Loys Choquart

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Loys Choquart (born October 11, 1920 in Geneva ; † December 10, 1989 in Puplinge ) was a Swiss jazz musician (tenor and alto saxophone, clarinet) and radio presenter .

Life

From the age of five, Choquart received piano lessons from his mother, an excellent musician. At the age of sixteen he also learned the clarinet and saxophone. In 1939 he became a member of the jam band around Francis Selleger . From the same year he regularly supervised jazz programs for Radio Genève . At the time, these were the only jazz productions in French (in occupied France, American jazz was banned on the radio). In 1942 he founded the New Rhythm Kings with trombonist Eric Brooke and pianist Bib Thévenaz; During this time he recorded the first record for parlophones . From 1943 to 1951 he directed his most famous orchestra, the Dixie Dandies , with musicians such as Henri Chaix , Harry Archer and Claude Aubert . In 1952 Loys Choquart put together a band with Creole Jazz that was based on New Orleans Jazz ; these included trumpeters Francis Selleger and Francis Bonjour as well as the trombonist Bibus Dufour and at the banjo Alain du Bois. The records of this band (for Columbia Records ) received the Prix ​​Jazz Hot in 1955 . Shortly afterwards, Choquart switched to the alto saxophone and founded a quintet with a vibraphonist and a more modern rhythm section. In 1955 Loys Choquart took over the La Tour nightclub and initially gave up active music making; from 1970 he found his way back to jazz and was on tour in Denmark.

According to the Biographical Lexicon of Swiss Jazz , Choquart was a very accomplished clarinetist with excellent technique who was similar in style to Barney Bigard . It had a strong tone on the alto saxophone; his style and temperament reminded one of Russell Procope .

Discography

  • Loys Choquart / Picadilly Six: Dixieland Happy Meeting (1970)
  • Loys Choquart with the PS Corporation (1972)

Lexigraphic entries

  • Bruno Spoerri (Hrsg.): Biographical Lexicon of Swiss Jazz CD supplement to: Spoerri, Bruno (Hrsg.): Jazz in Switzerland. History and stories . Chronos-Verlag, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-0340-0739-6
  • New Grove Dictionary of Jazz Macmillan, 2002

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Choquart, Loys
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss jazz musician and radio host
DATE OF BIRTH October 11, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Geneva
DATE OF DEATH December 10, 1989
Place of death Puplings