Norman Granz

Norman Granz was a fundamental figure in modern American jazz, founding five record labels during his decades-long career, including the widely celebrated Verve Records, which to this day holds the world’s largest catalogue of jazz recordings.

The son of Jewish immigrants from Moldova, Granz was a pioneer of desegregation in the music industry, insisting on equal pay and accomodation for all of his artists, regardless of race.

Granz produced over 400 albums with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Cannonball Adderley, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and Charlie Parker.