Elliot Mazer, an engineer-producer for artists such as Neil Young, The Band, Linda Ronstadt and Gordon Lightfoot, has passed away at age 79.
Elliot Mazer, a former faculty member in Elon’s Music Production & Recording program and renowned music producer, passed away on Sunday at his home in San Francisco at the age of 79.
Mazer taught at Elon during the 2011-2012 academic year as a Visiting Distinguished Scholar in Music Technology. Mazer taught courses in music business and the arts, and gave a series of masterclasses to students in the Music Production & Recording Arts program.
Mazer is best known for his work producing and engineering multiple albums by Neil Young, beginning with the album “Harvest” in 1972. Over the years he produced and/or engineered albums for Linda Ronstadt, Gordon Lightfoot, The Byrds, The Dream Syndicate, Dead Kennedys, Janis Joplin, and more. In 1977, he engineered The Band’s live album “The Last Waltz.” In the 2000s he began remixing classic albums for new digital formats for artists such as Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Santana and The Who.
In a 2011 interview for Today at Elon, Mazer discussed the joy of music production and his passion for sharing his knowledge with the next generation of engineer-producers.
“If I can help musicians learn more about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of recording, I will be happy,” he said.