A wide-ranging individual who's been a saxophonist, bandleader, composer, producer and arranger, Teo Macero has had a multifaceted impact. Many remember him as Miles Davis' producer during most of his Columbia tenure, the "Teo" whom Davis often referred to at the end of takes. But he was also a distinctive, original and experimental saxophonist as a player. Macero studied at Juilliard in the late '40s and early '50s, and recorded on Mingus' Debut label. He had one of the more ambitious dates of the '50s, the album Explorations featuring him playing two tenors and two altos via multi-tracking, an unusual practice for the time. Macero headed dance bands, won Guggenheim grants, and had his composition "Fusion" performed by The New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Leonard Bernstein. He also recorded for Columbia, composed and had recorded a ballet suite with a chamber orchestra that was issued by a Swedish label. Macero joined Columbia in 1957 as a music editor, then became a producer. Besides Davis, Macero also produced several great Mingus records, among them Mingus Dynasty and Mingus Ah Um. He also produced Thelonious Monk albums, and Monk wrote and recorded "Theo" for him in 1964. Macero began producing Miles with Kind of Blue, taking over for George Avakian. Macero took as much, if not more, heat when Davis moved into jazz-rock, funk, R&B and instrumental pop. Macero recorded his own album for American Clave in 1980, produced an anthology Portrait Of Charles Mingus for Palo Alto in 1983 and a Loose Tubes date in 1987. He has a couple of sessions available on CD as a leader, plus Davis, Mingus and Monk productions. © Ron Wynn and Michael G. Nastos © Ron Wynn and Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide

Below are works by T.Macero that every music lover should explore: