Born July 5, 1936 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Died March 13, 2017 in New York City, New York, USA.
A Scott Galloway already said almost everything in a terrific text posted on Facebook about such terrible news. I own a copy of the Breezin' reissue he has mentioned, with bonus tracks and Gallaway's brilliant set of liner notes. I only would like to add that a few years ago (2011, I think) I've attended a gala tribute to LiPuma at Montreux Jazz Fest with Diana etc to celebrate his 75th birthday.
Met him for the first time in my teens when he came to Brazil to record some tracks for Michael Franks' "Sleeping Gypsy" (one of my desert island discs) in Rio with my friends Joao Donato (with whom he had worked on "A Bad Donato" during the Blue Thumb years) and the late Joao Palma, among others. Later we met in the early 90s in NY during his period at GRP, and finally in LA during Diana's sessions and, for the last time, in Montreux.
Btw, I still dream with an enhanced reissue of Sleeping Gypsy, to which Claus Ogerman later overdubbed strings & flutes in LA, since there are many unreleased tracks in the vaults of Warner Bros.
I can assure you that the death of Claus Ogerman had a big impact on him. They were best friends.
Tommy had already retired a couple of years ago, but agreed to do a short comeback to produce Diana's next album, "Turn Up The Quiet," to be released on May 5. Her jazz comeback album, after two recording disasters.
I also would like to mention that he was the responsible for signing people like Bill Evans, Claus Ogerman, Joao Gilberto and Deodato for Warner in the 70s (he co-produced his Love Island album.)
Without Tommy there would be none of the albums recorded by Claus after "Gate of Dreams", none of Claus' meetings with Michael Brecker, no Tutu, no Amoroso, none of the best albums ever by Michael Franks and Al Jarreau. No Diana Krall either.
Tommy's favorite album ever was "Bill Evans Trio With Symphony Orchestra", produced by Creed Taylor, a huge influence on his career, and now the only legendary jazz producer still alive. RIP. My condolences to his wife Gill and all his family.
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Morreu ontem, aos 80 anos, Tommy LiPuma, um dos maiores produtores da história da música. (Talvez o melhor depois de Creed Taylor, que foi seu "muso inspirador").
Imagine o mundo sem "Amoroso" (João Gilberto), sem "Breezin'" (que catapultou George Benson para o estrelato pop através da faixa "This Masquerade"), sem a gravação de Benson para "On Broadway", sem "Gate of Dreams" e nenhuma das outras obras de arte gravadas por Claus Ogerman depois de 1977.
Sem "Tutu" de Miles Davis, sem "Look To The Rainbow" (e a famosa gravação de "Take Five") de Al Jarreau. Sem "A Bad Donato", pois Tommy e Bob Krasnow (falecido no ano passado) foram os responsáveis por contratar João Donato para o selo Blue Thumb, do qual eram donos.
Imagine o mundo sem "Sleeping Gypsy" e nenhum dos grandes discos gravados por Michael Franks. Imagine o mundo sem os fabulosos "When I Look In Your Eyes" e "The Look of Love" de Diana Krall, que fizeram a vendagem da cantora pular de 150 mil discos para mais de 2 milhões. Pois é. O mundo teria sido bem pior sem Tommy LiPuma. Claro que vai aparecer algum engraçadinho imbecil para debochar de alguns desses artistas e discos citados. Mas, coitados, nasceram sem sensibilidade e, como dizia Bonfá, "sem alcance".
Ah, o disco preferido de Tommy era "Bill Evans With Symphony Orchestra", produzido por Creed Taylor, agora o único grande produtor de jazz ainda vivo. Ah #2: da mesma forma que Tommy salvou Diana Krall de ser dispensada da gravadora quando trouxe Johnny Mandel e apostou tudo em "When I Look In Your Eyes" (1999), ele saiu de sua recente aposentadoria para salva-la novamente e produzir, depois de dois equivocados trabalhos, o seu retorno ao estilo que a consagrou, concebendo "Turn Up The Quiet" que será lançado no dia 5 de maio.
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