Mr. Avant, born in a segregated hospital in North Carolina and educated only through the ninth grade, moved easily in the high-powered world of entertainment, helping to establish the idea that Black culture and consumers were forces to be reckoned with.
He started out managing a nightclub in Newark in the late 1950s and moved on to representing some of the artists he met there.
Joe Glaser, a high-powered agent who handled Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and many other top acts, took Mr. Avant under his wing; perhaps, the documentary suggested, Mr. Glaser, who was white, thought it would be advantageous to have a Black man representing some of his Black clients.
In any case, Mr. Avant was soon handling artists including the jazz organist Jimmy Smith and traveling in rarefied circles.
Though he knew nothing about the movie business, Mr. Avant worked his brand of magic on the West Coast: Mr. Schifrin has to date been nominated for six Oscars.
Persons:
Clarence Avant, Bill Withers, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, ” —, Avant, Joe Glaser, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Glaser, Jimmy Smith, Lalo Schifrin, Dizzy Gillespie, Schifrin
Locations:
Los Angeles, North Carolina, Newark, Argentine, West