Guy Lafitte - Obscure Parisian Sessions

In the 1950's, tenor saxophonist Guy Lafitte (January 12, 1927 –  July 11, 1998) was considered one of the luminaries of European jazz. In his playing he integrated the harmonic and rhythmic contributions of modern jazz to a more classical style in the lines of Buddy Tate, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Frank Wess and many others who were influenced by Coleman Hawkins and Hershel Evans.

For Lafitte, the emphasis of his playing was always in the strength of his sound, and in his swinging approach to the language of jazz, both qualities that earned him the Django Reinhardt Prize in 1954, the highest honor granted by the French Academie du Jazz. *Jordi Pujol*

A fine swing tenorman whose main inspiration was always Coleman Hawkins, Guy Lafitte appeared in many mainstream settings through the years. Lafitte started out paying clarinet including with swing-oriented gypsy bands. After switching to tenor in 1947 and moving to Paris, he worked with Big Bill Broonzy (1950), Mezz Mezzrow (1951), Bill Coleman (off and on starting in 1952), Dicky Wells and Buck Clayton. Through the years, Lafitte has frequently led his own mainstream combos and was also often utilized by veteran American players who were visiting France including Lionel Hampton (1956), Duke Ellington (for the 1961 film "Paris Blues"), Milt Buckner, Wallace Davenport, Arnett Cobb and Wild Bill Davis. As a leader, Guy Lafitte led many sessions during the 1954-93 period (particularly 1954-64) including for CFD, Duc-Thomson, Pathe, French Columbia, VSM, French RCA, Vega, Black & Blue and CTPL. *Scott Yanow*

Guy Lafitte

Quartette And Quintette

Featuring Geo Daly

1955 - 1956

Many critics in the Fifties considered French jazz to be on a par with its American counterpart: if the United States was the cradle of the genre, they reasoned, France was fast becoming the keeper of its best traditions. Even stateside most agreed, seeing the many unique talents that kept coming from France, among them the brilliant young tenor saxophonist Guy Lafitte (1927-1998). In 1954 he received the best album and best tenor saxophonist awards in a poll organized by the Jazz Hot magazine, but he was also crowned best French soloist by the Academie du Jazz with its prestigious prix Django Reinhardt.

These small group sessions led by Lafitte (1954-1956) shine with the presence of Geo Daly, the legendary vibraphonist who introduced the instrument to Europe. Daly was at ease in this small group context, and his alliance with Lafitte generates an unpretentious and relaxed mood—it's jazz with a swinging beat and warm improvisatory interplay.

The music in these sides is a testament to the progress and maturity Guy Lafitte had acquired since his early years: many had compared him to other great tenor saxophonists, but it is obvious here that he had managed to escape the influence of Hawkins, Herschel Evans, Chu Berry, Lester Young, or anyone else for that matter. By the time he recorded these sessions, his language and ideas were fully his own. *Jordi Pujol*

The progression of European jazz musicians radically ascended from the days that Louis Armstrong and Coleman Hawkins originally came to France and these 50s and 60s sessions of home grown artists sounded more authoritative than imitative. You're going to be pleasantly surprised by this reissue.

Tenor saxist Guy Lafitte had a strong growl similar to Coleman Hawkins, and the depth of a Chu Berry or Herschel Evans from the Count Basie Big Band. There are 16 tunes with his quartet with George Daly/vib, Raymond Fol-Andre Persiany/p, Alix Bret-Buddy Banks-Jaques Medvedko/b and Bernard  planchenault-Jacques David-Teddy Martin/dr and a few cameo guests. Lafitte fills the room with a bel canto "Blue and Sentimental" and "I've Got the World On A String". His vibrato is an old world charmer on "Stardust" and "Where Or When" and shows he can swing with the muscles bulging on "I Got Rhythm" and an snappy "Topsy". In a quintette mode with Jean-Pierre Sasson adding his guitar, Lafitte sails like a pirate on "Flying Back" and sears through "What A Funny Moon". More testosterone per note than 90% if today's cacophonic hipsters.

The session notes and liner notes of this release gives wonderful information regarding the artist himself but the milieu of jazz back in the days of De Gaulle. *George W. Harris*

1 -  Blue And Sentimental

(Basie, David, Livingston)

2 - She's Funny That Way

(Whiting, Moret)

3 - Stardust

(Carmichael, Parish)

4 - Where Or When

(Rodgers, Hart)

5 - Krum Elbow Blues

(Ellington, Hodges)

6 - If I Had You

(Schapiro, Campbell, Connelly)

7 - I've Got The World On A String

(Arlen, Koehler)

8 - Get Happy

(Arlen, Koehler)

9 - I Cover The Waterfront

(Green, Heyman)

10 - I Got Rhythm

(G. and I. Gershwin)

11 - Melodie Au Crepuscule

(Django Reinhardt)

12 - Sweethearts On Parade

(Lombardo, Newman)

13 - Topsy

(Battle, Durham)

14 - If I Could Be With You

(James P. Johnson)

15 - Jubilee

(Louis Armstrong)

16 - Chase À "La Baute"

(Guy Lafitte)

17 - Dans Un Vieux Livre

(Guy Lafitte)

18 - Flying Back

(Jean-Pierre Sasson)

19 - What A Funny Moon

(Geo Daly)

20 - Partnership Boys

(Jean-Claude Pelletier)

#1 to #8, from the 10” LP Blue and Sentimental (Le Club Français du Disque 21)

#9 to #13, from the 10” LP Guy Lafitte et son Orchestre (Ducretet-Thomson 460 V 019)

#14 to #16, from the 7” EP Guy Lafitte et son Quartette (Columbia ESDF 1043)

#17 to #20, from the 7” EP >Columbia All Stars< (Columbia ESDF 1125)

#1 to #5:

Guy Lafitte (tenor sax), Peanuts Holland (trumpet #5), Bernard Zacharias (trombone #5), Geo Daly (vibes), Raymond Fol (piano), Jean Bonal (guitar #4), Alix Bret (bass), Bernard Planchenault (drums).

Recorded in Paris, May 1954.

#6 to #13:

Guy Lafitte (tenor sax), Geo Daly (vibes), André Persiany (piano), Buddy Banks (bass), Jacques David (drums).

Recorded in Paris, June 1, 1954

#14 to #16:

Guy Lafitte (tenor sax), Geo Daly (vibes), André Persiany (piano), Jacques "Popoff" Medvedko (bass), Teddy Martin (drums).

Recorded in Paris, March 31, 1955.

#17 to #20:

Guy Lafitte (tenor sax), Geo Daly (vibes), Jean-Pierre Sasson (guitar), Jean-Claude Pelletier (piano), Paul Rovère (bass), Christian Garros (drums).

Recorded in Paris, June 18, 1956.

***

Guy Lafitte

Quartet And Sextet Sessions

1956 - 1962

These Guy Lafitte sides were recorded between 1956 and 1962, and are full of great moments. To begin somewhere, the quartet sessions include some absolutely beautiful solos by Guy on the ballads — "Body And Soul" may be the best. Naturally, the rhythm sections are about as relaxed as can be, driven by two pillars of French jazz: bassist Paul Rovère, and drummer Christian Garros, who lay down the beat without flurries or distractions. But solo honors on these dates must also go to the pianists — Jean-Claude Pelletier, who does a great job, but particularly George Arvanitas and Raymond Fol, with whom Guy loved to play. The appearance of bop vocalist Kenny Hagood in three of the tunes is a welcome addition, with his natural and easy voice.

Guy is also heard in the loose-limbed context of two consistent sextets. But despite the solid framework, it is again Guy who carried the load, improvising through a repertoire of moody and warm originals and three well known Ellington tunes arranged by Claude Bolling and Raymond Fol, and with the contribution of Martial Solal scoring two new compositions penned by Lafitte. In addition, these dates feature several soloists whose talents have been too often bypassed over the years — Roger Guérin, Claude Gousset, Nat Peck, Dominique Chanson, and William Boucaya.

As a soloist, it is always worth paying attention to Guy Lafitte. His music was not merely fine, mellow and swinging — it was an entire philosophy praising the joie de vivre. *Jordi Pujol*

Monsieur Lafitte was a master. In effect, I would rank him with Chu Berry and Don Byas. I say in effect because, although his sense of form, eloquence on the horn and beautiful tone are a match for Byas and Berry, he was a primitive. He never learned to read music. If I know the number, I know my place, where I play with the other musicians.

Like Django, he began his career playing with gypsies. They were Spanish — they are different you know. Although Guy was house-trained and Django wasn't, they had their skills in common, and Guy should rank with the very top musicians who came out of France fully equipped to improvise and swing at a time when our musicians were writhing incoherently over British rhythm sections that had the bounce and lift of Westminister Abbey.

Although first influenced by Louis, Guy is most palpably a Coleman Hawkins disciple, using all the elements of Hawk's style in his own voice. Hawk burgeons through these tracks, but there's a particularly good sample in the fine "Le Chat Qui Dort", which also serves as a yardstick for the sextet.

It's listed as by the quartet, but there is a great blues solo from a trombonist, probably Claude Gusset (there is also a good trombonist, unlisted on the [5] sides) as well as some gentle instrumental vocalising from Hagood, who intones a strange "Body And Soul". Kenny has a crack at Billy Eckstine's "Lonesome Lover Blues", but men-from-boys comes to mind and Mr B has nothing to fear. There's a good bluster solo from Guy, though and muscular piano from Raymond Fol.

The French pianists are particularly fine, and Roger Guérin, a tasteful trumpeter who sounds as though he’s holding in his bop instincts, only emerges to tantalise. Lafitte rhapsodises beautifully on the ballads, notably "It Might As Well Be Spring". *Steve Voce*

1 - Three Little Words

(Ruby, Kalmar)

2 - Le Conte

(Guy Lafitte)

3 - Sugar

(Pinkard, Alexander, Mitchell)

4 - What's New?

(Haggart, Burke)

5 - Portrait De Camile

(Guy Lafitte)

6 - Corail

(Jean-Claude Pelletier)

7 - It's The Talk Of The Town

(Livingston, Symes, Neiburg)

8 - A Song Was Born

(Raye, DePaul)

9 - The Jeep Is Jumpin'

(Ellington, Hodges)

10 - Tranquillement

(Claude Bolling)

11 - Queenie

(Guy Lafitte)

12 - Le Chat Qui Dort

(Guy Lafitte)

13 - It Might As Well Be Spring

(Rodgers, Hammerstein II)

14 - Gone With The Wind

(Wrubel, Magidson)

15 - Body And Soul

(Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton)

16 - Lonesome Lover Blues

(Billy Eckstine)

17 - You Can Depend On Me

(Hines, Dunlap, Carpenter)

18 - All Too Soon

(Ellington, Sigman)

19 - What Am I Here For

(Duke Ellington)

20 - The Mill And The River

(Guy Lafitte)

21 - Plucky

(Guy Lafitte)

#1 to #4, from the 7-inch EP Rendez-vous aux Trois Mailletz (Columbia ESDF1118)

#5 and #6, from the 10-inch LP Do Not Disturb (Columbia FP 1085)

Guy Lafitte(tenor sax); Michel De Villers (baritone sax #4); Jean-Claude Pelletier (piano); Paul Rovère (bass), Christian Garros (drums). 

Recorded in Paris, May 24 (#1 to #4) and 25 (#5 and #6), 1956.

#7 to #11, from the 10-inch LP Guy (Columbia FP 1124)

#7 and #8:

Guy Lafitte(tenor sax), Georges Arvanitas (piano), Paul Rovère (bass), Christian Garros (drums).

Recorded in Paris, September 30, 1959.

#9 to #11:

Roger Guérin (trumpet), Claude Gousset (trombone), Guy Lafitte (tenor sax), Georges Arvantitas (piano), Paul Rovère (bass), Christian Garros (drums).

Recorded in Paris, September 30, 1959.

#12 to #17, from the 10-inch LP Guy Lafitte et son Quartette avec Kenny Hagood (Columbia FP 1133)

Guy Lafitte (tenor sax), Raymond Fol (piano), Paul Rovère (bass), Christian Garros (drums), Kenny Haggod (vocals #12, #15 and #16).

Recorded in Paris, September 26, 1960.

#18 to #21, from the 7-inch EP Guy Lafitte (Columbia ESDF 1415)

Nat Peck (trombone), Dominique Chanson (alto sax, flute), Guy Lafitte (tenor sax), William Boucaya (baritone sax), Raymond Fol (piano), Gilbert "Bibi" Rovère (bass), Franco Manzecchi (drums).

Recorded in Paris, May 3, 1962.