He was a jazz critic, magazine editor, record producer, and historian who wrote about the rise of modern jazz, especially bop and bebop. He wrote a review of a performance by Dizzy Gillespie when he was in high school. Eventually he joined Prestige Records, where he produced albums by Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, and the Modern Jazz Quartet. He produced the only recording session featuring Davis, Rollins, and Charlie Parker. Because Parker was under contract to another label, he used the name "Charlie Chan" and played tenor sax instead of his customary alto.