What a Wonderful World: A Lifetime of Recordings

I just re-read this book after several years and it is still an enjoyable and informative read. It's a memoir, a remenisance, not a history book or a scholarly effort. As such it is full of revealing anecdotes and amusing stories from one who has worked with some of the biggest (and smallest) artists and most powerful (and least) industry insiders through what may be considered pop recording's golden age. The chapters are short and topical, usually dedicated to some particular artist. It also has some of the usual failings. Thiele has axes to grind, old wounds that have not healed. But he is also justifiably proud of some of his accomplishments and painfully aware of some of his foibles. His style is occasionally full of the kind of bluster that must have helped him in his dealings with the music business and he can be just over the top pompous in describing some of the artists and recordings. Record producers are middle men, riding herd on cats and, at their best, trying to reconcile the often irreconcilable interest of the artists and the music business. They don't make music, they make records and in fact, if you talk to a recording engineer, they don't make recordings either. But the producer leaves his mark on recordings, especially over a body of recordings. Jazz producers, I think with some justification, are a breed apart. For those reasons, Thiele's book makes an interesting comparison to jazz producer Orrin Keepnews' memoir "The View from within" published nearly 10 years earlier. Both are music businessmen and consider themselves jazz lovers at heart. They share many experiences but they could not be more different in style (style of writing, and of producing). Both started small labels but Thiele went large scale corporate while Keepnews stayed in the bullpen of the big leagues. But where Thiele is wide open and effusive, Keepnews is thorny and buttoned down. Thiele rambles, Keepnews belabors. Both love the music, both experimented and pushed limits. But while Thiele had no compunction about producing a pop-jazz cash cow, Keepnews, though open-minded, was conservative and a purist at heart. Keepnews will talk to you about jazz music, Thiele will talk to you about jazz records. The difference in their style is as apparent in their recordings as it is in their books. Finally, both have produced some of the finest recorded jazz of the day and like them or not, we have the producers to thank for much of the recorded legacy that has come down to us.

Bob Thiele's career makes for very entertaining reading. Ranging from the great jazz artists of the 1940's to rock & rollers like Buddy Holly, Bob played a large part in many notable careers. I was especially touched by the love story of Bob and singer Teresa Brewer --- who eventually became Mrs. Thiele --- and thoroughly fascinated by the incredible behind the scenes machinations (sometimes funny, sometimes deadly), of the music business. Most particularly the attempts by mobsters to take control of popular singer Alan Dale, and Dale's stubborn refusal to submit. Thiele claims that this cost Dale his career, and almost his life. A fascinating book from one of show business' "good guys".