Cool Blends (II) ★ French Panorama

West Coast Jazz

À La Française

1954 — 1956

In the early 1950s, West Coast jazz took shape in California through the cool, luminous sound of figures such as Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan, and Chet Baker. Defined by clear textures, contrapuntal arrangements, and a relaxed pulse, the style quickly became a benchmark of modern jazz. Yet, despite its originality, it made little immediate impact in France and was even disparaged at the time. French audiences largely favored mainstream recordings alongside the freer, more forceful improvisations of East Coast hard bop and Midwestern jazz, finding the formal compositional devices of the West Coast somewhat distant from their tastes.

A striking exception to this cold reception was Chet Baker. His visits to Paris and other French cities between late 1955 and early 1956 were met with great acclaim, as his clear, lyrical trumpet tone and understated approach captivated local listeners and built a devoted following.

This paradox extended to the French discography of the decade, which yielded only a modest amount of West Coast-inspired output. Nevertheless, within that limited repertoire lay exceptional craftsmanship. Several French musicians found in the Californian idiom a fresh, sophisticated, yet lyrical language that resonated deeply with their own artistic sensibilities.

This compilation gathers key figures of the period—including Christian Chevallier, Claude Bolling, Roger Guérin, William Boucaya, Bob Garcia, Raph Schecroun (Erroll Parker), Christian Bellest, Fernand Verstraete, Jean-Louis Chautemps, Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, and Marcel Bianchi—who absorbed and reimagined those American influences. Performing both original compositions and classic standards across varied configurations—from tight quartets and quintets to expansive ensemble settings—their recordings balance faithful homage with genuine personal voice.

Through these sessions, the western winds blow across the French jazz scene: a bracing, vibrant breeze from the Pacific that crossed the Atlantic to mingle seamlessly with the spirit of Paris.

*Jordi Pujol*

Lacking the relaxing expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Los Angeles's golden weather or the speedy excitement of the region's car culture, the short-lived, two-year French interpretation of California's relaxed sound had more bite and push than its original American counterpart.

Between 1954 and 1956, Paris fell in love with the jazz sound of Hollywood. By then, 10-inch West Coast jazz albums had made their way to France along with touring musicians such as Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Bob Brookmeyer, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond and Shorty Rogers.

French musicians who picked up the contrapuntal torch included Christian Chevallier, Claude Bolling, Bob Garcia, Raph Schecroun, William Boucaya, Marcel Bianchi and Pierre Gossez-Fernand Verstraete. All are featured on the new set.(...)

Listening to this set multiple times, the music sounds like a new addition to West Coast jazz that many fans will likely be hearing for the first time. If the tracks were played for you in a "blindfold" test, you'd probably be naming a dozen American players before begging the tester to reveal the artists' names.

Further proof that West Coast jazz wasn't the product of players rooted in a region. Instead, the sound was a state of mind, like bebop or hard bop, and embraced by musicians everywhere, provided they mastered their instruments and the original material. Viva la French cool! *Marc Myers*

1 -  Show Me A Rose

(Thomas Hilliard)

2 - Chet

(Pierre Michelot)

3 - Out Of Nowhere

(Green, Heyman)

4 - Trinette

(Toots Thielemans)

5 - Too Marvelous For Words

(Whiting, Mercer)

6 - Golden Sky

(Christian Chevallier)

7 - Vline

(Christian Chevallier)

8 - Star Eyes

(Raye, DePaul)

9 - The Jockey

(Steve Kirk)

10 - Confucius

(Christian Chevallier)

11 - Gee Lee

(Ted Sommer)

12 - Lover Man

(Davis, Sherman, Ramírez)

13 - Pre's Wiggins

(Christian Chevallier)

14 - Mythe

(Pierre Michelot)

15 - All The Things You Are

(Kern, Hammerstein II)

16 - Ménilmontant

(Charles Trenet)

17 - Buggy And Soul

(Christian Chevallier)

18 - I Remember You

(Schertzinger, Mercer)

19 - The Most

(Billy Mure)

20 - Rêve

(Hubert Rostaing)

21 - Broadway

(Byrd, McRae, Woods)

22 - À La Mulligan

(Marcel Bianchi)

#1

Pierre Gossez • Fernand Verstraete Quartet

Fernand Verstraete (trumpet), Pierre Gossez (baritone sax),

Alphonse Masselier (bass), Arthur Motta (drums).

Recorded in Paris, May 29, 1956

 #2, #7, #14, #17

Christian Chevallier Quartet

Roger Guérin (trumpet), Christian Chevallier (piano),

Pierre Michelot (bass), Christian Garros (drums).

Recorded in Paris, November 13, 1956

#3, #8, #21

Raph Schecroun Quintet

Jean-Louis Chautemps, Jean-Claude Fohrenbach (tenor saxes);

Raph Schecroun (piano); Jean-Marie Ingrand (bass); Jacques David (drums).

Recorded in Paris, 1955

#4, #9, #19

Claude Bolling and His All-Stars

Roger Guérin (trumpet); Claude Fohrenbach, Pierre Gossez (tenor saxes); 

Martial Solal (piano); Victor Apicella (Masselier) (guitar);

Pierre Michelot (bass); Christian Garros (drums); Claude Bolling (arranger).

Recorded in Paris, May 28, 1956

#5, #12, #15, #18

Bob Garcia Quartet

Bob Garcia (tenor sax), Maurice Vander (piano),

Benoit Quersin (bass), Andre "Mac Kac" Reilles (drums).

Recorded in Paris, February 8, 1956

#6, #10, #13, #20

William Boucaya and his "New Sound" Quartet

Christian Bellest (trumpet), Georges Barboteu (french horn), William Boucaya (baritone sax),

Pierre Michelot (bass), Arthur Motta (drums), Ben Ahmed Zoubir (conga).

Recorded in Paris, May 28, 1956

#11

Pierre Gossez Quartet

Christian Bellest (trumpet), Pierre Gossez (baritone sax),

Alphonse Masselier (bass), Arthur Motta (drums).

Recorded in Paris, May 29, 1956

#16

Claude Bolling Quintet

Jean Liese (trumpet), Jean-Louis Chautemps (tenor sax),

Claude Bolling (piano), Jean-Marie Ingrand (bass), Jean-Louis Viale (drums).

Recorded in Paris, May 1954

#22

Marcel Bianchi and His Orchestra

Jean Morales (trumpet), Guy Destanque (trombone),. Gérard Levêque (clarinet, alto sax),

Pierre Gossez (tenor sax), Georges Grenu (baritone sax), Pierre Guyot (piano),

Marcel Bianchi (guitar), Ladislas Czabanick (bass), Armand Molinetti (drums).

Recorded in Paris, February 23, 1954

Claude Bolling Jazz All Stars - French Jazz

This fine album presents a side of Claude Bolling that may come as a surprise to those who know the gifted French musician only as the composer-performer of a highly successful mixture of jazz and classical music that has brought him international fame and fortune.

Bolling was an early starter. Born in Cannes in 1930, he began to perform professionally as a jazz pianist at the age of 15. Within a year, he was leading his own band, and in 1948, he made his first recordings as a leader at its helm. Even at this early stage, Bolling showed considerable originality in his approach to the jazz tradition. Those were the glory days of revivalist jazz, when young players, especially in England and France, were doing their level best to copy the sounds of King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and the Armstrong Hot Five. 

But Bolling’s seven-piece band, while bearing a superficial resemblance to the ordinary "trad" groups, didn’t copy old records, but brought a fresh conception to vintage material. 

Already, the young pianist-arranger had been profoundly touched by the conception of his favorite musician, Duke Ellington, while his approach to the piano was strikingly influenced by Earl Hines. (A bit later on, Art Tatum became Bolling’s other keyboard hero). 

In the decade following World War Il, Paris became something of a Mecca for American jazzmen, and young Claude had the benefit of working and recording with such major figures as Rex Stewart, Roy Eldridge, Buck Clayton, Albert Nicholas, Mezz Mezzrow and Lionel Hampton, among others. And he was honing his arranging and composing skills.

By the mid-50s, when the music on this record was made, Bolling had become a first-class big band writer, though he hadn’t by any means abandoned the small-group approach he’d grown up with. But he had put the New Orleans revival far behind him, and had obviously been listening to, and playing, bebop and cool jazz. His basic inspiration, Ellington, was still to the fore, however, and it is in the Dukish pieces on this album that the 26-year-old Bolling, in my opinion, is at his very best.

*Dan Morgenstern*

Claude Bolling has had a long and multi-faceted career in his native France. It is as a leader of a series of big bands that Bolling is most significant. This LP features Bolling's arrangements in three different settings: with an octet also including trombonist Benny Vasseur and tenor saxophonist Guy Lafitte; in a quintet with trumpeter Christian Bellest and the reeds of Pierre Gosssez (Bernard Verstraete guests on one song on accordion); and, surprisingly, in a septet with Martial Solal taking over for Bolling on piano. The music is often influenced by Duke Ellington, although none of the songs (which include five Bolling originals) are Duke's. Mixing together swing and bop, this is one of Claude Bolling's best jazz sessions. *Scott Yanow*

Side 1

1 - Show Me A Rose

(Thomas Hilliard)

2 - Lorraine Blues

(Claude Bolling)

3 - The Most

(Billy Mure)

4 - In The Sun

(Gray Rains)

5 - Trinette

(Toots Thielemans)

6 - When I Was Young

(Claude Bolling)

Side 2

7 - Nuances

(Claude Bolling)

8 - Gee Lee

(Ted Sommer)

9 - Playera

(Granados, Verstraete)

10 - The Jockey

(Steve Kirk)

11 - In Extremis

(Bolling, Bellest)

12 - French Beat

(Claude Bolling)

#2, #4, #7, #12:

Fernand Verstraete, Fred Gerard (trumpets); Benny Vasseur, Bernard Zacharias, Claude Cousset (trombones); Pierre Gossez (alto sax, tenor sax); Guy Lafitte (tenor sax); Claude Bolling (piano); Alphonse Masselier (bass); Arthur Motta (drums).

#3, #5, #10:

Claude Bolling (conductor, arranger); Roger Guerin (trumpet); Claude Fohrenbach, Pierre Gossez (tenor saxes); Martial Solal (piano); Victor Apicella (guitar); Pierre Michelot (bass); Christian Garros (drums).

Recorded in Paris May 28, 1956.

#1:

Christian Bellest (trumpet), Pierre Gossez (tenor sax), Alphonse Masselier (bass), Arthur Motta (drums), Claude Bolling (arranger).

#6:

Pierre Gossez (clarinet), Claude Bolling (piano), Alphonse Masselier (bass), Arthur Motta (drums), 

#8:

Christian Bellest (trumpet), Pierre Gossez (baritone sax), Alphonse Masselier (bass), Arthur Motta (drums), Claude Bolling (arranger).

#9:

Fernand Verstraete (accordion), Alphonse Masselier (bass), Arthur Motta (drums), Claude Bolling (arranger).

#11:

Christian Bellest (trumpet), Claude Bolling (piano), Alphonse Masselier (bass), Arthur Motta (drums), 

Recorded in Paris May 29, 1956.