A colorful character and one of the most important jazz producers of all time, Teddy Reig was involved in many important sessions of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s. He started producing in 1945 and was soon working regularly at Savoy on most of their most significant dates (including the Charlie Parker sessions), helping turn Savoy into a major jazz and R&B record company. Reig founded the Roost label in 1950 and in the mid-'50s switched over to Roulette, where he extensively recorded the Count Basie Orchestra and other jazz musicians and singers. A skillful talent scout, Reig was a major force not only in jazz, but in the R&B and Latin music worlds. Health problems forced his retirement in the 1970s. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi