Charles Biddle
Charles Reed Biddle , CM , (born July 28, 1926 in Philadelphia , † February 3, 2003 in Montréal ) was a Canadian bassist from the USA .
Live and act
Originally from Philadelphia, Biddle spent most of his career in Montreal , Québec , although he did not become a Canadian citizen until the last few years of his life. After completing his military service in the US Army during World War II, which he spent in China, India and Burma, he studied music at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he began to play the bass. In 1948 he went to Montréal when touring with Vernon Isaac's Three Jacks and a Jill . Biddle was particularly impressed by the prevailing acceptance of African American jazz musicians in Quebec and decided to settle in Montréal, where he married soon afterwards.
From 1954 to 1972 Biddle worked full-time as a car salesman alongside he appeared in various Montreal nightclubs with pianists Charlie Ramsey , Milt Sealey , Alfie Wade , Sadik Hakim and Stan Patrick . As a promoter, he booked musicians such as Johnny Hodges , John Coltrane , Pepper Adams , Bill Evans , Art Farmer , Tommy Flanagan and Thad Jones for performances in Montréal. Between 1959 and 1978 he appeared again and again with the guitarist Nelson Symonds , so from 1961 to 1963 under Biddle's direction in the clubs Dunn's or La Tête de l'Art , and under Symonds' direction from 1964 to 1968 in Black Bottom . As a duo, they appeared in various departments between 1974 and 1978.
Biddle was best known as a major supporter and promoter of jazz in Montreal. He often organized festivals with local jazz musicians, such as Jazz Chez Nous , a three-day jazz festival in 1979 and again in 1983 that laid the roots for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal .
In 1981 he named a Montréal jazz club on Aylmer Street, known as Biddle's (now House of Jazz ), where his daughter Stephanie Biddle appeared in the Bruce Willis film The Whole Nine Yards . Biddle himself appeared in the club throughout his life, under the name Charlie Biddle on the fiddle , and as leader of trios, together with Oliver Jones , Steve Holt , Wray Downes and Jon Ballantyne . In 2000 he became a Canadian citizen. Biddle also worked on the recordings of Milt Sealey , Ted Curson and Oliver Jones. He has also appeared in films such as The Whole Nine Yards (2000), The Moderns (1988) and Les Portes Tournantes (1988).
Awards
Biddle was awarded the Oscar Peterson Prize in 2000; In 2003 he became a Member of the Order of Canada and was honored with the Prix Calixa-Lavallée that same year .
Discographic notes
- Live at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (1983)
- Live at Biddle's jazz and ribs. Oliver Jones trio (1983)
- In good company, Downes, Jones, O'Neal piano, Muhammad Drums, Ring guitar (1996)
Web links
- Justin Time Records profile
- The Last Post obituary
- McGill Tribune interview
- Charles Biddle ( English, French ) In: Encyclopedia of Music in Canada . published by The Canadian Encyclopedia .
- Bring Remembers - Charlie Biddle
- Charles Biddle at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Biddle, Charles |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Biddle, Charles Reed (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American-Canadian jazz musician and arranger |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 28, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 3, 2003 |
| Place of death | Montréal |