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

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. 

Roger Guérin - Paris Meetings

At the end of the 1940s, young French jazz musicians started flocking towards the two styles of modern jazz — bebop and cool. Paris was the capital of European jazz, and the talent of the local musicians playing in Parisian clubs was often comparable to that of their American colleagues. In that league, we found mostly French and some Belgian names, such as Bobby Jaspar, Martial Solal, Pierre Michelot, Maurice Vander, Jean-Louis Viale, Benoit Quersin, René Thomas, Barney Wilen, René Urtreger, and several others.

This album is dedicated to one of them in particular: trumpeter Roger Guérin (1926-2010). Despite having very few recordings under his name and spending most of his career as a sideman, Guérin was never underappreciated by jazz fans and critics: after all, he was chosen as the best French jazz trumpeter ten years in a row (1955-65) by the "Jazz-Hot" readers' and critics' poll. In these sessions we find him alongside great American jazzmen like James Moody, Jimmy Raney, Benny Golson and Bobby Timmons, but also in the company of his French comrades, giving his best in every performance.

He was involved in many of the projects that pushed the evolution of modern jazz in France. An arranger of the stature of Billy Byers, who worked in Paris for a while in 1956, described him like this: "There are some very good musicians in France: Roger Guérin is a great jazzman".

*Jordi Pujol* 

Roger Guérin

Le Formidable Roger Guérin

Paris Meetings

Best known for his stint with Quincy Jones' Big Band, Roger Guérin had a formidable career in Paris, being first call to sit in with the likes of Don Byas, Django Reinhardt and James Moody. This collection of sessions from the 50s has him co-leading a hard bop team with Benny Golson, leading his own quartet along with Christian Grros, Pierre Michelot and Martial Solal and fitting in as a sideman for guitarist Jimmy Raney or saxist James Moody.

The sessions with Moody have the Parker disciple  bouncing to "Deep Purple" and swooning on "More Than You Know", and with Raney at the helm the team gets more lithe and open sounding with Guerin and Raney doing winders with "Too Marvelous For Words" and luminescent on "What’s New". Golson's band sounds a lot like an Art Blakey session with Bobby Timmons at the piano, and the quintet does material from the drummer's songbook with muscular reads of "Blues March", "I Remember Clifford" and a hot "Moanin'". Guerin mixes the lyricism of Miles Davis with the gentleness of Chet Baker. You’re gonna like this cat! *George W. Harris*

1 - Deep Purple

(Peter De Rose)

2 - Bootsie

(James Moody)

3 - More Than You Know

(Youmans, Rose, Eliscu)

4 - Too Marvelous For Words

(Whiting, Mercer)

5 - Night And Day

(Cole Porter)

6 - Dinah

(Akst, Lewis, Young)

7 - What's New

(Haggart, Burke)

8 - Night In Tunisia

(Gillespie, Pappareli)

9 - Sweet Feeling

(Pierre Michelot)

10 - Ça Tourne

(Roger Guérin)

11 - Buggy And Soul

(Christian Chevallier)

12 - Vline

(Christian Chevallier)

13 - Chet

(Pierre Michelot)

14 - Mythe

(Pierre Michelot)

15 - Blues March

(Benny Golson)

16 - I Remember Clifford

(Benny Golson)

17 - Stablemates

(Benny Golson)

18 - Moanin'

(Bobby Timmons)

19 - Not Serious

(Roger Guérin)

#1 to #3:

originally issued as part of the album James Moody Quintet (Vogue LD 036)

Roger Guérin (trumpet), James Moody (alto sax), Raymond Fol (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass), Pierre Lemarchand (drums).

Recorded in Paris, July 27, 1951.

#4 to #7:

originally issued as part of the album Jimmy Raney Visits Paris (Dawn DLP-1120)

Roger Guérin (trumpet), Jimmy Raney (guitar), Maurice Vander (piano), Jean-Marie Ingrand (bass), Jean-Louis Viale (drums).

Recorded in Paris, February 10, 1954.

#8 to #10:

from the álbum Roger Guérin Quartet (Versailles 90 S 128)

Roger Guérin (trumpet), Martial Solal (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass), Christian Garros (drums), Dave Rivera (conga [#8, #10]).

Recorded in Paris, July 1956.

#11 to #14:

from the album Christian Chevallier Jazz Quartet (Columbia ESDF 1139)

Roger Guérin (trumpet), Christian Chevallier (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass), Christian Garros (drums).

Recorded in Paris, November 13, 1956.

#15 to #19:

from the album Roger Guérin-Benny Golson with Bobby Timmons (Columbia FP 1117)

#15 to #18:

Roger Guérin (trumpet), Benny Golson (tenor sax), Bobby Timmons (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass), Christian Garros (drums).

Recorded in Paris, December 12, 1958.

#19:

Roger Guérin (trumpet), Michel Hausser (vibes), Martial Solal (piano), Pierre Michelot (bass), Christian Garros (drums).

Recorded in Paris, December 18, 1958.

André Hodeir And Le Jazz Groupe De Paris

André Hodeir (1921-2011) was one of the world's most literate composers and working critics in the world of jazz. He began his career as a violin player, a path he abandoned three years after joining the Paris Conservatoire in 1942, to concentrate on his work as an arranger and writer.
For Hodeir, who had classic training but felt drawn to the aesthetic of jazz, the problem was how to transcend the frame of his technique and recreate it in jazz terms. So to figure it out, in 1949 he went into a long period of silence that would last until 1954, when he made his first recording with the Jazz Groupe de Paris. This opportunity gave him a chance to crystallize the concepts he had been working on for five years. "At the time of the creation of the Jazz Groupe de Paris, there was nothing set in stone in my writing, it was all sketches I needed to try out. That’s also the reason I gave the title Essais to the pieces resulting from this project".
Hodeir wrote his most avant-garde work for the Jazz Groupe, among whose members were some of the best soloists in Paris. Their collective effort led them to become one of the most sought-after jazz units in Europe, and Hodeir’s recordings with them earned him a world following that led to his American debut for the Savoy label. 
In 1957, John Lewis best described Hodeir's musical attitude in a Down Beat article, when he said: "He's giving people ideas and directions and things to do. His work itself is of value, but he’s also showing others by his work what can be done in many areas". *Jordi Pujol*

Le Jazz Groupe De Paris

"Essais" D'André Hodeir

This record brings together some pieces from the beginning of my career and my first accomplishment as a jazz composer. It includes some of the finest French, Belgian, and American musicians linving in Paris between 1949 and 1954.

I remember one sunny afternoon when I went to visit Charles Delaunay I was in his office at Jazz Hot magazine, along with Jean Bouchéty, who played bass with Bernard Peiffer's trio, when in walked a tall thin, hawk-nosed gentleman. It was Jaques-Yves Cousteau, whose first underwater film I had greatly admired. He was finishing work on a short fil called Autour d'un Récif (Around a Reef), which he described as a "ballet of fish" and he wanted jazz music for ot: not Knowing which composer to contact, he had come to ask Delaunay's advice. We lent them an indiscret ear and gor hired.

Since Cousteau was not one to skimp on quantity or quality, we decide to go with Tony Proteau's orchestra which guaranteed the participation of Kenny Clarke, in addition to five saxes and eight horns and four widely respected soloists: Don Byas, Hubert Rostaing, Geo Daly and Bernard Peiffer. Only the latter was allowed to improvise the others played written solos. When I showed Don Byas his tenor part, he threw up his hands and said "This is written for piccolo!" Thus began a kind of reflection that stayed with me throughout my career.

In 1949, I had been a bebop convert and real admirer of Charlie Parker for about three years. But in listening to Récif it is clear that this influence did not show up in my compositions: the style is more Ellington than Gillespie.

It was Boris Vian who advised Paul Paviot to let me do the music for his short film Saint-Tropez (1953). I based a suite for orchestra on this score, which is predominantly influenced by the jazz "cool" of Miles Davis, Gil Evans and Gerry Mulligan. The suite was never performed in public, but was recorded with the participation of among others Nat Peck and Bobby Jaspar, who was considered to be the best of the European soloists at the time.

Along with Armand Migiani, Pierre Michelot and myself Bobby and Nat founded the Jazz Groupe de Paris whose sporadic career seems more productive in restrospect three albums and appearances in around ten films and several international festivals began composing for the Jazz Groupe de Paris in the fall of 1954, and werecorded our first six "tests" on the day before Christmas. Working as a cooperative, we divided the costs of the recording and enlisted the help of the great sound engineer Michel Philippot. At my request Philippot did a "chamber music" sound recording which I really like.

These Essais regarded by some (not inaccurately) as the opus 1 of my catalog, all point in the same direction a broadening of the forms that were common in jazz at the time. *André Hodeir (1999)*

Essais Par Le Jazz Groupe De Paris  is the classic jazz album from musician and theoretician, André Hodeir. He signs these two albums who importance has not been denied. "Essays" constitutes a real challenge to the main data of orchestral jazz. Being long out of original print it is now available on a single CD reissue. *amazon.com*

1 - Cross Criss

2 - Paraphrase Sur Saint-Tropez

3 - On A Standard

4 - Esquisse I

5 - Paradoxe II

6 - On A Blues

7 - Autour D'Un Récif (part 1)

8 - Autour D'Un Récif (part 2)

9 - Saint-Tropez

(All compositions by André Hodeir)

#1 to #6: Le Jazz Groupe De Paris

from the album Essais d’André Hodeir (Swing M 33353)

Jean Liesse, Buzz Gardner (trumpets); Nat Peck (trombone); Jean Aldegon (alto sax); Bobby Jaspar (tenor sax); Armand Migiani (baritone sax); Fats Sadi (vibes); Pierre Michelot (bass); Jacques David (drums); André Hodeir (arranger, director).

Recorded in Paris, December 13, 1954.

#7 to #9: 

from the album Musique de Films par André Hodeir (Swing M 33343)

#7 and #8: Tony Proteau Orchestra

Joe Boyer (trumpet), Hubert Rostaing (clarinet, alto sax), Don Byas (tenor sax), Bernard Pfeiffer (piano), Jean Bouchéty (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums), André Hodeir (arranger, director).

Recorded in Paris, 1949.

#9: Le Jazz Groupe De Paris

Christian Bellest (trumpet), Nat Peck (trombone), Robert Guisnath (clarinet, alto sax); Bobby Jaspar (tenor sax), William Boucaya (baritone sax), Bernard Pfeiffer (piano), Raymond Le Sénéchal (vibes), Pierre Michelot (bass), Pierre Lemarchand (drums), André Hodeir (arranger, director).

Recorded in Paris, 1953.

***

Le Jazz Groupe De Paris

Joue André Hodeir

[Originally Joue André Hodeir - (Vega LP 30572)]

A classic slice of the jazz scene in 50s Paris — as Andre Hodier, the famous French jazz critic, leads a group of some of Paris' best 50's boppers through a set of his own compositions, plus newly arranged bop classics. The band includes standout European players like Pierre Michelot, Fats Sadi, Nat Peck, and Roger Guerin — and Hodier's work is a great mix of boppish ideals with more modernist touches, slightly fragmented, but still with a nice sense of swing at their core. Sadi's vibes are especially nice on the set, and the record ranks as one of the few from the time in which he really takes a strong lead. *dustygroove.com*

Joue André Hodeir is the second recording by le Jazz Groupe de Paris, a piano-less nonet originally formed by André Hodeir, with the help of Bobby Jaspar, and dedicated to his music and arrangements — Hodeir, who used to be a proficient violinist, only conducts. By the time this session was recorded Jaspar had already left for the United States and was replaced by Georges Grenu. In addition to six originals, the program is rounded out with tunes by Bud Powell, Duke Jordan, Thelonious Monk, and John Lewis. Hodeir's compositions are not as tuneful and memorable as the covers, but this is irrelevant since his musical concerns deal almost exclusively with textures and colors. In line with the leader's esthetics, the soloists do not indulge into virtuosic runs. Instead, Hodeir's draws from his musicians complex soundscapes rich in tonalities. Overall, Hodeir favors slow and midpaced tempos, which provide a better ground for his intricate voicings. His original ideas are more obviously displayed on "Paradoxe I" ,which features a pulsating cymbal in the foreground, or "On a Scale", whose theme is not restated at the end. Despite the knowledge his theories require to be fully grasped, Hodeir's music is utterly enjoyable and this album provides a fine introduction to his universe. *Alain Drouot*

1 - Jordu

(Duke Jordan)

2 - Evanescene

(André Hodeir)

3 - Criss Cross

(Thelonious Monk)

4 - Tension Détente

(André Hodeir)

5 - Milano

(John Lewis)

6 - On A Scale

(André Hodeir)

7 - Bicinum

(André Hodeir)

8 - Parisian Thoroughfare

(Bud Powell)

9 - Paradoxe I

(André Hodeir)

10 - Triads

(André Hodeir)

Jean Liesse, Roger Guérin (trumpets), Nat Peck (trombone [except #3, #9]); Jean Algedon (alto sax [except #3, #9]); Georges Grenu (tenor sax); Armand Migiani (piano); Fats Sadi (vibes [except #5, #10]); Pierre Michelot (bass); Christian Garros (drums); André Hodeir (arranger, director).

Recorded in Paris, June 26 (#2, #6 to #8), June 27 (#1, #3, #4, #9) and July 2 (#5, #10), 1956.

Kenny Clarke - Four Rare And Obscure Jazz Albums

Recorded during 1956-1960, the initial years of drummer Kenny Clarke's permanently settling in Europe, these four sessions display his versatility and consistently commanding musicianship over richly varied settings, some graced, among others, by the stellar presence of US tenor giants Lucky Thompson and Don Byas.

They show, too, the superior quality of some European players and composerarrangers who were to be outstanding names in continental jazz -primarily French and Belgian, but also including the great Algerian pianist, Martial Solal.

Solal and trombonist Billy Byers are featured on the opening session of André Hodeir's excellently conceived arrangements of originals by himself, Ellington, Monk, Mulligan, Dameron and others. On the Kenny Clarke Plays Pierre Michelot session, Michelot reveals his considerable gifts as composer and arranger, influenced by the Miles Davis Nonet, with Clarke and Thompson at their best. The Bill Holman-influenced composer-arranger Christian Chevallier’s good writing animates the next session. Both sessions benefit from a rhythm section which includes the arrestingly brilliant piano of Maurice Vandair.

The final session, from 1960, showcases Francy Boland's writing, presaging his long collaboration with Clarke. Apart from Clarke and Byas, the musicians are Belgian, with vibist Fats Sadi the most original soloist among them and Clarke, as always, an inspiring presence. *Jordi Pujol*

Paris in the 1950s was awash with ex-pat American jazzers, and a bulwark of the scene was drummer Kenny Clarke, who, unlike many of his fellow countrymen, believed in wholehearted integration with local players, while also deploying visitors from across the pond. In this series of recordings, Clarke also displayed his faith in the talented arrangers then active in Paris, notably Andre Hodeir and Christian Chevalier, also providing an opportunity for the orchestrations of bassist Pierre Michelot to be aired. Michelot and Clarke would, of course, become a super, long-standing rhythmic partnership. The charts are uniformly excellent, and Hodeir's material unquestionably quite challenging.

Nor is there any shortage of interesting soloists, given the presence of the likes of Martial Solal, Lucky Thompson, Billy Byers, Tony Scott and Roger Guérin. The various groups, ranging from sextet to full big band, seem like a logical prelude to the Kenny CIarke/Francy Boland band. Indeed, the closing three tracks mark one of the pair's earliest collaborations, pre-dating their first sides for a US label. In this instance the great Don Byas was on hand for the Cologne session and in top form. His imperious presence inspired everyone; his reading of "More Than You Know" is a gem of ballad playing.

Kenny Clarke's encouragement and support of French musicians made him something of an icon. He also showed his organisational ability in all these recordings, while faultlessly providing the irresistible pulse to spark ensembles and soloists. The man was a giant of the percussive arts.

*Mark Gardner*

Kenny Clarke - Plays The Arrangements

Of André Hodeir • Pierre Michelot

Christian Chevallier and Francy Boland

In the 1950s several American jazz musicians began emigrating to France, both to avoid racial intolerance and in the hope of finding more steady work. One of these was drummer Kenny Clarke, who moved to Paris in 1956. This collection illustrates how he immediately found a good deal of work. The compilation contains recordings made between 1956 and 1960 by a variety of artists under Kenny Clarkes leadership, spotlighting the arrangements of four different musicians.

The first dozen tracks feature arrangements by André Hodeir, He was well respected not only for his musical writing but also for his rigorous scholarship, evidenced in such works as his famous Jazz: Its Evolution and Essence. In fact Hodeir supplies some revealing sleeve-notes. Some of the dozen arrangements here reveal the influence of the Birth of the Cool musicians, who explored new cool voicings and styles. Chords are often varied by movement within the lines of the contributing instruments.

These qualities are present in the opening "Bemsha Swing", which reflects Thelonious Monks style in the jagged changes in the final chorus. Martial Solals piano solo here and on other tracks is radiantly clear. In fact André Hodeir seems to prefer piano solos in most tunes. Hodeirs classical background is present in "'Round Midnight", where the theme only emerges at the end of a long semi-classical build-up. "When Lights are Low" is deprived of its charm by being performed at too fast a tempo. But Hodeir skilfully uses counterpoint to provide a frisson in the harmonies. René Urtréger plays an airy solo. Hodeirs arrangements may be rather academic but their intriguing ensembles coupled with some splendid solos make these twelve tracks well worth hearing.

Bassist Pierre Michelot arranged the next four tracks, which might have come from the pen of a West Coast jazzer such as Shorty Rogers. "Love Me or Leave Me" gives Kenny Clarke the opportunity for a long drum solo. Like his other solos on this album, they are tight and disciplined. Michelot himself takes the limelight in Fantasy for Bass.

The Christian Chevallier arrangements are possibly the most conventional in this collection, but none the worse for that. They bear the influence of Bill Holman and swing along fluidly, including excellent solos from the likes of pianist Maurice Vandair and (in "Black Knight") Kenny Clarke.

The personnel in the final three tracks are predominantly Belgian, like the arranger - Francy Boland - who later formed a marvellous big band with Kenny Clarke. Don Byas contributes a beautifully flowing solo to "More Than You Know".

This compilation proves that France had musicians the equal of the Americans and that Kenny Clarke could fit into any kind of setting. *Tony Augarde*

1 - Bemsha Swing

(D. Best, T. Monk)

2 - Oblique

(André Hodeir)

3 - Blue Serge

(Duke Ellington)

4 - Swing Spring

(Miles Davis)

5 - On A Riff

(André Hodeir)

6 - Jeru

(Gerry Mulligan)

7 - The Squirrel

(Tadd Dameron)

8 - Eronel

(Thelonious Monk)

9 - 'Round Midnight

(Thelonious Monk)

10 - When Lights Are Low

(Benny Carter)

11 - Cadenze

(André Hodeir)

12 - Tahiti

(Milt Jackson)

13 - Love Me Or Leave Me

(Kahn, Donaldson)

14 - Fun For Four

(Pierre Michelot)

15 - Fantasy For Bass

(Pierre Michelot)

16 - Jackie, My Little Cat

(Pierre Michelot)

17 - Dream Time

(Christian Chevallier)

18 - Gold Fish

(Christian Chevallier)

19 - Black Knight

(Christian Chevallier)

20 - Jean-Paul

(Christian Chevallier)

21 - Bell Hop

(Francy Boland)

22 - More Than You Know

(Youmans, Elescu, Rose)

23 - Tampico

(Francy Boland)

#1 to #12:

from the LP Kenny Clarke Plays Andre Hodeir (Epic LN 3376)

#5, #9, #10:

Roger Guérin (trumpet); Billy Byers, Nat Peck (trombones); René Urtréger, Martial Solal (piano); Pierre Michelot (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Studio Apollo, Paris, October 26, 1956.

#2, #6, #8, #12:

Billy Byers (trombone); Hubert Rostaing [as Robert Guismath] (alto sax); Armand Migiani (baritone sax); Martial Solal (piano); Jean Warland (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Studio Apollo, Paris, November 21, 1956.

#1, #3, #4, #7, #11:

Roger Guérin (trumpet); Billy Byers (trombone); Armand Migiani (baritone sax); Martial Solal (piano); Jean Warland (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Studio Apollo, Paris, November 30, 1956.

#13 to #16:

from EP Kenny Clarke Plays Pierre Michelot (Columbia ESDF1176)

Ack van Rooyen, Bernard Hulin (trumpets); Billy Byers, Nat Peck, (trombones); Hubert Fol (alto sax); Lucky Thompson, Pierre Gossez, (tenor saxes); Armand Migiani (baritone sax); Maurice Vandair (piano); Pierre Michelot (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Pathé Marconi Boulogne Studios, Paris, September 23, 1957.

#17 to #20:

from the EP Kenny Clarke Plays Christian Chevallier (Columbia ESDF1222)

#17, #18:

Roger Guérin (trumpet); Benny Vasseur (trombone); Pierre Gossez, René "Mickey" Nicholas (alto saxes); Georges Grenu (tenor sax); Armand Migiani (baritone sax); Maurice Vandair (piano); Pierre Michelot (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Pathé Marconi Boulogne Studios, Paris, November 12, 1957.

#19, #20:

Ack van Rooyen, Jean Liesse (trumpets); Nat Peck (trombone); Hubert Fol, Jean Aldegon (alto saxes); Georges Grenu (tenor sax); Tony Scott (clarinet, tenor sax); Armand Migiani (baritone sax); Maurice Vandair, Raymond Fol (piano); Pierre Michelot (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded at Pathé Marconi Boulogne Studios, Paris, November 12, 1957.

#21 to #23:

from the EP Don Wails With Kenny (Columbia C41226)

Christian Kellens (trombone); Eddie Busnello (alto sax); Don Byas (tenor sax); Fats Sadi (vibes); Francy Boland (piano & arrangements; Jean Warland (bass); Kenny Clarke (drums). 

Recorded at EMI Electrola Studios, Cologne, February 25, 1960.

Michel Hausser - Mr. Vibes

The vibraphone was still a relative novelty in the jazz scene of the 1950s, particularly in Europe. Its leading proponents in the modern jazz field were Belgian Sadi and French Geo Daly during the first half of the decade. It wouldn’t be until 1955 that another vibes player from France irrupted on the scene: his name, Michel Hausser, and his main influence the art of "Bags" Milt Jackson, his imposing skill, and the role it had in the success of the Modern Jazz Quartet.

It was at the end of 1956 that Michel’s trio had the opportunity to open "Le Chat qui Pêche", a new jazz club that would soon become one of the most popular in Paris. His exciting performances were the talk of the town and paired with the exposure that Hausser received recording with Lucky Thompson and such bandleaders as Christian Chevallier and Quincy Jones, they earned him first place in the 1958 Jazz-Hot poll awards, the first of many in his career.

Although the blues-oriented improvisations and emotional content of Jackson’s approach were evident in Michel’s playing, at the core, his style had a more outgoing flair. In this double CD we can listen to Michel Hausser’s recordings from his prolific Parisian years. Although he has never stopped playing, his name seems to vanish from jazz magazines in 1969, when he returned to his native Alsace, but even so, Michel Hausser will forever remain a referent for jazz vibraphonists everywhere. *Jordi Pujol*

Just like bebop clarinet players, the niche of European vibes players is pretty much an uncharted map. Frenchman Michel Hausser cornered the market back in the bop era of 1958-1960, with this two disc collection showing that he could hold his own against contemporaries Milt Jackson and Teddy Charles.

His sound is confident and relaxed, sometimes with a marimba-like timbre as displayed on his studio and concert recordings from France 1958. The team of Hausser with famed bopper pianist Henri Renard, bassist Ricardo Galeazzi and drummer Dante Agostini sound relaxed and warm on "Isn’t It Romantic" while comparing studio and gig takes of "Rue Dauphine" and "Blues Pour Le Chat" show that the team could kick up the juice in concert format. Ex-pat Bobby Jaspar loans his flute for a crisp "Moaning" and warm "I Remember Clifford" , and is joined by bebop drummer Kenny Clarke and bongo man Humberto Canto for a sleek "Cliff Cliff" and a beatnick'd take of "Mysterioso".

A horn section of Roger Guerin, Luis Fuentes, Dominique Canson and Bob Garcia round out an octet on a 1960 session in Germany hat includes an echoey "These Foolish Things" and MJQ-ish "Up In Hamburg" with some jabbing horns on "Opus De Funk". A year later, a similar conglomerate bops through "Made In Switzerland" while a jam session from 1958 includes boppers Donald Byrd, Zoot Sims, Doug Watkins, Art Taylor and Bobby Jaspar for a sizzling take of "Wee Dot" that has Taylor driving on all 8 cylinders. Sublime chimes. *George W. Harris*

*CD 1*

1 - Blues Pour Le chat

(Michel Hausser)

2 - Isn't It Romantic

(Rodgers, Hart)

3 - Rue Dauphine

(Michel Hausser)

4 - Everything Happens To Me

(Dennis, Adair)

5 - Now’s The Time

(Charlie Parker)

6 - H.E.C Blues

(Michel Hausser)

7 - Rue Dauphine

(Michel Hausser)

8 - Michel Hausser introduces the musicians

9 - These Foolish Things

(Strachey, Link, Marvell)

10 - Blues Pour Le Chat

(Michel Hausser)

11 - Moanin'

(Bobby Timmons)

12 - I Remember Clifford

(Benny Golson)

13 - H.E.C Blues

(Michel Hausser)

14 - Monsieur De...

(René Urtreger)

15 - It's The Talk Of Town

(Livingston, Symes, Neiburg)

16 - Made In Switzerland

(Michel Hausser)

17 - Willow Weep For Me

(Ann Ronell)

18 - Who, You?

(Michel Hausser)

19 - 4 R

(Michel Hausser)

20 - Taking A Chance On Love

(Vernon Duke)

*CD 2*

1 - Cliff Cliff

(Jacques Hess)

2 - Phenil Isopropil Amine

(Bobby Jaspar)

3 - Mysterioso

(Thelonious Monk)

4 - Lullaby Of The Leaves

(Petkere, Young)

5 - Waiting For Irene

(Bobby Jaspar)

6 - Chasing The Bird

(Charlie Parker)

7 - Speak Low

(Kurt Weill)

8 - Up In Hamburg

(Michel Hausser)

9 - Opus De Funk

(Horace Silver)

10 - These Foolish Things

(Strachey, Link, Marvell)

11 - Tadd’s Delight

(Tadd Dameron)

12 - Jive At Five

(Harry Edison)

13 - Blues A San Pauli

(Michel Hausser)

14 - Darn That Dream

(Van Heusen, DeLange)

15 - Tune Up

(Miles Davis)

16 - These Foolish Things

(Strachey, Link, Marvell)

17 - Made In Switzerland

(Michel Hausser)

18 - Wee Dot

(J.J. Johnson)

*CD 1*

#1 to #4:

from the 7" EP Au Chat qui Pêche Vol. 1 (Columbia ESDF 1224)

Micher Hausser (vibes), Henri Renaud (piano), Ricardo Galeazzi (bass), Dante Agostini (drums).

Recorded in Paris, April 23, 1958.

 #5 to #10:

Micher Hausser (vibes), Henri Renaud (piano), Ricardo Galeazzi (bass), Dante Agostini (drums).

Recorded live at Festival de Jazz de Cannes, July 11, 1958.

#11 to #16:

from the album Vibes + Flute (Columbia FPX 173)

Bobby Jaspar (flute #11 to #14), Michel Hausser (vibes), René Urtreger (piano #11 to #14), Paul Rovère (bass), Daniel Humair (drums).

Recorded in Paris, December 16, 1958 [#11 to #14] and February 9, 1959 [#15 and #16].

#17 to #20:

from the 7" EP Michel Hausser Quartet Vol.2 (Columbia ESDF 1254)

Michel Hausser (vibes), René Urtreger (piano), Paul Rovère (bass), Daniel Humair (drums).

Recorded in Paris, November 9 and 10, 1959.

*CD 2*

#1 to #7:

from the album Bobby Jaspar Quartet Featuring Michel Hausser (Barclay 84.063)

Bobby Jaspar (flute), Michel Hausser (vibes, xylophone), Paul Rovère (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums), Humberto Canto (bongos #1, #3, #5 and #6).

Recorded in Paris, December 19, 1958.

#8 to #15:

from the album Michel Hausser Octet -Up in Hamburg (Columbia FPX 189)

Roger Guérin (trumpet), Luis Fuentes (trombone), Dominique Chanson (flute, alto sax), Bob Garcia (tenor sax), Michel Hausser (vibes, piano #13), René Urtreger (piano out on #13), Michel Gaudry (bass), Daniel Humair (drums).

Recorded in Hamburg, March 1960.

#16 and # 17: Michel Hausser All Stars

Michel Hausser (vibes), Roger Guérin (trumpet #17), Bob Garcia (tenor sax #17), Georges Arvanitas (piano), Michel Gaudry (bass), Charles Bellonzi (drums).

Recorded live at Festival de Jazz d’Antibes Juan-les-Pins, July 18, 1961.

#18: Jam Session with the Donald Byrd Quintet

Donald Byrd (trumpet); Bobby Jaspar, Zoot Sims (tenor saxes); Michel Hausser (vibes); Walter Davis (piano); Doug Watkins (bass); Art Taylor (drums).

Recorded live at Festival de Jazz de Cannes, July, 11, 1958.

Fats Sadi - Sadi's Vibes

The Belgian Fats Sadi (1927-2009), due to his technique and modern approach, was the quintessential European vibraphonist of the 50s. In his beginnings, his style was indebted to Lionel Hampton, but as he assimilated the irresistible and evolving influence of Milt Jackson, his music became a true reflection of himself, generous and overflowing with swing.

Upon his arrival in Paris in 1951, Sadi had a hard time finding gigs as a jazzman. There were too many musicians chasing too few jobs and at first he had to work in all kinds of orchestras. From 1953 he joined forces with Bobby Jaspar and grew musically, playing and recording alongside him as a sideman and as a leader while surrounded by the best musicians on the Parisian scene. In 1954, he put together an eight-piece combo that recorded an album of wellcrafted arrangements firmly rooted in the West Coast sound performed with a precision rarely heard in mainland jazz groups at the time.

As the years passed, Sadi continued to develop his style and conception, establishing himself as an impressive and forceful soloist who was capable of sustaining the mood of the tunes with depth and freshness in both wailers and ballads. In the late 50s and early 60s, he was working and recording in Germany and Belgium and he was chosen to integrate the European All-Stars of 1961. On the bonus track "Hittin' the Road", Sadi blows along with another of his compatriots, the great guitarist René Thomas, who unleashes a memorable solo in a particularly graphic aural definition of swing.

In this retrospective we can hear Sadi playing in very different and exciting settings with a fierce flow of ideas and dedication. All in all, this set is an impressive showcase for an almost forgotten and often underrated vibes player. *Jordi Pujol*

Like trumpeter Harry James, Fats Sadi began his musical career in the company of clowns. The Belgian jazz musician played the xylophone in a touring circus before World War II. After the war, he took up the vibraphone and recorded as a sideman and as a leader. He could play swing and bop, and his earliest recordings in 1946 were with fellow Belgian standout, saxophonist and flutist Bobby Jaspar.

In 1950, Sadi moved to Paris in search of work and began playing at the many jazz clubs there in combos and recording as a sideman with Henri Renaud and Django Reinhardt.

Sadi reunited with Jaspar in May 1953 on a three-song session that is part of a recently released album Fats Sadi: Sadi's Vibes, a Retrospective 1953-1961. The album features Sadi on vibes across a range of small groups.

Sadi's leadership sessions start with the Fats Sardi's Combo, recorded in May 1954. In October of that year and in 1958, he was back with Jaspar before recording with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar in 1959. The album closes out in Brussels in 1961. These are scattered tracks but ones that prominently feature Sadi's firm vibes and cool, tender attack with West Coast jazz overtones. There's a guitar-like quality to his playing, and this album serves as a perfect introduction to a tasty player with plenty of swing and moxie. Fresh Sound features many other Sadi recordings. Have a look. *Marc Myers*

If you're a fan of the vibes, your probable references were the swing era gents of Lionel Hampton or Red Norvo, bebop with Terry Gibbs and Milt Jackson, and that's about it until modern jazz with Bobby Hutcherson. Well, here's a new gent for you to dig, but he's not a "new" guy, but an obscure Belgian stationed in Paris and hitting the vibes with fervermallet with a bunch of impressive locals like Henri Renaud, Maurice Vander, Pierre Michelot, Francy Boland, Jimmy Gourley, Rene Thomas, Genoir Quersin as well as some American ringers like Kenny Clarke, Jymie Merritt, Walter Bishop and Bobby Jaspar.

This single disc contains Sadi in sessions as both leader and sideman swinging from a '53 Jaspar led recording to Sadis' own quartets. With Jaspar, there's a "Nonette" with a hot horn section for "Honky Tonky", a bopping smaller ensemble for "le JAMF" and a lovely "I Only Have Eyes For You". Sadi's sense of swing is palpable, with a tone somewhere between Hampton and Jackson, tearing up "Ridin' High", glowing on "Dear Old Lady" and snapping with "Laguna Leap". The sound quality is excellent, and the vibes, well, vibrate!

As with all reissues from Fresh Sound, there's a great booklet with session listings as well as some great background on this obscure mallet man. This is a real fun one! *George W. Harris*

1 - Strike up the Band

(G. and I.Gershwin)

2 - I Only Have Eyes For You

(Warren, Dubin)

3 - Struttin' With Some Barbecue

(Lili Hardin Armstrong)

4 - Ad Libitum

(Francy Boland)

5 - Laguna Leap

(Edward Laguna)

6 - Karin

(Jose Bartel)

7 - Big Balcony

(Bobby Jaspar)

8 - Sadisme

(Francy Boland)

9 - Sweet Feeling

(Pierre Michelot)

10 - Ridin' High

(Cole Porter)

11 - Thanks A Million

(Johnston, Kahn)

12 - Early Wake

(Fats Sadi)

13 - Honky Tonky

(Bobby Jaspar)

14 - Jeux de Quartes

(Bobby Jaspar)

15 - Doxology (Memory of Dick)

(Bobby Jaspar)

16 - Le JAMF

(Bobby Jaspar)

17 - Ridin' In

(Sadi, Coppieters)

18 - Don't Blame Me

(McHugh-Fields)

19 - Gigi's Pad

(Sadi, Coppieters)

20 - If I Had You

(Shapiro, Campbell, Connelly)

21 - Hegor

(Fats Sadi)

22 - Dear Old Lady

(Fats Sadi)

23 - Hittin' The Road

(Fats Sadi)

#1 to #3: Bobby Jaspar Quintet - Featuring Sadi

from the 10"LP  New Sound of Belgium, Vol.4 (Vogue LD 143)

Bobby Jaspar (tenor sax), Fats Sadi (vibes),; Henri Renaud (piano [#2, #3]), Jimmy Gourley (guitar [#1]), Benoît Quersin (bass), Jean-Louis Viale (drums).

Recorded in Paris, May 22, 1953.

#4 to #11: Fats Sadi's Combo

from the 10" LP  Fats Sadis's Combo (Vogue LD 212)

Roger Guérin (trumpet, tuba), Nat Peck (trombone), Jean Aldegon (bass clarinet), Bobby Jaspar (tenor sax), Fats Sadi (vibes), Maurice Vander (piano), Jean-Marie Ingrand (bass), Jean-Louis Viale (drums), Francy Boland (arranger).

Recorded in Paris, May 8, 1954.

#12 to #14: Bobby Jaspar Nonette

from the 10" LP  Bobby Jaspar - New Jazz, Vol.2 (Swing M.33.338)

Buzz Gardner, Roger Guérin (trumpets); Nat Peck (trombone); Jean Aldegon (alto sax, bass clarinet); Bobby Jaspar (tenor sax); Armand Migiani (baritone sax); Fats Sadi (vibes, arranger); Pierre Michelot (bass); Gerard "Dave" Pochonet (drums).

Recorded in Paris, October 14, 1954.

#15 and #16: Bobby Jaspar Quartet

from the 12" LP  Bobby Jaspar Quartet (Barclay 84063)

Bobby Jaspar (flute), Fats Sadi (vibes), Jymie Merritt (bass), Kenny Clarke (drums).

Recorded in Paris, December 20, 1958.

#17 to #20: Fats Sadi Quartet plus Jimmy Deuchar

from the 7" EP  Sadi's Vibes (Manhattan 66133 C)

Jimmy Deuchar (trumpet), Fats Sadi (vibes), Roland Ronchaud (piano), Maurice Salvat (bass), Stuff Combe (drums).

Recorded in Cologne, May 22, 1959.

#21 and #22: Fats Sadi Quartet

from the 7" EP  Sadi Quartet (Palette EPP 7226)

Fats Sadi (vibes), Roland Ronchaud (piano), Jean Warland (bass), Freddy Rotier (drums).

Recorded in Brussels, 1961.

#23: Fats Sadi Quintet

from the 12" LP  Jack Sels (Best Seller 4C054-97754)

Fats Sadi (vibes), René Thomas (guitar), Francy Boland (piano), Roger Van Haverbecke (bass), Wallace Bishop (drums).

Recorded in Brussels, 1962.