Former Orchard CEO Greg Scholl Returns To Music As Exec. Director Jazz At Lincoln Center

(UPDATED) Greg Scholl, the former CEO of digital music powerhouse The Orchard, is returning to the music industry as the Executive Director of Jazz At Lincoln Center. Working alongside Founder and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis, Scholl will take the helm of the not-for-profit arts organization next month.

After leaving The Orchard in September 2009, Scholl became President, Local Integrated Media at NBC Universal.  But his first love has always been music.  "I worked with some great people at NBC and I'm proud of what we accomplished," Scholl told Hypebot. "Increasingly I found that I really missed working in the music business, because that's where my passion lies. I love jazz, blues and American roots music and Wynton Marsalis is a fantastically interesting, talented and creative person – not to mention, a pretty decent trumpet player" 

"So when this opportunity came along," Scholl continued, "the choice about whether or not to leave NBC wasn't particularly difficult: most of my tweets are about music, my sporadic blog posts are generally music-related, I spend most of my free time somehow pursuing music … looking for records, forcing my kids to listen to them, playing music with friends … so, I thought maybe it's time I stopped swimming upstream."

"Plus, this opportunity really is unique: Lincoln Center is of the world's greatest cultural institutions, JALC's mission ("Dedicated to inspiring and growing audiences for jazz worldwide.") is something I really can put my shoulder behind, and Wynton is leading one of the greatest big bands ever assembled – filled with talented players who also are arrangers and composers in their own right. Wynton has incredibly high standards and artistic integrity that permeate the organization. To be a part of all this gives me a charge. And, it is a fantastically interesting time to work in music – the industry is transforming. So, yea, I'm beyond excited," Scholl concluded.