Artist

George Avakian

American record producer, artist manager, writer, educator and executive of Armenian heritage. Born March 15, 1919 in Armavir, Russia. Died November 22, 2017 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. In 1940, Avakian produced the first jazz album, a collection of six 78RPM discs titled "Chicago Jazz" for (Decca 121) featuring and his associates with the package including a 12 page booklet, one of the first examples of liner notes. Soon afterwards, he was hired at for a reissue anthology series ("Hot Jazz Classics") and uncovered some significant unissued and masters from years earlier. After war service in the army, he rejoined Columbia in 1946 and was involved in the transition of the company's releases to the LP format. In 1950, he issued the first double-LP containing the recording of 's Carnegie Hall concert performed on January 16, 1938. He placed and (then in his late teens) under contract and produced Armstrong's albums including the tribute and persuaded Armstrong to record "Mack the Knife". After hearing at the in 1955, he signed the trumpeter, and convinced the owner of the label (to whom Davis was under contract) to stockpile recordings for the four remaining albums of his contract; the albums Columbia would release would effectively serve as cross-promotion. A little later, Avakian reunited Davis with for "Miles Ahead" beginning their sequence of LP collaborations, In this period, Avakian was head of Columbia's Popular Album Department' (which included Jazz) and the International section. In the later role, he issued 's recording of "La Vie en Rose" in the United States. He left Columbia in late 1957. After a brief period at , he joined (where he signed the , the comedian and ) and then in 1962, contracting both and , but ended his association with the label by the end of 1963 having tired of working for large companies. He ended his main career in the music industry as a manager of (from 1964), as well as (from 1967, negotiating his original contract with ), and as a freelance producer. He returned to Columbia in the 1990s to reissue some of the recordings he had produced decades earlier. Avakian was married to the violinist for 68 years.