p.). In fact, he readily admitted that he referred to devices as "that blue box" rather than to its technical name (Doyle, N.p.) According to Doyle, Mardin maintained that although he may not have known the technical names for devices, he certainly knew what effects they were capable of eliciting (Doyle, N.p.) by his own admission, Mardin's expertise did not lie in his ability to memorize model numbers and technical monikers (Doyle, N.p.). Rather, his expertise was his ability to ascertain how a song ought to sound and make that sound happen. When asked by Small and Taylor if he' thought he had a personal stamp,' Mardin replied, "I'm in-between. I do have a personal style. At the same time, I try to bring out the best of the artist" (Small and Taylor, p. 53).

Bringing out the best in artists is what Mardin did on a regular basis. His name has been associated with so many Grammys it is safe to say that he is absolutely one of the top producers ever. Mardin had the extraordinary gift of shaping the sound of some of the most popular and influential music of the last forty years and he did so when other people in his age bracket were rocking on swings not in the studio (Droney, N.p.).

In addition to the ease with which he worked among superstars, Mardin was constantly on the lookout for new sounds and modern techniques (Small and Taylor, p.54). According to Small and Taylor, Mardin stated "At heart I'm a modernist....

I may grow very old, and I still will be looking for the next new thing. I guess that keeps me alive and young" (Small and Taylor, p. 54). By understanding current trends, Mardin was able to produce music that kept the listeners alive and young as well.
Surely it was this attitude which enabled Arif Mardin to move among various music genres with ease. He took his formal training at Berklee and his fortunate friendship with Quincy Jones and catapulted it into a career that is the envy of almost every record producer to come along in the last several decades. Unlike some producers who maintain a presence within a single music genre, Mardin did it all. He began by playing and arranging his beloved Jazz, then moved to pop, R&B, rock and roll, and any other form of music that struck a chord with him (Droney, N.p.). He had such an ear for music and its arrangement that genre was not a limitation but an invitation instead.

Works Cited

Doyle, Tom. "Arif Mardin: Producer: From Aretha Franklin to Norah Jones."

SoundonSound.com. N.p. Jul. 2004. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Droney, Maureen. "TEC Hall of Fame Honoree Arif Mardin: A Golden Career From Atlantic's

Heydey to Norah Jones." Mix Online. N.p. 01 Oct. 2005. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

Small, Mark and Taylor, Andrew. Masters of music; Conversations with Berklee Greats.

Boston: berklee press, 1999.