Idolator
Joel Dorn, renowned for his studio work for Atlantic Records in the '60s and '70s with artists from across the spectrum, died yesterday from a heart attack. Though he's remembered foremost by jazz fans as a producer who worked with titans on the level of Max Roach and Rahsaan Roland Kirk, in the pop realm it was his work with soul and R&B artists like Roberta Flack and the Neville Brothers that earned him well-loved hits and multiple Grammys, including a '73 "Record Of The Year" nod for Flack's indellible "Killing Me Softly With His Song." After parting ways with Atlantic in the mid-'70s, Dorn spent the next 30 years working as a label consultant, a producer for singers like Lou Rawls, and the head of a string of his own imprints; he was currently "working on a five-disc tribute to his mentor," deceased Atlantic jazz impresario Nesuhi Ertegun. Dorn was 65.
Grammy-Winning Jazz Producer Joel Dorn Dies At 65 [Reuters]
Obituaries
Comments
Oh Lord, this is sad. Joel Dorn put out so much good music and had such a hard time with his own labels- 32 Jazz and Hyena Records alone in the past 10 years put out a ton of quality work. He was living proof you can still be relevant past the age of 40 in the record business.
He will be missed.
RIP. When I hear his name I think of those 32 Jazz cds with the weird package, ugly art, and awesome, forgotten music.
I found Joel Dorn because of his son, Adam Dorn aka Mocean Worker. Those 32 Jazz cds were some of the cheapest looking packages ever, but they were a hell of a lot more durable than the clear plastic ones. But the themes (and the music for them) were perfect, if not a little yuppified. I loved "Jazz for a Rainy Day".
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