Norman Granz was born in Los Angeles, California on August 6, 1918. His lifelong love of jazz led to his early involvement in the genre as both filmmaker and concert promoter. With photographer Gjon Mili, he made Jammin' The Blues (1944), regarded as one of the best jazz short films ever made. Also in 1944, he staged a jazz concert at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles – the first Jazz At The Philharmonic. JATP was to became synonymous with concert hall jam sessions featuring top jazz talent. His concerts toured the world and were frequently recorded live. Norman Granz eventually released the recordings, often on labels he owned or controlled, among them Clef (1946), Norman (1953), Verve (1956) and Pablo (1973).

"Granz the jazz lover is predominantly visible through his studio recording sessions. Granz officiates at every recording date, and ominously announces this fact on every record label and record sleeve with, the words ‘Recorded under the Personal Supervision of Norman Granz' and ‘Supervised by Norman Granz' respectively. He also composes all the liner notes for his albums, which have become noted for barrages of adjectives and their lack of information. Although Granz claims that he never dictates to his musicians, much of what emanates from his recording studios has come to have a distinct flavor. One reason for this may be that a good number of the musicians who appear on Granz recordings are also members of JATP." 1

Legend has it that his connection with Oscar Peterson began when he heard an Oscar Peterson broadcast from the Alberta Lounge while taking a taxi to Dorval Airport, Montreal, was astounded and ordered the driver to go to the Alberta Lounge instead. He then swept the pianist off to sudden fame with Jazz at the Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. As Norman Granz tells the story: "The cabby had some music playing, and I assumed that it was a disc that some disc jockey was playing, and asked him if he knew the station. I said I'd like to call them and find out who the pianist was with the trio. And he said, ‘No, that's not a record, it's coming from a club called the Alberta Lounge.' He said, ‘It's Oscar Peterson.' And I said, ‘Well, forget the airport, turn around and let's go to the club.'" Afterwards, he talked to Oscar, and invited him to "take a shot at the American jazz market. I think you could bring something to it, and it would be a tremendous innovation, the fact first of all of the way you play, and secondly the fact that you're not an American." After some discussion, Oscar agreed and the two settled on Carnegie Hall for Oscar Peterson's U.S. debut.

The relationship with Norman Granz was to be the most important and enduring of Oscar Peterson's life -- a relationship characterized by hand shakes rather than contracts. Oscar would have four marriages and a succession of trios, but from then on, only one manager, Norman Granz. He would even name one of his sons after his manager. The vast majority of Oscar Peterson's enormous output of recordings would be produced by Norman Granz and were usually issued on record labels owned by Granz. Ever since their first meeting, Oscar Peterson consulted Norman Granz about any important career decision.

"Norman Granz is the best manager that I know of, bar none," said Oscar. "Forget about as a friend. Any level you want to argue on. You want to argue intelligence? Put him up against anyone you want to name. Name them, it doesn't have to be in jazz. There isn't anyone that I've seen, and I've met quite a few of the impresarios in the classical world, who has the intuitive creative sense about what an artist should be doing to further their creative importance."

Almost from the beginning, Norman Granz made Oscar Peterson a sort of straw boss of Jazz at the Philharmonic -- music director, trouble-shooter, and general foreman. In this capacity, many of the figures Oscar Peterson revered, Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge among them, came under his direction. In 1956, Norman Granz founded a new record company, which he called Verve. His intention was to make it a popular-music label. His earlier composers' series records were monaural. Now he re-recorded the material in stereo to take commercial advantage of the new market. 2

By 1962, Oscar Peterson was recording on a crushing schedule for Verve. The albums that year included Very Tall with Milt Jackson, West Side Story with the trio, Swinging Brass and Bunting Out, in which the trio worked in a big-band context with arrangements first by Russell Garcia and later by Ernie Wilkins. Affinity (in which Oscar Peterson recorded the Bill Evans composition Waltz for Debby), The Oscar Peterson Trio Plays, Night Train, and four live albums made at the London House: Live front Chicago, The Sound of the Trio, Put on a Happy Face, and Something Warm.


Footnotes

1 Kernfeld, Barry.   The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz.   London: Macmillan Press Ltd, 1988.

2 Lees, Gene.   Oscar Peterson: The Will to Swing.   Rocklin, California: Prima Publishing & Communications, 1990.

O.P. & Friends