Detail from the cover of The Greatest Ears In Town
New York, NY (September 26, 2013)—The Greatest Ears In Town: The Arif Mardin Story, a feature-length documentary on the legendary producer, will be released on DVD and online November 5. The producer, who died of pancreatic cancer at age 74 in June, 2006, was the mover behind scores of hits for Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Chaka Khan, Phil Collins and the Bee Gees, among others. Mardin was a 12-time Grammy award winner who produced more than 50 gold and platinum records, with sales topping 50 million units.
Filled with studio footage, photos, interviews and music, the film follows Mardin’s career as a tastemaker who could spot talents, nurture them and groom them for success. Working in jazz, R&B, pop and rock, Mardin quickly rose among the ranks at Atlantic Records to become an in-house producer and arranger. A major architect of the “Atlantic Sound” in the 1960s, he moved on to EMI. Under the Blue Note label, he was creating hits until the end, including Norah Jones’ Grammy award-winning Album of the Year, Come Away With Me, which included Record of the Year, “Don’t Know Why.” Mardin received Producer of the Year.
Mardin’s credits included the Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin’,” Chaka Khan’s “I Feel For You,” Bette Midler’s “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds,” Judy Collins’ “Send In The Clowns,” Carly Simon’s “You Belong To Me” and more.
Nominated for a Grammy in 2010 for “Best Long Form Music Video,” The Greatest Ears In Town: The Arif Mardin Story includes in-depth interviews and studio footage with the likes of Quincy Jones, Ahmet Ertegun, Sir George Martin, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler and Marc Shaiman. Joe Mardin, producer/arranger/songwriter and son of Arif, co-produced and co-directed the film with Doug Biro, writer/director/producer and founder of Hudson River films. The DVD and digital release is by Shelter Island, a New York City-based entertainment releasing company.
The Greatest Ears In Town on Amazon
http://amzn.to/1h5iiW8
Shelter Island
Shelterisland.net
