Jack Sels

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Jack Sels (right) with trumpeter Ado Broodboom (Rotterdam, 1960)

Jean-Jacques "Jack" Sels (born January 29, 1922 in Berchem ; † March 21, 1970 in Antwerp ) was a Belgian jazz musician ( tenor saxophone , arrangement ) and composer .

Live and act

Sels grew up in Antwerp and first learned the piano before switching to the saxophone. After the Second World War he was part of Mickey Bunner's band . He played for the troop support of the US Army and in various clubs, casinos and hotels. In May 1946 the Mickey Bunner Band recorded the 78 record "The 13th Port". In 1947, Sel's first recordings were made under his own name with a band that included Toots Thielemans . In the late 1940s, Sels played with musicians such as Bobby Jaspar , Jacques Pelzer , René Thomas , Benoît Quersin , Jean Warland , René Goldstein, Christian Kellens, Francis Coppieters or Fats Sadi . In 1948 he performed at the Knokke Jazz Festival . Following the example of the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Sels founded his own band, for which he composed titles and wrote arrangements. The Sels band made their debut in 1949 a. a. with Herman Sandy , Jay Cameron , Bobby Jaspar and Jean Warland; however, he could not keep the band long for financial reasons. Under the influence of Miles Davis ' Birth of the Cool recordings, he put together a 15-member ensemble in 1951 (including Etienne Verschueren and Roger Vanhaverbeke ) and toured Europe until 1953.

After his return to Belgium he played again in the club and concert scene and accompanied a.o. a. Nat King Cole or Mezz Mezzrow (1955). In 1954/55 he wrote six albums for Ronnex Records under his own name. In 1955 Sels wrote the score for the feature film Meeuwen sterven in de haven by Ivo Michiels and Roland Verhavert . In 1958 he performed with his band at the World Exhibition in Brussels and recorded a few tracks for Decca with Willy Rockin '. Two tracks appeared on the Decca LP Jazz in Little Belgium ; with Lucky Thompson he recorded the EP Bongo Jazz in Cologne in 1959 and took part in the radio series Levende Jazz ( Living Jazz ). Also in 1959 he played at a jam session in Brussels with Lester Young and Max Roach .

In September 1961, Sels recorded the album Sax Appeal for the Relax label; it seemed Lou Bennett , Philip Catherine and Oliver Jackson with. In 1963 he was forced to leave the music scene temporarily and work in the port of Antwerp. Soon afterwards he had the opportunity to work for the Belgian broadcaster BRT; he wrote and starred in the series Saxorama ; from this series the BRT Jazz Orkestra was created in 1965 . Sels tracks have also been recorded by Johnny Griffin and the Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band . In the last three years health reasons forced him to end his music career; he died of a heart attack in Antwerp in March 1970 .

The Belgian feature film Just Friends (directed by Marc-Henri Wajnberg) was shot in 1993 based on the character of Sels . In 2003 the theater play het Jack Sels Project by Theater Antigone premiered.

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personal data
SURNAME Sels, Jack
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sels, Jean-Jacques
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian jazz musician and composer
DATE OF BIRTH January 29, 1922
PLACE OF BIRTH Berchem (Antwerp)
DATE OF DEATH March 21, 1970
Place of death Antwerp