Jean-Philippe Allard, a French record executive and producer known for his uncommonly ferocious support of musicians, died in Paris on Friday, May 17. He was 67.
Allard helped bring back to life the careers of jazz legends who had been all but forgotten in the United States.
Music producer Brian Bacchus, a close friend and frequent collaborator, reported that Allard died in a hospital from cancer that had resurfaced after a long remission.
Performers like Kenny Barron, Juliette Gréco, and Abbey Lincoln have all attested to having never collaborated with a producer who is more kind to musicians. In a March interview, Allard told music critic Willard Jenkins, "I would always consider my work as co-producing with the artist."
Dee Dee Bridgewater said in an interview that he tended to develop lifelong relationships with the artists he worked with. He claimed that Allard's ear was always open to the artist and concerned about what was best for the artist.
In 2007, with PolyGram now owned by Universal Music Group, Allard was promoted to operate all of Universal Music France's record and publishing divisions.
Furthermore, he received a lifetime achievement award in 2012 at the Victoires du Jazz, a prestigious French awards ceremony. He also received the 2014 Montreal International Jazz Festival's Bruce Lundvall Prize.
Allard was expelled from one high school, left another, and began working part-time. He drove ambulances at Charles de Gaulle Airport for a while, pushing the wheelchairs of Charles Mingus and Jean-Paul Sartre.
He played bass in rock bands and opened a café and discothèque with his friends for two years. He married Christine Corbet, one of its founders.
Corbet survives him, his brother Jean-Marc, and their daughter Céline Allard. Pablo, Allard's son, passed away before him.
