(August 24, 2022) He was a giant in the jazz world who helped advance the careers of countless stars during his periods at Verve Records, Impulse, A&M and particularly his own CTI label. We are sad to report the passing of the iconic Creed Taylor at age 93.
The Virginia-born Taylor was himself a trumpeter and performed in a number of jazz ensembles as a young man. But he truly loved the production side of music, and developed a reputation as a creative, bright producer, to whom artists gravitated. In the 50s he worked with Charles Mingus, Herbie Mann and other top stars at Bethlehem Records.
His move to Verve Records in 1960 was momentous, as he used that platform to help bring bossa nova to America with such artists as Stan Getz and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Taylor’s years at multiple labels ultimately led him to form his own, CTI Records. CTI was groundbreaking in both the talent it gathered and in the inroads it made in broadening jazz’s audience by mixing in elements of R&B. The artists signed to the label were too numerous to count, but included Bob James, Nina Simone, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws and Grover Washington, Jr.
While CTI ran into financial troubles in the 90s, and was swallowed up by Sony, the mark that the label and Taylor made over the prior two decades was indelible – it was the center of popular jazz music.
Taylor continued to work well into the 2000s, often reuniting with his former CTI stars. He left an amazing legacy of great music that was both of its time and, in a sense, timeless. Rest in peace.
By Chris Rizik
