September 1st marks the start of “Creed Taylor Month” – an annual tradition started by A&M/CTI in Canada in 1968. It’s something interesting to observe each year, even though Taylor month was October in America. For background and details see the entry embedded at the bottom of this post. This […]
The Reissue List
2021/2022 I get occasional emails from readers asking if I know if this album is on CD, or if there is a vinyl pressing available new? While I do buy occasional new vinyl and CD’s, it’s usually only to get a remastered version of something I already have, especially from […]
The Music Came First
The Snapshots Foundation, Johnathan Bewley produced bio-pic of Creed Taylor has been released on Vimeo. A great number of contributions from Herb Alpert, Ron Carter, Bob James, Harvey Mason, Lenny White, Hubert Laws, George Benson, Ashley Kahn and more. In many ways, as Creed would have wanted, it’s as much […]
Creed Taylor Has Left The Studio
News reached me earlier today that Creed Taylor has passed away. My sincere condolences and sympathy to Creed’s family. A a life well lived is a life worth living. Creed’s life was more than well lived, and his legacy will be with us forever. Creed Bane Taylor, Creed Taylor V, […]
Pete Turner: Color, Content, Character
I started this post on Memorial Day, May 30th 2022, which marked 87-years from Pete Turner’s birth in 1934. I imagined a quick tribute to a great photographer, who like many of his generation served in the Army. In 1972, I was an aspiring press photographer, age 14, with a […]
Margo Guryan – More Than Sunday Mornin’
It was with some sadness that I read on Instagram that Margo Guryan had passed away. Margo Guryan Rosner, age 84, of Los Angeles, California passed away on Monday, November 8, 2021. Margo was born September 20, 1937. Margo Rosner Obituary (neptunesociety.com) It would be simple to remember Margo as […]
Am-Par, Electro-Voice and the Story Of Stereo
Just what was the first Am-Par stereo album? Does one of the compilations hold that record? Having established which Am-Par release compilation/sampler was the first record given away with a consumer magazine closed one door on Am-Par compilations, but opened another. In this post I look at the adoption of […]
Shock – Drama, and the Toni Darnay story
In the best horror tradition, the people who put this record together are as pleasant and gentle a group a you’d like to have in for tea. Shock – Liner Notes – David Drew Zingg 1958 It’s probable that almost anyone that’s interested in the music produced by Creed Taylor […]
Full Color Fidelity Jazz
While most of us know Creed Taylors productions for their lavish gatefold covers, more often than not adorned with exotic, artful, and amazing color photographs by Pete Turner, the music Creed produced also made a number of firsts in other ways. This entry discuss the first ever vinyl record to […]
The ABC of Specialty Recording
[This post was originally written as part of the 2021 post, Happy Birthday Mr. Taylor and also continues and replaces an earlier post on the specialty recording period of Creed Taylor’s career.] After graduating from Duke University, 2-years in the Army, one year of which was spent in Korea, Creed […]