FEEL GOOD AT LAST

RICHARD RAUX QUARTET – FEEL GOOD AT LAST
LP Free Lance ‎– FRL 004          FRANCE, 1983

 A no-nonsense, straight modern bop / post-bop album by a quartet led by French “tough tenor” Richard Raux, featuring Alain Jean-Marie (piano), Alby Cullaz (bass) and US / French resident drummer, George Brown.

Side A contains four compositions by the leader.

Side B contains four compositions, respectively by Charlie Parker (Confirmation), Monk (Locomotive), Coltrane (Miles Mood) and Ellington/Bigard (Mood Indigo).

Richard Raux is a French saxophonist / flautist born in Madagascar in 1945. He studied with luminaries such as Phil Woods, Nathan Davis and George Russell a.o.

He was a member of the innovative French band “Magma” and played on the debut album “Magma” (1970, reissued as KOBAIA).

A big tone tenor, inspired by "honkers" such as Hal Singer with whom he had the opportunity to play when Singer was living in France, as well as by modern / new Things musicians (Coltrane, Shepp ...), he’s especially at ease in a blues / rhythm and blues context. He has accompanied and toured with several bluesmen a.o. Willie MABON - Memphis SLIM - Jimmy JOHNSON - Luther ALLISON.  

He fits especially as well in hard bop and postbop contexts, playing and recording with the likes of  Aldo RUMANO - Daniel HUMAIR - Sonny GREY Big Band et Quintet - - Eddy LOUIS (Combo - Histoires sans Paroles) – - Clifford THORNTON - Roy BURROWES - Mal WALDRON - René URTREGER - Siegfried KESSLER - Charlie HADEN - Bobby FREY – Sonny MURRAY – Stephen McCRAVEN -  Bernard LUBAT …

His skills are also in demand as a session played and he has recorded and/or toured with Pierre VASSILIU (Déménagements) - MELMOTH (Prix Académie Charles Cros) - Jacques HIGELIN - - Georges MOUSTAKI - Mamma BEA - Eddy MITCHELL … 

Sources: http://www.epuzzle.jazzpuzzle.org/professeurs_raux.htm

http://www.cinethea.com/raux_richard_cv.html 

Alain Jean-Marie : French pianist born on the island of Guadeloupe in 1945.   Refered to as “the most discreet of the French jazz pianists (“Le plus discret des pianistes”) in Le Monde (18.08.2017), Alain Jean-Marie is considered by many to be France’s – if not Europe’s – top living jazz pianist. Born in the Carribean island of Guadeloupe, Alain established himself in Paris in 1973 and quickly became a ‘first-call’ pianist. From 1976 on, he toured and recorded with such jazz legends as Chet Baker, Sonny Stitt, Art Farmer, Johnny Griffin, Lee Konitz, Bill Coleman, Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, Barney Wilen and Benny Golson..  

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Jean-Marie

http://www.likeasound.com/alain-jean-marie 

Alby Cullaz  (Paris, 25-6-1941 / Paris, 08-02-1998).

Alby Cullaz was the brother of guitarist Pierre Cullaz, and son of Maurice (1912-2000), who chaired the French « Académie du Jazz » until 1992. Alby started his professional career in 1963, as double bass player in the Johnny Griffin Quartet for two years, while playing regularly with Eddy Louiss and Art Taylor. In 1965, he joins the Jef Gilson Big Band and tours all through Europe with Jean-Luc Ponty, Michel Graillier or Aldo RomanoIn 1969 he’s a member of Hank Mobley’s sextet.  He has played and recorded with an impressive roster of jazz luminaries, Americans and Europeans: René Thomas, Dizzy Gillespie, Stéphane Grappelli, Philly Joe Jones, Kenny Clarke, Dexter Gordon, Daniel Humair, Slide Hampton, René Urtreger, Sonny Grey, Guy Lafitte, Raymond, Fol, Christian Escoudé, Gérard Badini, Mal Waldron, Lee Konitz, Chet Baker, Christian Vander (Alien Quartet ) just to name a few.

George Brown (Paris, 2012?): there isn't much info on this musician on the Net and Lord's discography is a mess as it mixes up the outputs of at least different drummers all named "George Brown".   I only have limited faith in the Lord ... 

This George Brown started his career along with Mel Rhyne in the Trio of Wes Montgomery. In this group, he can be heard on the disc "Portrait Of Wes" on the Riverside Label. After that he played with almost every famous Jazz musician. He toured extensively with Sonny Rollins, Roland Kirk, Chet Baker and J.J.Johnson. 20 years ago he settled in Paris where he established himself immediately as "the house drummer" in the biggest Jazzclub's of the French Capital. He played regularly with with Archie Shepp, Steve Grossman and Alain Jean-Marie.

Source: http://mpeter.chez-alice.fr/english/george.htm 

Obituary (in French): http://www.citizenjazz.com/George-Brown.html 

Tracklist 
A1 Morning Blues Raga R. Raux 5:37
A2 With Love Inside R. Raux 4:28
A3 Ballad For Jeremy R. Raux 4:27
A4 Feel Good At Last R. Raux 3:47

B1 Confirmation C. Parker 3:59
B2 Locomotive T. Monk 5:28
B3 Mood Indigo B. Bigard, D. Ellington 4:39
B4 Miles Mode J. Coltrane 4:38

Recorded August 16 and 17, 1983 at STA studio, Paris.  Mastered at Translab studio, Paris.

Check also an earlier post on Raux here  (updated link)

FAFASIFA

MARTIAL SOLAL

FAFASIFA               CBS, France, 1967

No need to present Martial Solal I assume. 

However this album is rather unusual.  Tracks A1 to A6 and B1 are “standard” Martial Solal Trio (as far as one could call Solal’s music “standard”). B2 is solo Solal.  What to say?  The man is probably the greatest European contribution to jazz piano.  A truly original musician.

The unusual tracks are B3 to B6 where Solal plays harpsichord (B3,5,6) or both organ and piano (B4)

Tracklist

A1          Fafasifa                            2:17

A2          Reflets Mobiles               2:58

A3          Indianapolis                     2:40

A4          Atmosphère                    3:07

A5          Aquaplane                      2:33

A6          Henri's                            3:00

B1          Musique En Cinq Sets    3:15

B2          Faux Fuyants                  2:59

B3          Volez, Balles                   2:56

B4          A Pas De Loup-Garou    3:13

B5          Virevoltant                      3:06

B6          Billes De Joie                 1:25

Credits

A1-6, B1 :            Martial Solal, piano

                             Gilbert Rovere, contrebasse

                             Charles Bellonzi, percussion

B.2:                      Martial Solal, piano solo

B3,5:                    Martial Solal, harpsichord

                             Gilbert Rovere, contrebasse

                             Charles Bellonzi, percussion

B4:                       Martial Solal, electric organ and piano

B6:                       Martial Solal, harpsichord solo

These unusual tracks on side B should be of interest to collectors of Library Music.
Production M.P.I. Also released as different 10" on the French library label Musique Pour L'Image.

To the best of my knowledge and after some research on the Web, it seems that this album has not been re-issued on CD.  Correct me if I’m wrong.

(Covers taken from Discogs)

HEAD UNDER LEGS

CLAUDE CAGNASSO BIG BAND

“HEAD UNDER LEGS”                 
LP VEGA 19.129  - Collection Jazz

France, 1969

 I have the pleasure to share today the first album by the Claude Cagnasso Big Band, dating from 1969.  To the best of my knowledge, it is the first appearance of this rare French album in the blogosphere.  His second album (Five Compact / Plein Jazz) had been posted on the blog LAKASAFUNK a few years back (and , amazingly, the link still works).

Claude Cagnasso (24 October 1939, Maisoncelles-Tuileries (Oise) - 25 July 2015, Montpellier).  

There is a comprehensive biography in the obituary published in Jazz Hot 672 (Summer 2015).  As it is in French, I summarize it hereafter:     

Claude Cagnasso received basic piano training from his sister, at an early age.  His main interest was not the piano but the big band, “the 18 musicians orchestra, the volume of the brass and reeds associated to the rhythmic pulse”.

An autodidact, he learned as a teenager, through sheer perseverance and enthusiasm, to become an arranger – and continued to learn all through his life. 

His first gigs were with “afro-cuban bands”, such as Benny Bennett’s, becoming a specialist of what was then called “rythme typique”. At the same period, he started to work for the recording studios, writing arrangements for popular French singers as different as Joe Dassin, Claude Nougaro,  Jean-Roger Caussimon, Catherine Ribeiro or  Leny Escudéro to name a few.  He wrote his first arrangements in 1959, for the “brasilian singer” Roberto Seto, who had a big hit in 1960 with the famous song «Brigitte Bardot». In the second half of the 60s he met Sonny Grey who was playing in Paris.  Cagnasso wrote two arrangements that Grey accepted, leading to Grey asking Cagnasso to write some original compositions for him.

In 1969, Cagnasso organised a big band that lasted until 1981.  Stan Kenton was a key influence but so were afro-cuban / mambo bands such as Perez Prado’s.

The Cagnasso Big band recorded its first album «  Head Under Legs ” in Decembre 1969, in Paris.   Over its 12 years existence, the Cagnasso Big Band featured a whole array of talented musicians, some already well-established such as Roger Guérin (tp), Georges Arvanitas (p), Teddy Hamelin (as) or Raymond Katarzynski (tb) but also « young lions » at the early stage of their career : trumpetists Michel Bos, Tony Russo, Bernard Marchais, Guy Bodet, François Chassagnite ; trombonists Jacques Bolognesi, Luis Fuentes, Jean-Louis Damant ; saxophonists Patrick Bourgoin, Dominique Soulat (as), Alain Hatot, Jean-Pierre Debarbat (ts), Francis Cournet (bs) ; pianists Maurice Vander and Michel Graillier, bassists Didier Levallet and Pierre-Yves Sorin,  tuba player Marc Steckar, drummers / percussionists Christian Lété, Guy Hayat and Tiboum Guignon (dm, perc).

Tracklist 

1 Head Under Legs 6:35

Composed By – C. Cagnasso*

2 Little Blade Of Grass 5:57

Composed By – C. Cagnasso*

3 Theme For Granek 6:51

Composed By – C. Cagnasso*

4 I'm Beginning To See The Light 3:58

Composed By – D. Georges*, D. Ellington*, H. James*, J. Hodges*

5 That's My Cigarette 5:05

Composed By – Michel Bos

6 Blue Sky 3:56

Composed By – I. Berlin*

7 Doesn't Matter 6:00

Composed By – C. Cagnasso*

8 Grande Avenue 3:53

Composed By – G. Gasquet

Credits

Conductor and arranger:  Claude Cagnasso

Trumpet – A. Loustalot, A. Perucca, B. Dujardin, G. Bouron, O. De La Taille*

Trumpet [Solo] – Michel Bos

Trombone – A. Vernay, B. Camus, M. Cevrero*, P. Devincre

Trombone [Solo] – J. Bolognesi*

Tuba – D. Landreat or Dzierla

Saxophone – D. Ventosa, H. Poulet, J. Net, J.-L. Vignaud*, L. Canillar

Saxophone [Solo] – A. Hatot except on 8 : D. Ventosa*

Piano - M. Graillier (1.2.3.5.7) – G. Gasquet (4,6,8)

Bass – D. Levallet

Drums – D. Carlier - C. Conord

Cagnasso recorded his second album in Paris between 9 June 1976 and 5 January 1977. It was released under the title Five Compact in 1977 (Un-Deux-Trois ‎– N°12) and reissued in 1982 as “Plein Jazz” (Disques Vendémiaire ‎– VD093).

TRAFICOS

CLAUDE GUILHOT + Georges Arvanitas Trio

TRAFICOS (Owl 02, France, 1975)

Hello everyone, I hope you have enjoyed Paul Piot and his Orchestra, We continue today with French Jazz but in  a different style. A small combo playing modal jazz. 

I do not think this album has ever been posted in the blogosphere.  It was the second album issued on the highly-respected OWL label (OWL 01 was African Nite by Randy Weston).  A great deal of the original OWL catalogue was reissued on CD in the 90s but, for unknown reasons, this one never made it to the CD format.  And for once, there is a good reason to try and find a copy of this album beside its relative rarity. The music is outstanding!

Claude Guilhot (September 2, 1929 - December 15, 1990) was a French jazz vibraphonist and drummer.

Guilhot was born in Toulouse to a family of music pedagogues. Initially a professional drummer, he worked with Charles Barrié, Jacques Gauthé, and Mezz Mezzrow before switching to vibraphone late in the 1950s. He and Michel Roques shared leadership of an ensemble which included appearances from

Don Byas, Buck Clayton, Bill Coleman, Sonny Grey, and Lucky Thompson. In 1962 he relocated to Paris, where he played with Kenny Clarke, Alix Combelle, Champion Jack Dupree, Pierre Dutour, Jimmy Gourley, Henri Renaud, and Hal Singer.  In 1970, he taught music in St. Germain-en-Laye, and in the 1980s worked with Georges Arvanitas and in his own ensemble with a.o. Sylvain Beuf and Stéphane Belmondo as sidemen.

(source: Wikipedia)

Track list:

A1         Traficos             9:06

A2         Old Days            6:03

A3         Pepita  5:09

B1         Xyxophoiles     6:50

B2         Ballade A Genève         5:58

B3         Blues For Pele 6:00

Recorded in Paris, France, May 13 to 25, 1975 Studio Palm

Engineer – Jeff Gilson

Credits

Vibraphone – Claude Guilhot

Piano – Georges Arvanitas

Bass – Jacky Samson

Drums [Hollywood] – Charles Saudrais

(covers and label shots taken from DISCOGS)

Discography as leader (tentative):

1965     Claude Guilhot              Bach on Vibes               (Columbia UK / Pathe Canada)
same as “Claude Guilhot joue Bach au vibraphone” (Music for Pleasure, France & Benelux)
and “Das temperierte Vibraphon” (Columbia, Germany)

1967     Claude Guilhot Quartet  Serenade de Mephisto
(EP 45 rpm Pathe, France)

1969     Claude Guilhot              Belbology         (LP VEGA  (France)

1975     Claude Guilhot + Georges Arvanitas Trio       Traficos          (LP OWL 02, France)

1979     Claude Guilhot - Patrice Caratini - Charles Saudrais - Marc Fosset  Petit Voyage
              (LP Open OP13, France)

1986     Georges Arvanitas / Claude Guilhot     Qu'est-Ce Qu'on Joue ?    (LP Sign, France)

With thanks to my good friend Paul P. for lending me his copy to rip.

PAUL PIOT & SON ORCHESTRE

PAUL PIOT & SON ORCHESTRE

FRANCE, 1962, LP 305 V 035, série populaire, Ducretet-Thomson (MONO)

Hello everyone, it’s been a long time!  It took me longer than expected to be ready to rip and post again, but here I am with a first “new” post. 

If you’re into French Jazz or Jazzy “Varietes” orchestras from the 60s - think of Jacques Denjean, Jean-Claude Pelletier, Daniel Janin, Eddie Barclay, Eddie Vartan, Ivan Jullien, Claude Cagnasso … - this is for you. 

A fairly rare LP that I found recently in a box with cheap easy listening records of limited interest, and that, to the best of my knowledge, has never been posted on the web before and never made it to CD format.

The track list is a well-balanced mix of standards and originals with a French touch, composed and arranged by “Bill Ivory” (an alias for Paul Piot),

Paul Piot is better known as an arranger for many French singers and this album is – as far as I could find – his only “Jazz” album.  French Jazz aficionados will recognize several names in the personnel, well-known and respected jazz instrumentalists / soloists such as Guerin, Paquinet, Verstraete, the Hrasco brothers, Alf Masselier ….):

Trumpets:

·       Fred Gerard

·       Maurice Thomas

·       Roger Guerin

·       Vincent Casino (replaces Guerin in Self Service & Up to date)

·       Rene Leger

Trombones:

·       Andre Paquinet

·       Charles Verstraete

Saxophones:

·       Alto: Joe Hrasco & Rene Nicolas

·       Tenor: Pierre Gossez & Marcel Hrasco

·       Baryton: William Boucaya

Guitare:

·       Pol Peguillem

·       Rene Duchossoir (replaces Peguillem in I can’t get started & Too Close For comfort).

Piano

·       Very discreet and not listed: Paul Piot (I assume)

Double bass:

·       Alf Masselier

Drums:

·       Arthur Motta

·       Armand Molinetti (replaces Motta in Lovely & N’importe Quand).

Tracklist

A1            Just One Of Those Things                      1:50

A2            Self-Service *                                            2:25

A3            Bewitched                                                  2:50

A4            N'importe Quand *                                   2:10

A5            Too Close For Comfort                             2:20

A6            Suspense *                                                  2:45

A7            Out Of Now Here                                       2:10

A8            Lovely *                                                       2:50

B1            Up To Date *                                                2:50

B2            There'S A Small Hotel                                2:20

B3            Twentieth Century *                                   2:35

B4            I Can't Get Started                                     2:25

B5            September In The Rain                              2:00

B6            The Kart *                                                   1:45

B7            The Lady Is A Tramp                                 2:20

B8            Jennifer *                                                     2:15

(*) composed and arranged by Paul Piot (as Bill Ivory).

I hope you’ll enjoy it.  I have a few more French, Belgian and Dutch / pan-European big band albums that I plan to post shortly. As usual, comments are much appreciated.

N.B.  Track 13 was corrupted in initial folder. I re-post the individual track 13 for those who have already downloaded the whole folder and I replace the folder by a new one with all the tracks.

PIERRE CARDIN PRESENTE …

Pierre Cardin Présente Jean-Luc Ponty "Experience"

Live In Montreux 72

Les Disques Pierre Cardin ‎– STEC 133                                    France,  1972

Jean Luc Ponty’s performance in the 1972 Montreux Jazz Festival was on the more experimental side of fusion.  Not the most memorable Ponty’s album but I still prefer it to the more commercial fusion and histrionics he went for later in his career.  This album was released on the short lived Pierre Cardin label, in a sleeve with round corners. 

There are a few other LP on the Pierre Cardin label well worth searching for:  Bernard Lubat & his Mad Ducks / Lubat, Louiss, Engel – Montreux 72 / Jean Claude Fohrenbach – Electronic Band / Phil Woods & his European Rhythm Machine

Tracklist

Sonata Erotica 17:55

A) Preludio     

B) Pizzacato Con Fuocco E Con Echo (Did You See My Bow?)           

C) Appassionato          

Sonata Erotica 23:27

D) Con Sensualita       

E) Accelerando E Rallentando 

Credits

Jean-Luc Ponty - Electric Violin, Composer

Joachim Kuhn - Piano [Fender]

J.-F. Jenny-Clark - Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass

Nana Vasconcelos - Berimbau, Congas, Gong, Percussion

Oliver Johnson : Drums

Recorded live 19.06.1972 at the Festival International du Jazz Montreux.

UPDATED LINK (18/07/17)

LE ROI DU JAZZ PIANO

ERROL PARKER – SOMETIMES I’M HAPPY

LP FONTANA Special – 826.512QY       France, 1969

Let’s start the year with a fairly rare LP by French pianist ERROL PARKER.

The LP was issued in 1969 on the French “Fontana Special” label which was Fontana's budget label.  In UK it was advertised as "The world's finest budget stereo series!".

However by 1969, Errol Parker was in New York, experimenting with musical concepts bearing no resemblance to the straight swing / stride piano on this LP. 

I assume the session took place  in 1960.   It is not listed in the discography at the end of his autobiography but in the chapter entitled “October 1960”, he mentions that his current trio featured Georges Luca (bass) and Charles Saudray (drums).

I did a bit of cleaning but did not want to alter the music (piano trios are pretty sensitive to too much noise removal).  FLAC files.

Tracks A3 and A6 are the same on the LP although A3 is listed as Cherokee.   Budget series …

Tracklist

A1       Soulful

A2       The Late Late Show

A3       Cute (listed as Cherokee but actually the same as track 6)

A4       Angel Eyes

A5       Day By Day

A6       Cute

B1        Sats

B2        Like Someone In Love

B3        Tea For Two

B4        For Heaven'S Sake

B5        Sometimes I'M Happy

Credits

Piano – Errol Parker

Bass – Georges Luca

Drums – Charles Saudrais