Norman Granz : The man who used jazz for justice

Norman Granz changed the course of jazz in so many ways, as creator of the Jazz At The Philharmonic tour package and as founder of Verve and other labels. His most indelible contribution may be, as author Tad Hershorn recounts, that he used jazz as a vehicle to advance civil rights causes. Granz was a fearless advocate for African American and minority musicians who were systematically discriminated against by record companies, theaters, radio stations, big bands and unions.
Granz's reputation as a protector of American artists, and as jazz as a unique art form, is legendary within the music industry. Hershorn starting writing the book in 1996, while still in college, and came to know Granz, who previously rebuffed requests for a book about his life—even though he was at the epicenter of the jazz world for two decades. He captures the fast and furious atmosphere of the era.