For over 40 years, Todd Barkan has distinguished himself as one of the world's outstanding jazz concert and record producers. From 1972-1983, Barkan gained his first international recognition as the owner and artistic director of the legendary San Francisco jazz club, Keystone Korner, which was the site of countless historic recordings and called the "best jazz club in the world" by jazz giants such as Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz and "the Birdland of the Seventies" by Mary Lou Williams. Since the Keystone era, Todd has programmed jazz festivals, concert series and jazz clubs throughout the U.S., Japan and Europe.
Since 1975, Barkan has very steadily produced more than 800 worldclass, award-winning recordings for American, Japanese and European record companies by artists such as Art Blakey, Bill Evans, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Jimmy Smith, McCoy Tyner, Grover Washington, Jr., Gloria Lynne, Hank Jones, Roy Haynes, Joe Lovano, Phil Woods, Bill Charlap, Freddy Cole, Chico O'Farrill, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Kenny Barron, Jeff Watts, Red Garland, Lou Donaldson, Cedar Walton, Eddie Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, Ravi Coltrane, Bud Shank, Jimmy Scott, Kenny Kirkland, Bobby Hutcherson, Dexter Gordon, Tete Montoliu, Cyrus Chestnut, Benny Golson, Eric Alexander, Mose Allison, Renee Rosnes, Joe Locke, Eddie Henderson, John Hicks, Paul Bley, Mongo Santamaria, Barry Harris, Manny Oquendo y Libre, Lewis Nash, Shelly Manne and Steve Kuhn.
For his role as producer, Barkan has received two dozen GRAMMY® nominations in the U.S. and won several GRAMMY® awards, the last of which was for his work on Bebo de Cuba by Bebo Valdes. Recordings produced by Barkan have also received over 35 "Gold Disc Awards" for artistic excellence from the Japanese Swing Journal.
From 1985-1990, Barkan also worked as the the Company Manager of the Boys Choir of Harlem, building the first worldwide touring schedule for the group and helping to develop important artistic collaborations between the Choir and jazz and classical artists such as Kenny Burrell and Kathleen Battle. Barkan produced a Chico O'Farrill Latin jazz soundtrack for the 1999 remake of "The Thomas Crown Affair" with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo and successfully worked as President/Creative Director for 32 Records in 2000 before joining Jazz at Lincoln Center as Artistic Administrator in January 2001. Barkan has served as Programming Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola since the club opened in October 2004.