Herman Lubinsky

• Born: August 30, 1896, Bradford, Yorkshire, England
• Died: March 16, 1974, Newark, NJ
• Active: '50s, '60s
• Genres: Jazz
• Instrument: Producer

Biography

Famous for being a rather profane cheapskate who had a low opinion of many of the musicians that he recorded, Herman Lubinsky was quite a character. He had been involved in radio, operating New Jersey's first station WNJ back in 1924 and joining the United Radio Company. In 1942, he founded the Savoy label, which during the next two decades recorded important sessions by Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Fats Navarro, Errol Garner, Cannonball Adderley, Yusef Lateef, and even Sun Ra, among many others. Savoy gradually shifted its focus from swing and bop (it was one of the major bop labels) to R&B, blues, hard bop and finally (in the 1960s) gospel. Lubinsky primarily stuck to the business side and was best known for his desire to cut expenses at all costs. He is profiled in hilarious fashion in producer Teddy Reig's autobiography Reminiscing In Tempo. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide