Joel Dorn, the legendary record producer who worked with everyone from Charles Mingus to Bettle Midler, was one of those guys with his finger in a million pies. Dorn, who died on Monday, grew up in Yeadon before starting his career as a 19 year old jazz DJ on WHAT-FM in 1961, and "his heart always was in Philly," his Hyena Records cohort Kevin Calabro told me the other day.
Last year, I talked to Hal Willner, the great producer who grew up in northeast Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd who couldn't say enough about Dorn, who he understudied with the 1970s. There's some of that in Dorn's obituary here.
Dorn produced the John Coltrane box set re-issue The Heavyweight Champion, that's the definitive statement on Trane's Atlantic record years. There's an excellent podcast recorded this March, from the Traneumentary series, that contains Dorn's most intelligent musings about the jazz giant.
George Manney wrote to remind me that Dorn produced four LPs by late Philadelphia jazz bagpipes player Rufus Harley, the subject of Manney's movie Pipes of Peace.
A bunch of people wrote who recalled Dorn's alter ego, Rondo H. Slade, The Masked Announcer, who did TV commercials on Philadelphia UHF TV stations in the 1970s. Dorn, who Willner called "the funniest man I ever met," had this to say about that in an interview with All About Jazz. Read the entry "Chalupa."
Adam Dorn, Joel's son, records as Mocean Worker, mixing in classic jazz samples with a live band and electronic programming that swings. His recollections of his Dad are on his own site.
And lastly, I got an e mail this morning from a guy named Tyrone Nunnely, who remembered Dorn well from his days at WHAT. Here's what he wrote:
"I am a 70-year old former Philadelphian and jazz lover in those days and Joel Dorn was a master DJ, I do remember. My job transferred me in 1975 out of town and I lost touch with a lot of the happenings back home. Nevertheless, I distinctly remember Joel and his special feeling for the great Little Jimmy Scott. I can remember Joel’s voice at this minute, he had a unique voice and to be truthful he was one of the hippest white guys on the radio! In those days WHAT was our station and to be on it as a DJ you had to be as we used to say “down.” The name Joel Dorn…the personality…he will be missed, I’m sure....What a guy and so appropriate for him to go on and work with the late Nesuhi Ertegun, Joel was worthy. I can see him now in heaven with a mike and Kirk, Trane, Miles, the Bird, Diz…"
There will be a memorial service in the new year, but no details have been announced yet.
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