which lasted until 1996. A reissue program in 2009 sparked new interest in its recordings. He responded with the CTI All-Stars Band, which toured Europe and released a live album.
“From his visionary ear for talent to his singular skills as a producer, Creed Taylor’s impact on jazz can’t be overstated," said Jamie Krents, president of Verve, Impulse! and Verve Forecast Records. "Whether it was signing John Coltrane to Impulse! Records or helping to introduce bossa nova music to the world via his work with Charlie Byrd, Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto for Verve, Creed’s integrity and innovative, open-minded approach to music have made him an inspiration in perpetuity to everyone at these labels. He will be dearly missed.”
