George Avakian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Avakian
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George Avakian (May 2003)
Photography by Ian P. Clifford |
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| Born |
Kevork Mesrop Avakian
March 15, 1919 Armavir, Kuban People's Republic (present Russia)
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| Died | November 22, 2017 (aged 98) New York City, New York, U.S.
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| Nationality | Armenian-American |
| Alma mater | Horace Mann School Yale University |
| Spouse(s) | Anahid Ajemian (1948–2016) |
| Children | 3 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Jazz, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer |
| Labels | Columbia, Warner Bros., RCA Victor |
| Associated acts | Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington |
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George Mesrop Avakian (March 15, 1919 – November 22, 2017) was an American record producer, artist manager, writer, and educator. He was a very important person in the growth of the music recording industry in the United States.
George Avakian is best known for his work from 1939 to the early 1960s at major record companies like Columbia Records and RCA Records. After that, he worked independently until the early 2000s. He helped many famous artists, including Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman. He also worked with Dave Brubeck, Keith Jarrett, Edith Piaf, and Ravi Shankar.
Contents
A Life in Music
Early Days and First Steps
George Avakian was born in Armavir, Russia. His parents, Mesrop and Manoushak Avakian, were from Armenia. In July 1923, his family moved to the United States. George's younger brother, Aram Avakian, later became a photographer and filmmaker.
George fell in love with jazz music when he was a teenager. He would listen to the radio at night and enjoyed artists like Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. He even interviewed Benny Goodman for his school newspaper! This is when he started collecting a huge number of jazz records. He also began writing letters to record companies, asking them to re-release old jazz recordings.
While George was still studying at Yale University, Decca Records hired him. He produced his first recording, Chicago Jazz, in 1940. This was a very important moment because it became known as the first "jazz album." It had six records and included George's notes about the music and musicians. This set the standard for how future jazz albums would be released.
Columbia Records and New Ideas
By 1940, swing music was very popular. Columbia Broadcasting System wanted to release more jazz music. They had bought the catalogs of old jazz labels like OKeh and Brunswick. So, they created a new record company called Columbia Records.
George Avakian, still at Yale, was asked to help. He went through Columbia's huge collection of recordings. He put together a series called "Hot Jazz Classics." He created special boxed sets for artists like Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, and Billie Holiday. He even found many songs that had never been released before and included them.
He found many unreleased songs by Louis Armstrong. George played some of these for Armstrong, and they became good friends. This friendship lasted for many decades.
After serving in the US Army, George returned to Columbia Records. He was in charge of popular music and international divisions. He continued to produce the "Hot Jazz Classics" series. He also recorded pop artists like Doris Day and Frank Sinatra.
George was also a leader in using new technology. Columbia Records had developed the 33⅓ rpm long-playing (LP) record. George was at the forefront of using this new format. He helped release the first 100 pop records on LP.
Around this time, George met his future wife, Anahid Ajemian. She was a talented violinist. Anahid and her sister, Maro Ajemian, were famous for performing and supporting modern music. They performed and recorded music by composers like John Cage and Alan Hovhaness. George and Anahid got married in 1948 and were together until her death in 2016.
George also taught one of the first jazz history courses at New York University in 1948. He helped create the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) in 1957. This organization now presents the Grammy Awards. George was its president from 1966 to 1967.
George worked with many artists at Columbia and other labels. He signed Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck to Columbia. These artists had only recorded for smaller companies before.
George was also innovative in other ways. He made Columbia the first major record company to record live jazz and pop concerts. He released a two-record set of Benny Goodman's 1938 concert at Carnegie Hall. He also recorded Louis Armstrong live. He produced some of Armstrong's best later recordings, like Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy.
From 1956 to 1963, George produced important live albums from the Newport Jazz Festival. These included Ellington at Newport. He was also one of the first producers to use multi-track recording and tape editing. For example, he added Louis Armstrong's voice to the hit song "Mack The Knife" in 1955.
Later Work and Impact
In 1958, George left Columbia Records. He briefly co-owned a smaller label called Pacific Jazz. Then, he helped create a record company for Warner Brothers. There, he signed Bob Newhart and produced his first comedy album, which won a Grammy Award. He also signed the Everly Brothers.
George also personally paid for and produced the first three albums by Alan Hovhaness and John Cage. In 1958, he presented a special concert celebrating 25 years of John Cage's music. The year before, George and Anahid produced a concert series called "Music For Moderns." It featured both jazz musicians and modern composers, which was very unusual at the time.
In 1960, George joined RCA. He worked with jazz musicians again, including Paul Desmond and Sonny Rollins. In 1962, he helped plan and went on Benny Goodman's important tour of the Soviet Union.
By late 1962, George wanted to focus more on producing music. He made a deal with RCA Records to work on a per-project basis. He also started managing and producing his own artists, like Charles Lloyd and Keith Jarrett.
George helped the Charles Lloyd Quartet become the first American jazz group to perform in the Soviet Union in 1967. He also produced several successful albums for Lloyd. For Keith Jarrett, George arranged record deals, managed tours, and produced albums.
Throughout his career, George worked to improve cultural exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union. He was the first to record Soviet and American artists together. He helped Duke Ellington and other American bands plan their visits to the Soviet Union. He also helped Soviet musicians perform in the United States for the first time in 1988. For his efforts, he received the Order of Lenin, the highest honor in the former Soviet Union, in 1990.
From the 1970s to the 2000s, George continued to produce records occasionally. In the 1980s, he managed two singers, Helen Merrill and Datevik Hovanesian. In the 1990s and 2000s, he helped Sony Legacy re-release albums by Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong. He also continued to research and write about jazz. He even found some previously unknown songs by Louis Armstrong.
In 2014, George and Anahid Ajemian gave their large collection of jazz recordings and items to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. An exhibit called "Music for Moderns: The Partnership of George Avakian and Anahid Ajemian" was held there in 2016.
George Avakian passed away on November 22, 2017, at the age of 98, in New York City. He and Anahid had three children: Maro, Anahid, and Gregory.
Honors and Awards
George Avakian was a founding member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Grammy Awards. He received many awards throughout his life:
- Honorary Doctor of Literature from Colgate University (2014)
- "The Louie" Award from the Louis Armstrong House Museum (2011)
- National Endowment for the Arts AB Spellman Jazz Advocacy Award (2010) – This is the highest honor in Jazz for his work as a producer, manager, critic, historian, and educator.
- The Trustees Lifetime Achievement Award (Grammy) for his contributions to the music industry worldwide (2009)
- Commandeur des Arts et Lettres from France for his important contributions to the arts (2008)
- Europe's prestigious jazz award, the Django d'Or (2006)
- A Lifetime Achievement award from Down Beat magazine (2000)
- Grammy Award for "Best Album Notes - Miles Davis & Gil Evans - The Complete Columbia Studio Recordings" (1996)
- The Order of Lenin, the Soviet Union's highest state honor (1990)
See also
In Spanish: George Avakian para niños
