 | ATLANTIC RECORDS: THE HOUSE THAT AHMET BUILT |
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The Ray Charles session |
NEW YORK, 30 APRIL 2007The late Turkish jazz, R & B and rock and roll impresario and record producer Ahmet Ertegun (1923 - 2006) is the subject of a television documentary entitled, Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built. Part of the American Masters series produced for PBS by Thirteen/WNET New York, the two-hour film explores the career and contribution to American culture of the co-founder of the famous label and features interviews with prominent contemporary musicians and industry specialists as well as rivetting performance clips and studio sessions of some of America''s greatest jazz, blues and rock and roll musicians.
The story of Ahmet Ertegun is probably worthy of several much lengthier endeavors, but as a primer, this film does its job. Born into a diplomatic Turkish family, Ahmet came to this country in 1935 when his father was Turkey''s ambassador to America. Fascinated by American popular culture, Ahmet was blissfully free of the prejudice that divided much of our country''s art. His skill as a raconteur is quickly evident as he tells the story of being in seventh grade and sneaking out to see jazz in Harlem. It was the seminal moment in a life of always being in the thick of it. If something was going down, Ahmet Eretgun wanted to be there.
Atlantic started as a jazz and R&B label, signing black artists like Ruth Brown at a time when that was not considered a commercial venture. The indie label survived the payola-infested 1950s, emerging with hits from the Coasters and their first successful white act, Bobby Darin. From there, Ahmet kept a close eye on the evolution of popular music, branching out by signing British rock groups that had cut their teeth on his label''s back catalogue and also noticing the burgeoning scene going on in California, snagging Buffalo Springfield for Atlantic. Not all of his moves were the right ones. For instance, he had to be convinced to buy the movie rights to Woodstock and sold Atlantic to Warner Bros. before that gold mine would yield its mother load, but even there, the man falls backwards into success. The program could have done with maybe a little more of the downside, as surely there must have been some failures for this man or a few disgruntled employees. The closest we get is a royalty scandal in the late 1980s, but even that is used to show how quickly Ahmet did the right thing.
Under Erteguns direction, Atlantic Records evolved from a groundbreaking, independent R&B and jazz label into one of the worlds preeminent music companies. The artists Ertegun discovered and the music he pioneered led a revolution in R&B, soul, and rock music that reshaped the modern cultural landscape forming a legacy that includes such seminal artists as Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, The Clovers, The Drifters, John Coltrane, Ben E. King, Bobby Darin, Sonny & Cher, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Rolling Stones, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Phil Collins, and many others.
Based on recorded interviews with Ertegun over a period of four years, the documentary also conveys the social context in which Ahmet Ertegun''s career and personal life evolved: his arrival in America as the multi-lingual and cosmopolitan son of a distinguished Turkish diplomat; the cultural ignorance and lack of sophistication of his classmates at an American elite school; racial segregation in Washington, D.C. and the US nightclubs of the 1940s; the practice of payola (bribes) and American radio stations and the impact of African-American music on European rock musicians from Johnny Halliday in France to Mick Jagger in England.
In fact, one lengthy segment in the last third of the film examines the phenomenon whereby young British groups like the Rolling Stones, Cream, Led Zeppelin and Genesis absorbed and later transformed the R & B of American black artistsonly to re-export this hybrid genre or "white sound" to America via Atlantic Records in the 1960s. Later, some jazz musicians and historians would attribute the waning of jazz in America to the popular success of British and West Coast American rock. Nevertheless, once asked by the online magazine Slate what he wanted for his legacy, Ertegun responded, "I''d be happy if people said that I did a little bit to raise the dignity and recognition of the greatness of African-American music."
The House That Ahmet Built features rare, private, and classic clips, live performances, and recording sessions. Narrated by Bette Midler, the film is written, directed, and co-produced by Susan Steinberg. Phil Carson is the producer, and Susan Lacy is the executive producer of American Masters. Now celebrating its 21st season, American Masters has won 17 Emmy Awards, eight Peabodys, an Oscar, a duPont-Columbia, and two Grammys. Following the PBS broadcast premiere of Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built, the documentary will be released on DVD in June by Rhino Entertainment/Atlantic Records.
Ahmet Ertegun is someone I greatly admired and held dear. His indisputable influence, combined with a passionate love of music and a unique aesthetic, altered our cultural landscape, said Susan Lacy. Well never forget him because well never stop listening to the music he introduced to the world. He was a true American Master.
Principal filming of the documentary was completed just days before Ahmet Erteguns tragic fall backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in New York City last October, which led to his passing on December 14, 2006 at the age of 83. Among the many events captured in the film is a special tribute to Atlantic and Ertegun that took place last summer at the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.
The program is conceived as both a tribute to Atlantic Records perhaps the most influential independent music company of our time and to the man himself, said Susan Steinberg. When we began this film four years ago, none of us could have anticipated that Mr. Erteguns sudden and tragic death would cause the program to stand as an epitaph to a man whose energy, passion, good taste, and love of music so enriched the world.
Coinciding with the premiere of The House That Ahmet Built, Starbucks Entertainment, in conjunction with Rhino Custom Products, is releasing a special CD entitled Atlantic 60th Anniversary: R&B Classics Chosen By Ahmet Ertegun. All 17 tracks were personally selected by Ertegun for this collection before his passing last year. Included are songs by Big Joe Turner, The Drifters, Ray Charles, LaVern Baker, Booker T. and the MGs, Barbara Lewis, Doris Troy, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Arthur Conley, R.B. Greaves, Les McCann & Eddie Harris, Aretha Franklin, Major Harris, The Spinners, Chic, and Sister Sledge.
Atlantic 60th Anniversary is being released today in Starbucks Company-operation locations in the U.S. and Canada and online at www.starbucks.com/hearmusic. Produced by Ahmet Ertegun and co-produced by Bob Kaus, the compilation features liner notes by Steven Solder.
The extraordinary life of Ahmet Ertegun, who was buried in his native Turkey, was celebrated at a private event held April 17th at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Among those who paid tribute to Ertegun in music and words were Solomon Burke, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Dr. John, Genesis, John Paul Jones, Mick Jones, Kid Rock, Ben E. King, Manhattan Transfer, Wynton Marsalis, Bette Midler, Sam Moore, Stevie Nicks, Turkish diplomat Egemen Bagis, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Oscar de la Renta, David Geffen, Taylor Hackford, Mick Jagger, Henry Kissinger, Jann Wenner, and Jerry Wexler.
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One of the most important figures in the history of modern music, Ahmet Ertegun was born in Istanbul, Turkey on July 31, 1923. The son of the Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Ahmet was raised and educated in Switzerland, Paris, London, and Washington, D.C. A passionate music fan and collector, Ertegun borrowed $10,000 from his dentist and co-founded Atlantic Records with Herb Abramson in New York City in October 1947. The first Atlantic recordings were released in January 1948. Ahmet signed artists, produced records, wrote songs, and supervised the fledgling label. As he said, We started Atlantic simply because we wanted to sign a few artists whose music we liked, and make the kind of records that we would want to buy.
Under Ahmets direction, Atlantic evolved from a groundbreaking, independent R&B and jazz label into one of the worlds preeminent music companies. The artists Ahmet discovered and the music he pioneered led a revolution in R&B, soul, and rock music that reshaped the modern cultural landscape forming a legacy that includes such seminal artists as Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, The Clovers, The Drifters, John Coltrane, Ben E. King, Bobby Darin, Sonny & Cher, Buffalo Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Rolling Stones, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Genesis, Phil Collins, and many others.
Ahmet was founder and Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In recognition of his pioneering contributions to contemporary music and culture, he was himself elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Museums main exhibition hall in Cleveland bears his name. In 1991 Ahmet received an honorary doctorate in music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and in 1993 he was presented with a Trustees Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. In 2000, he was honored as a Living Legend by the United States Library of Congress, on the occasion of the Librarys Bicentennial. In June 2006, he was honored with the opening night concert at the 40th Montreux Jazz Festival. He never retired and remained active at Atlantic until his death, serving as Founding Chairman of the company he started six decades ago.