Michael Cuscuna
American jazz record producer (1948–2024)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Cuscuna (September 20, 1948 – April 20, 2024) was an American jazz record producer and writer. He was the co-founder of Mosaic Records and a discographer of Blue Note Records.[1]
.jpg)
Michael Cuscuna | |
|---|---|
Cuscuna in 1995 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | September 20, 1948 Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | April 20, 2024 (aged 75) Stamford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Record producer |
| Labels | |
Biography
Career
Cuscuna played drums, saxophone and flute while young, but placed his emphasis on founding his own record label.[2] He had a jazz show on WXPN and worked for ESP-Disk late in the 1960s, in addition to writing for Jazz & Pop Magazine and Down Beat.[2] He moved from WXPN to WMMR in 1970, then onto WABC-FM (now WPLJ) as a progressive rock DJ at both stations.[2] He took a position as a producer with Atlantic Records in the 1970s, recording Dave Brubeck and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.[2] In the early 1970s, he also produced albums by Bonnie Raitt (Give It Up)[2] and Chris Smither. He also worked at Motown, ABC (for reissues of Impulse! albums), Arista, Muse, Freedom, Elektra and Novus.[3]
In 1975 Cuscuna produced the Hidden Strength self-titled album.[4] It made it to No. 45 on the Cash Box Top 50 R&B Albums chart,[5][6] and No. 58 on the Billboard Soul LPs chart the following year.[7][8][9] The single from the album, "Hustle on Up (Do the Bump)" also was a hit, peaking at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart,.[10][11][12] and No. 27 on the Cash Box Top 100 R&B singles chart.[13]
From 1975 to 1981, he searched the Blue Note archive for previously unissued sessions which began to be issued during this period.[3]
In collaboration with business partner Charlie Lourie, he founded Mosaic Records in 1983 specializing in jazz reissue box sets sold by mail order.[14][2] Artists surveyed include highly visible masters like Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Nat "King" Cole, and lesser known artists such as Tina Brooks and Ike Quebec.[2] Cuscuna won three Grammy Awards for his releases.[15] From 1984 onwards, he handled all reissues for Blue Note records.[16]
Personal life
Cuscuna was born on September 20, 1948, in Stamford, Connecticut.[2][3]
Cuscuna died of complications from esophageal cancer at his home in Stamford on April 20, 2024, at the age of 75.[17][18][1]
Grammy Awards
- 1993: Best Historical Album for Nat King Cole, The Complete Capitol Trio Recordings[15]
- 1999: Best Album Notes for Miles Davis, Miles Davis Quintet 1965–1968 (with Bob Belden and Todd Coolman)[15]
- 2002: Best Historical Album for Billie Holiday, Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday on Columbia 1933–1944 (with Michael Brooks)[15]
Publications
- Syoichi Yui; Michael Cuscuna (1987). Blue Note Jazz Story (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchosha.
- Michael Cuscuna; Charlie Lourie; Oscar Schnider (1998). The Blue Note Years. Jazz- Photographie. Zurich: Edition Stemmle.