Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Joel Dorn, 1942-2007

















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.

---
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:

bgo said...

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.

Anonymous said...

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.

Happy In Bag said...

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.