Jazz Summers, the one time manager of Wham, The Verve, Snow Patrol and Scissor Sisters, has died at the age of 71 after a battle with lung cancer.
Summers also managed Lisa Stansfield, Soul II Soul, Badly Drawn Boy, Snow Patrol, Klaxons, La Roux, and most recently London Grammar.
A statement from his management company Big Life Management summarizes the achievements of Summers. “Jazz was born on March 15th 1944. He enrolled in military school aged twelve and joined the army aged fifteen. He served as a radiographer, spending time in Hong Kong and Malaysia.
“In 1985, in partnership with Simon Napier-Bell, Jazz helped Wham! to become the first western pop group to tour China. Summers was crucial in breaking the band in America and established a reputation as an expert in the American market. A reputation that would be strengthened by his work with Snow Patrol and La Roux.
“Summers formed his own management company Big Life in partnership with Tim Parry in 1986. They also ran Big Life Records, which featured hundreds of releases from artists including The Orb, Yazz, Coldcut, De La Soul and The Soup Dragons.
“In 2003, Jazz was awarded the prestigious Peter Grant Award and in 2007, the Strat Award at the Music Week Awards”.
Summers’ biography ‘Big Life’ was released in 2013.
Jazz is survived by his wife Dianna, his daughters Katie, Rio and Georgia, his granddaughters Claire, Lila and Rose and his brother Don.
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