Biography
In a rich, varied career that spanned five decades, David Axelrod employed his eclectic vision as a producer, arranger, and composer to help other artists realize their finest works and to craft some striking, enormously influential artistic statements of his own. In the late '50s Axelrod began working as a jazz producer, overseeing records by Harold Land, Jimmy Witherspoon, Elmo Hope, and others. By the mid '60s he had expanded his purview to include R&B, pop, and folk. Towards the end of the decade, the L.A.-based producer began venturing into the rock realm as well, and in 1968 he ended up writing and arranging two albums for psychedelic rockers The Electric Prunes, Mass in F Minor and Release of an Oath, which forged an unprecedented blend of rock and liturgical music, though the band's actual involvement in the projects was minimal. Around the same time, Axelrod released his first solo album, Song of Innocence, which introduced what would come to be known as his signature blend of orchestral settings, jazz, rock, and R&B in an instrumental format. On his early solo outings, Axelrod was accompanied by members of L.A.'s legendary session cabal The Wrecking Crew; in addition to becoming enormously influential on hip-hop and dance music the records remain one of the best ways to experience these musicians' exceptional gifts. Axelrod continued releasing solo albums throughout the '70s while continuing to work as a producer for Lou Rawls, Cannonball Adderley, and many others. In the '90s his early albums became a frequent source of samples by hip-hop and electronica artists, including De La Soul, DJ Shadow, and countless other acts. This resulted in a resurgence in Axelrod's solo career. His '70s records were reissued and he began releasing new ones as well as finally putting out albums that had been sitting on the back burner for decades. His final studio recording was a self-titled 2001 release on the Mo' Wax label. Axelrod passed away at the age of 85 on February 5, 2017.
