Arif Mardin dies at 72

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From Los Angeles Times

Arif Mardin, music arranger

By Richard Cromelin

Los Angeles Times

Arif Mardin, a Grammy-winning arranger and record producer whose four decades of hits include Aretha Franklin's classic '60s recordings, the Bee Gees' falsetto-driven comeback in the 1970s and Norah Jones' current adult-pop, died Sunday of pancreatic cancer at his home in New York City. He was 74.

Mr. Mardin was known as a low-key figure in the studio who deferred to his artists and made his points diplomatically, an approach that resulted in an unusually diversified portfolio. Other artists he worked with included the Young Rascals, John Prine, Hall & Oates, Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, the Modern Jazz Quartet, David Bowie, Carly Simon and Phil Collins.

He also became known as a ``diva's producer'' through his association with several distinctive female singers. Besides Franklin and Jones, he worked prominently with Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Chaka Khan, Dusty Springfield (on her acclaimed ``Dusty in Memphis'' album) and Queen Latifah.

``He never made an Arif Mardin record, he made records that served the artist,'' Bruce Lundvall, president of EMI Jazz & Classics, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday. ``Some producers, you can tell who produced the record just by listening. He always served the artist and did the right thing. He had a way with the artist that was very gentle and yet very firm.''

One of Mr. Mardin's high-impact inspirations came during his 1975 sessions for ``Main Course'' by the Bee Gees, a group that had been without direction or hit records for several years. In addition to giving them a modern, rhythm-based sound, he suggested that Barry Gibb sing an octave higher. The resulting falsetto became a signature for the group as it returned to the charts with ``Jive Talkin''' and ``Nights on Broadway.''

Though he never imposed an identifiable style on his records, Mr. Mardin did have a predilection for strings and a layered sound, a tendency that might be traced to his early training as an arranger.

Born into a prominent family in Istanbul, Turkey, Mr. Mardin fell in love with American jazz and big-band music before he reached his teens. In 1956, Mr. Mardin went to see Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra perform during a U.S. State Department-sponsored tour. He met the bandleader, and he gave some of his compositions to group member Quincy Jones. Jones recorded them for broadcast on the Voice of America.

Mr. Mardin left his life of comfort in Turkey in 1958 to study music at the Boston institution, where he taught for a year after graduating. After moving to New York, he went to work at Atlantic Records as an assistant to Nehushi Ertegun, a fellow Turkish expatriate who had founded the storied EMI label with his brother Ahmet and Jerry Wexler.

He won 11 Grammys over almost 30 years, including producer of the year for 1975 and 2002. He was named the Recording Academy's Hall of Fame in 1990 and received its Trustees Award for merit in 2001.