Dodgealum,
Great topic! I agree about all of those mentioned thus far. I also pay attention to producers when I'm perusing recordings. It's not an infallible indicator of quality but it gives me an idea whether the recording will be something I like. Naturally, people will disagree about who is good and who is not. I'll add Mitchell Froom, Norman Ganz and Orin Keepnews to the list of producers I like.
Occassionally, some producers' signatures can also become too "present" as I think T-Bone Burnett has been lately. I love most of his work, but his latest project with Diana Krall simply did not work, IMHO.
Here's one other thing to add to the mix: who was in charge of mastering? If I see Bob Ludwig or Doug Sax along with a favorite producer, I'm nearly sure I'll dig the record.
Great topic! I agree about all of those mentioned thus far. I also pay attention to producers when I'm perusing recordings. It's not an infallible indicator of quality but it gives me an idea whether the recording will be something I like. Naturally, people will disagree about who is good and who is not. I'll add Mitchell Froom, Norman Ganz and Orin Keepnews to the list of producers I like.
Occassionally, some producers' signatures can also become too "present" as I think T-Bone Burnett has been lately. I love most of his work, but his latest project with Diana Krall simply did not work, IMHO.
Here's one other thing to add to the mix: who was in charge of mastering? If I see Bob Ludwig or Doug Sax along with a favorite producer, I'm nearly sure I'll dig the record.