RIP 3 LEGENDS OF BELGIAN JAZZ

ALBERT LANGUE - CHARLIE CALMEYN - JOOP AYAL

Several legends of Belgian Jazz have left us recently for the great Jam Session.

Albert Langue & his Dixie Stompers (source: RTBF website)

Trumpet player Albert Langue died aged 92 in Mons, he is well remembered for recording with Sydney Bechet the famous (at least in Belgium) folk theme Le Doudou (a carnival song which was the anthem of his native town of Mons, in the coal mining region known as Le Borinage).

Charlie Calmeyn career as a jazzman goes back to the late thirties. He lead for many years the Brussels Big Band - a swing big band in the Basie tradition, featuring some of the better local talents (Edmond Harnie, Al Goyens, Jean Blaton ...).  It was proclaimed European Best Big Band in its style in Paris in 1976.  The Brussels Big Band can be heard on a Vogue LP recorded in 1980.

(sorry, I could not find any picture.  Still looking though.  But you can hear him on one 78 rpm track - Rythm Stomp - see comments )

Joop Ayal was born in Dutch Indonesia.  He arrived in Holland as a stoveaway in 1948 and started working with various  local artists such as Rita Reys.  In 1951, he moved to Brussels, Belgium, where he started playing the baritone sax with Francis BAY in the famous Brussels club Au Gaity. 

Joop Ayal (Source Joop's MySpace)

Until 1965 he stayed clubbing in the city, than started a long collaboration with Flemish television. He played with his quintet at Jazz Middelheim in 1976. 

Joop Ayal received a master's degree in Counterpoint from the Académie Royale de Bruxelles and in Arranging and Orchestration from the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

 He played a.o. with the WASO (Django style band) and the RETRO JAZZ ORCHESTRA. 

Joop AYAL appears on several albums.  In the 90s he was often playing with the little big band of singer/guitarist Vicky Down.

Joop was a great saxman very much influenced by Ben Webster.  Check in on MySpace: and listen to his rendition of I remember Ben (recorded with Waso Quartet).

BYE BOB

BOB DARTSCH (07/07/1944 - 16/10/2012)

Bob and his long-time buddy & musical partner, bassman John Valcke, made up the rhythm section of Boogie Woogie pianist Renaud Patigny & his band, the Blue Devils.

Source: Les Lundis d'Hortense

In the seventies, Bob was one of the drummers of the legendary Belgian Prog /Jazz Fusion band COS and took part in the recording sessions that produced the albums Post Aeolian Train Robbery and Viva Boma.

Obituary in French (RTBF)
Blog Les Ancetres

Toute ma sympathie à sa famille.

OBITUARY – JACKY JUNE

JACKY JUNE (1928-2012)
A footnote in Belgian jazz history.
My friend Claude in Brussels sent me a mail earlier today : En écoutant l'émission de Marc Danval hier, j'ai appris le décès de Jacky June (ou Jun, comme l'écrit Pernet dans sa disco). Et, toujours selon Pernet, son vrai nom serait Jean-Jacques Junne.  Jacky June est décédé le 28 septembre 2012.  

There is a short biography, written by Marc Danval, in the Dictionnaire du Jazz à Bruxelles et en Wallonie but nothing on Jacky June on the Lundis d’Hortense website.

A clarinetist in the old style, Jacky June recorded as a member of  the JUMP COLLEGE (Polydor, 1965).

AU REVOIR, JEAN !

A small tribute to Jean Fanis (25/06/1924 – 03/09/2012).

Jean Fanis (Collection Bruynoghe)

The sad news fell two days ago. A message from my friend Claude of the Sweet & Hot Jazz Club saying simply:  

Je viens d'apprendre la mort de Jean Fanis!

Une autre grande figure discrète qui s'en est allée..

and  a link to an short obituary on the Website of the Belgian RTBF radio.
Jean Fanis had often played with Johnny Peret - to whom this blog is dedicated.


Here are two rare photos of the small combo led by Johnny Peret c. 1970, playing at hôtel des Colonies in Brussesls, with Jean Fanis on piano.  

Constant Letellier (cl & ts), Johnny Peret (vibes), Jean Fanis (p),  Ferry Devos (bass),  Jacques Tricot (drums).

Jean Fanis - during the same concerrt

(merci a Claude H.)

For those of you who do not read french, here is a more detailed biography taken from the Lundis d'Hortense Website:


Belgian bop pianist JEAN FANIS  has been active as a pianist on the Belgian jazz scene of the post World War II era.  An illustrator of the be-bop tradition, he was also an experienced accompanist. 
He played with Mickey Bunner and his Orchestra, a.o with Jean Robert.
He had a long association with saxophone player Jack Sels and appears with him on the legendary LP "Jazz in Little Belgium" (Decca).

In 1959, he appears (as "Jack" Fanis) on a four track EP with  Jack Sels and his American colleague Lucky Thompson,  Sadi, Ghana M’Bow, Benoît Quersin & Ado Broodboom  

He played with his small bands as well as his big bands, in the company a.o. Charlie Knetgel, Herman Sandy, Christian Kellens, Francy Boland, André Coel, Alex Scorier, Roger Asselberghs,  Rudy Frankel, Nick Fissette, Jay Cameron Jean Warland, Freddy Rottier, Etienne Verschueren etc...

He also appeared with Jack Sels' Saxorama, with a sax section composed of Jack Sels, Emile Chantrain, Franz L'Eglise, Benny Couroyer, Pros Creado, Guy Dossche.
He appears on the 2 LP compilation "The complete Jack Sels" (Vogel records 101AS & 102 AS), with Philip Catherine, etc...
Between 1953 and 1957 he was the house pianist at the Brussels "Rose Noire" and had the opportunity to play there with many US and European soloists, a.o. Clifford Brown...
In the 60’s, he played and recorded with the quartet of Sadi and was during many years the pianist of the Al Jones Trio, with Roger Vanhaverbeke on bass. With that trio, he accompanied numerous prestigious US soloists, such as Milt Jackson, Clark Terry, etc...

Jean Fanis (p), Vanha (b), Sadi (vib) & Al Jones (dms)

He also played at the Brussels Blue Note, again with many well known soloists, such as Ben Webster, Stuff Smith, etc...

The photo above  (a postcard that was probably used as a promo for the band) is the SADI QUARTET  feat. Jean Fanis (p), Reger Vanhaverbeke (b), Sadi (vib) et Al Jones (dms).
It was taken at the Blue Note, Galerie des Princes in Brussels (where the bookshop  Tropismes is now located).
(with thanks to Claude for this rare postcard).

Other albums on which he appears :

LP "Jazz in Little belgium" (Decca 123.259) with the Jack Sels Quartet, with Jean Warland and Rudy Frankel.
"The complete Jack Sels" (Vogel records 101AS & 102 AS), with Philip Catherine, Al Jones Trio, Saxorama, etc...
CD "50 years of Belgian jazz" (Tauro) with Jack Sels
Herman Sandy "The talent of Herman Sandy (Jazz Club LP J.C. 6010)
Jacques Pelzer Modern Jazz Sextet : with Jacques Pelzer, alto sax, Herman Sandy, trumpet, René Tomas, guitar, Paul Dubois, double bass and Rudy Frankel on drums
Sadi : LP "More vibes" (Jazz Club) 


Fanis' entry in the "Dictionnaire du Jazz à Bruxelles et en Wallonie "(éd. Mardaga/Liège, 1991).

SO LONG FREDDIE !

FREDDIE DERONDE (Sept.20, 1938 - Jan.6, 2012)

From JAZZHOT

A sad news fell earlier this week.  Belgian double bass & electric bass player Freddie Deronde has left us on Jan.6.  Perhaps not well known outside of Belgian and European jazz circles, Freddie was nevertheless a great musician who played with the biggest European and US names. He had a long association with Rene Thomas, Chet Baker and J.R. Montrose (with whom he worked in the US).

He played with Lloyd Miller's IJQ in Brussels . He was a member of Solis Lacus (with Michel Herr,Richard Rousselet etc. but was not the featured bass player on the album), was a member of Michel Herr Trio (“Ouverture Éclair”), played on the mythic “Stream” album (Philip Catherine, Marc Moulin), played briefly with various Belgian prog rock aggregations (Wallace Collection, and the short-lived Casino Railway) … A more comprehensive biography can be found on the Lundis d’Hortense website and on the Jazz Hot website (in French).

Miller's IJQ with Lennart Jansson & Freddie Deronde at the Rose Noire in Brussels, 1960
Source: http://www.jazzscope.com/VEurope.htm 

l

The Richard Rousselet Quartet.
Freddie Deronde (bass), Richard Rousselet (trumpet), Michel Herr (piano) and Félix Simtaine (drums).
Backstage in 1978, when they played with US baritone saxophone player Pepper Adams.
Source: http://www.michelherr.com/   (Michel Herr website) 

If you are unfamiliar with this musician, you can check him on YouTube playing electric bass with René Thomas Trio, HERE (Felix Simtaine on drums).

Quimsy posted "Ouverture Eclair" a while ago (here)

  

On the radio (see RTBF website)

Philippe Baron reviendra sur la carrière de Freddie sur "Musique 3" du vendredi 13 au mardi 17, de 18 à 19h. - (rencontre de 2004) et  sur "Le Grand Jazz" de 21 à 22 h. (La Première  RTBF) à partir du 19 janvier (interview réalisée en 1993).


P.S. : I was considering posting his  excellent 1989 album Spontaneous Effort - feat. Philip Catherine,  JR Montrose and Jan de Haas - but this album is still available in CD format from IGLOO.  Get it HERE.

RIP Charles Fambrough

NEW YORK STORIES (Blue Note, 1992)
Danny Gatton - Bobby Watson - Roy Hargrave - Joshua Redman - Franck Amsallem - Charles Fambrough - Yuron Israel

I just read about the death of bassist Charles Fambrough.  

This excellent group outing is an opportunity to hear him in an "All Stars" setting. 

Here's what AMG has to say about this album:

This interesting outing by an all-star group (guitarist Danny Gatton, altoist Bobby Watson, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman on tenor, pianist Franck Amsallem, bassist Charles Fambrough and drummer Yuron Israel) is most notable for featuring the brilliant Gatton in a jazz setting. Together the septet, performs nine originals by group members and Gatton and Watson emerge as the main solo stars. Despite its somewhat generic name, this advanced hard bop date is quite memorable.

Charles Fambrough (1950-2011)

It's an old rip from the original CD (OOP).  192 K only but OK. 
Link in comments as usual.