Kind Simmons
Arthur Eugene "Art" Simmons (born February 5, 1926 in Glenn White, West Virginia , † April 23, 2018 in Beckley , West Virginia) was an American jazz pianist .
Life
Drafted into the US Army during the Second World War , Simmons worked alongside James Moody in various army orchestras and played in Germany after the war, after which he went to France, where he worked as a professional in Paris for more than 20 years -Jazz musician established.
He studied music at the Paris Conservatory and played in various clubs. Eventually he became resident pianist at the Ringside jazz club (later Blue Note ) in the eighth arrondissement, near the Champs-Elysées . Art Simmons and his trio played there every night from 11pm to 4am. In the Art Simmons trio played bassist Michel Gaudry and guitarists Jean Bonal , Pierre Cavalli , later violinist and guitarist Elek Bacsik and occasionally Léo Petit . Simmons also played in the Mars Club and later for many years in the “ Living Room ” in Paris, where he was the focal point and center of the Afro-American “community” in Paris. In the cinema he was seen in a supporting role as a pianist in Jean-Pierre Melville's Deux hommes dans Manhattan (1959).
Selection discography
As a leader / co-leader
- Art Simmons and his orchestra ( Ducretet Thomson 1959) with Clark Terry , Elek Bacsik, Michel Gaudry , Kenny Clarke and Billie Poole
- Quentin Jackson, Quentin Jackson (Ducretet Thomson 1960) with Clark Terry, Elek Bacsik, Kenny Clarke.
- Art Simmons Quartet - Jazz in Paris - Piano aux Champs-Elysées (Emarcy) with Terry Donoughue
- Jack Diéval & Art Simmons: Ambiance pour deux pianos with Jacques Hess and Franco Manzecchi
As a sideman
- Don Byas : Jazz in Paris - Laura (Emarcy)
- Dizzy Gillespie : Cognac Blues (Emarcy, 1952–53)
- James Moody: 1948-1949 (Classics)
- Clark Terry Sextet: Clark Terry (Swing, 1960)
Web links
- CitizenJazz to Simmons, English
- Memories of the Mars Club
- Base de données IMDb
- Jazz in Paris - Art Simmons and Aaron Bridgers in The Living Room (in English)
- Art Simmons in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Remarks
- ^ Obituary by Mr. Arthur Eugene Simmons. In: register-herald.com. April 27, 2018, accessed April 30, 2018 .
- ^ Whose existence he denied, interview in Ernest Dunbar Black Expatriates 1968
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Simmons, Art |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Simmons, Arthur Eugene (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 5, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Glenn White, West Virginia |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 23, 2018 |
| Place of death | Beckley , West Virginia |