George Avakian, Record Producer and Talent Scout, Dead @ 98

A noted record producer and talent scout who played a large role in the early careers of Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Keith Jarrett and Bob Newhart, plus many others. 

The New York Times highlights these events that help earn him his stellar reputation: 

"He signed Johnny Mathis, then an unknown jazz singer, and oversaw his emergence as a chart-topping pop star. He persuaded Louis Armstrong to record the German theater song “Mack the Knife,” an unlikely vehicle that became one of his biggest hits. And he supervised the recording of Duke Ellington’s performance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, which revitalized Ellington’s career."

nytimes.com/2017/11/22/obituaries/george-avakian-dead-record-producer-and-talent-scout.html


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