Henri Renaud

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Henri Renaud (born April 20, 1925 in Villedieu-sur-Indre ( Indre department ), † October 17, 2002 in Paris ) was a French jazz musician ( piano ), composer and arranger . He was one of the leading exponents of French cool jazz . His piano style was mainly influenced by Al Haig and George Wallington .

Live and act

The young Renaud took violin lessons at the age of five, switched to the piano at eight and discovered jazz while listening to the radio in 1937. During the occupation he exchanged his tobacco rations for Duke Ellington scores. In 1946 he formed a vocal group at the College of Châteauroux , but then decided to become a professional jazz musician and went to Paris.

Renaud first worked as a bar pianist in the Latin Quarter and then accompanied musicians such as Don Byas (1946), James Moody (1949), Roy Eldridge (1950), the blues singer Big Bill Broonzy and led a band with Bobby Jaspar , Jimmy Gourley , Pierre Michelot and the drummer Pierre Lemarchand . He then worked in a formation in a jazz club called Tabou with the guitarist (and later singer) Sacha Distel . In 1952, Renaud led a big band and played at matinees organized by producer Eddie Barclay at Bœuf sur le Toit ; In addition, he accompanied traveling American jazz musicians such as Lester Young , Sarah Vaughan and Clifford Brown with the band Tabou . With him and other musicians from the then Lionel Hampton band such as Quincy Jones , Jimmy Cleveland , Gigi Gryce and Art Farmer , he organized several recording sessions for the jazz label Vogue in 1953 , where he worked as a vibraphonist. At the end of that year, he went to New York City for six months to play with Milt Jackson , Kai Winding , Al Cohn , Oscar Pettiford , Max Roach , Tal Farlow and others. Sessions were created there under the title The Birdlanders .

In 1954 Henri Renaud returned to Paris and founded the jazz club Le Chameleon with Roger Guérin , Jean-Louis Chautemps , and the drummer Charles Saudrais , where he played with Guy Lafitte , Percy Heath and Franco Manzecchi , among others . In the Ringside Club he played with a quartet with Jimmy Gourley and Barney Wilen , and in 1955 he formed a quartet with Jay Cameron . 1957-59 he accompanied the singer June Richmond and had various club appearances with musicians such as Philly Joe Jones , Kenny Clarke and Buck Clayton .

In 1964, Renaud took over the management of the jazz department of the French CBS labels and organized re-releases of records by Duke Ellington and Count Basie ; in the Jazzotheque series he oversees , LPs by Erroll Garner , Kansas City Seven , Charlie Parker , Teddy Wilson , Denny Zeitlin and others appeared. a. 1981 the album Jimmy Rowles Plays Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn . At the same time he worked for film, television and radio.

Throughout his career, Henri Renaud continued to play with Lee Konitz and Zoot Sims (1953), with Frank Foster , René Thomas , Bob Brookmeyer , Roy Haynes (1954), Lucky Thompson (1956) and Allen Eager (1957).

Discography (selection)

As a leader
  • Trio, Sextet & All Stars , 1953–55, original vogue masters series ( Bertelsmann Music Group / BMG , 1999) with Jimmy Gourley, Pierre Michelot
  • Zoot Sims et Henri Renaud , 1952, Jazz in Paris series (Gitanes / Universal , 2000)
  • Henri Renaud / Al Cohn Quartet , original vogue masters series (BMG, 1998)
  • Henri Renaud, All Stars , 1954, original vogue masters series (BMG, 1998)
  • The 1954 Paris Sessions , original vogue masters series (BMG, 1999) with Roy Haynes, René Thomas, Frank Foster
  • The Birdlanders Vol.1, Vol.2 and Vol.3 ( Period Records , 1954)
As a sideman
  • Clifford Brown: Quartet in Paris, Vols. 1 & 2 and Sextet in Paris (all Prestige Records , 1953)
  • Jay Cameron: The Third Herdsmen & Jay Cameron's International Sax Band , 1955, original vogue masters series (BMG, 1999)
  • Bobby Jaspar: Bobby Jaspar / Henri Renaud , 1953–54, original vogue masters series (BMG, 1998) with Jimmy Gourley, Fats Sadi
  • Oscar Pettiford: Sextet , 1954, original vogue masters series (BMG, 1997)
  • Zoot Sims: Quartet & Sextet , 1954, original vogue masters series (BMG, 1998)
  • Lucky Thompson: Modern Jazz Group , 1956, Jazz in Paris series (Gitanes / Universal, 2000)

literature

Web links / sources

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Obituary: Henri Renaud, French jazz pianist with an American way of swinging The Independent , October 22, 2002
  2. ↑ The recordings, made during Renaud's stay in the USA, also appeared under Henri Renaud's name, as he organized this session for the Period label, quoted in after Morton & Cook, 2001
personal data
SURNAME Renaud, Henri
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French jazz pianist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH April 20, 1925
PLACE OF BIRTH Villedieu-sur-Indre , ( Canton of Buzançais )
DATE OF DEATH October 17, 2002
Place of death Paris