Jazz Articles about Norman Granz

About Norman Granz

Album Review

Norman Granz: The Sound Of America

Read "The Sound Of America" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
October 26, 2026

If there were a more important “back office" figure in the history of American jazz than Norman Granz, who would it be? When Granz first heard Coleman Hawkins, he knew that the music was going to have a major role in his life--but he did not yet know how many others would be in his debt as well. Hundreds, if not thousands of musicians would owe him a living. Some, like Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald, would nearly become his ...

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Album Review

Norman Granz' J.A.T.P.: Carnegie Hall, 1949

Read "Carnegie Hall, 1949" reviewed by David Rickert

by David Rickert
April 12, 2002

This release, one might suspect, is a tribute to Norman Granz, who died late last year. A tireless promoter of jazz, one of Granz’s first projects was the Jazz at the Philharmonic series, which successfully presented jazz to a more cultured audience. Although criticized by some as vaudeville for pandering to the masses, the concerts were often a chance to see veterans and younger players who otherwise might never have played together. The song selection isn’t all that challenging, reflecting ...