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Noted Atlantic Jazz Producer Joel Dorn Passes Away at 65
| Source: Rhino Entertainment
LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - December 18, 2007) - Joel Dorn, the producer behind many of
Atlantic Records' most successful jazz releases, passed away suddenly
yesterday. He was 65.
Dorn's affiliation with Atlantic spanned decades, beginning as an
independent producer for the label in the early 1960s. He soon joined the
company's legendary in-house production staff, and with mentor Nesuhi
Ertegun, recorded some of the greatest jazz artists of the era before
branching out with equal success into pop, rock, and R&B. When Rhino began
to reissue the Atlantic jazz catalog in 1993, Dorn spearheaded the
campaign, producing and annotating nearly two dozen titles. In addition to
his work for Atlantic and Rhino, Dorn released archival recordings on his
own labels Night, M, and 32 Records (including the highly successful "Jazz
For A Rainy Afternoon" compilations).
Born on April 7, 1942, Joel Dorn grew up in Philadelphia and took to music
at an early age, working as a disc jockey for local station WHAT-FM while
still in his teens. Inspired by Ray Charles' iconic recordings for
Atlantic, Dorn began corresponding with Nesuhi Ertegun, a relationship that
eventually led to a job at the label's New York office in May of 1967. It
was an age of musical exploration, in jazz as well as rock, and Dorn's
approach behind the boards -- fashioning a framework that would allow
musicians maximum freedom -- brought out the best in such artists as
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Les McCann, Eddie Harris, Yusef Lateef, and Herbie
Mann.
It was an approach that worked equally well in the pop and R&B arenas. In
1972 and 1973, Dorn won consecutive "Record Of The Year" GRAMMYS as
producer of Roberta Flack's hits "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and
"Killing Me Softly With His Song." Dorn was also at the helm for seminal
releases from the likes of Bette Midler ("The Divine Miss M"), The Allman
Brothers ("Idlewild South"), Leon Redbone ("On The Track"), The Neville
Brothers ("Fiyo On The Bayou"), and many others.
"Joel bridged the worlds of jazz and pop with enormous skill and grace,
never compromising the integrity of his artists and their music," remarked
Edgar Bronfman Jr., Chairman and CEO of the Warner Music Group. "A great
character, he loved and understood the music, and he had the rare gift of
identifying genuine talent and drawing out their best work. Our thoughts
and prayers go out to Joel's entire family and many friends during this
very difficult time."