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From 1953 through the '90s the record producer Creed Taylor, who died Tuesday at the age of 93, brought a regal touch to jazz, showcasing its players like aristocrats. Employed at the Verve label in the '60s, Taylor backed pianist Bill Evans with a symphony orchestra; he took bossa nova, a music created by the Rio de Janeiro elite, and gave it to the world. He packaged his artists' work in stylishly illustrated gatefold jackets that bespoke class. His death was confirmed in a statement from Verve Records.
Taylor's productions sent numerous jazz stars, including saxophonist Stan Getz and organist Jimmy Smith, onto the pop charts. "He was a visionary," says trumpeter and A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert, who along with the Snapshots Foundation is helping to finance a forthcoming Taylor documentary.
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