Farewell, Mr. Dorn.
"Keep a light in the window." That's how Joel Dorn would conclude his liner notes for each title in his 32 Jazz reissue label. Dorn, a DJ, producer and music industry raconteur, died Monday. The most wonderful thing about Dorn's eclectic career was his belief- one I obviously share- that jazz, pop, rock and R&B are the same thing. Yusef Lateef's "Stay With Me" is a typical Dorn production. It seems as light as air and is catchy enough to serve as a theme song for a television program. But it's also intricate enough to reward deep listening. The ballad is contained on this themed compilation and on this box set. Both are out-of-print. Dorn's spirit is captured in this video as he discusses his relationship to jazz bagpiper Rufus Harley.
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Kansas City Click: I'd go to the Peanut's The Jumpoff party tonight, but I'm not sure that the young ladies prominently featured at Dutch Newman's MySpace page are ready to share a table with me.
3 comments:
Back in the early 1990's before Soundscan I was a Billboard jazz chart reporter (inherited from the late Ed Harvey) and as a result spoke with Mr. Dorn and a number of occasions.
Yes. He was cool and quite the talker. A hustler and hipster. But he loved the music he promoted and produced.
RIP Joel Dorn.
Thanks for the sharp observations and compelling words about Joel. He was a true American original. One of the most tuned in and turned on spirits to ever grace our presence. It's a sad day.
That's really cool, BGO. I'd forgotten about that chapter.
When I began working for Penny Lane I was shocked to see guys like LeRoi jotting down sales data off the top of their heads. But it was also a cheap thrill- "Don't forget the new Talking Heads, LeRoi- we sold a couple more today."
Agreed, Anon. Thanks for checking in.
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