Clare Fischer RIP

[Teasing the Korean]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16756139

[king ubu]

r.i.p. Clare Fischer

[J.A.W.]

Sad news.

[king ubu]

I fell in love with his tune "Pensativa" when I first heard it on Blakey's "Free for All" - that's one of my dad's jazz LPs and I've known it for a looooong time (ah well, 20 years or so, not that long to you older fellas ). His Pacific Jazz albums are quite wonderful, too - the most pleasant surprise of that Mosaic Select set, for sure! Both of them were recently reissued in Japan:

[.:.impossible]

I heard this last night. I had no idea about his pop career.

[B. Goren.]

Sorry to read this sad news.

Rest in peace Mr. Fischer.

[JSngry]

Clare Fischer was a baaaaaad man! (and a quirky one as well, but hey...)

RIP, and much thanks.

[sidewinder]

Damn, sorry to hear this. Really enjoy those PJ sessions on the Mosaic Select Pacific Jazz Trios. RIP Mr Fischer.

[Ted O'Reilly]

Fischer did a record for Columbia, "Songs For Rainy Day Lovers" that had just about the best use of a string section in jazz that I've ever heard. Truly rich writing for them, not just background pads.

[Free For All]

Sad news. I've long been a fan and have enjoyed so much of the music he's created.

And I love Pensativa, even though it still kicks my ass.

RIP

[brownie]

He's being missed!

[mikeweil]

Very sad news - I always loved his keyboard playing and writing. IMHO he was one of the greatest writers for woodwinds, espeacially in the lover registers.

R.I.P. Mr. Fischer, and mayn thanks for the music.

[Teasing the Korean]

Love his woodwind arrangements on Cal Tjader's "Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brasil" and Shearling's Bossa Nova LP. Also, I love his Braziian and Latin LPs for World Pacific.

I generally check out when he starts looking like Carl Wilson, not that there is anything wrong with looking like Carl Wilson.

RIP.

[clifford_thornton]

Ah, that's too bad. RIP.

[Pete C]

His charts for Dizzy Plays Ellington are fantastic.

[JSngry]

Worth searching for:

Edited January 27, 2012 by JSngry

[Teasing the Korean]

I bought a whole bunch of Gary Foster and Clare Fischer albums on whatever the hell that small label is for a buck a throw several years back. I still haven't made my way through all of them.

[Clunky]

Got this recently on LP and it's a good one

Clare Fischer Extension - Pacific

[colinmce]

I bought a whole bunch of Gary Foster and Clare Fischer albums on whatever the hell that small label is for a buck a throw several years back. I still haven't made my way through all of them.

Revelation. If you're looking to unload them ...

RIP to Mr Fischer, as well. An original thinker for certain.

[six string]

Fischer did a record for Columbia, "Songs For Rainy Day Lovers" that had just about the best use of a string section in jazz that I've ever heard. Truly rich writing for them, not just background pads.

Yes indeed. It's the only album I have by him outside of his playing with Cal Tjader. A solid keyboard player and excellent arranger.

[Lazaro Vega]

In the recent interview with Arno Marsh he talks about playing with Clare in Grand Rapids when they were both young men. Fischer went to South High School in Grand Rapids (same as Gerald Ford), before attending Michigan State University at the same time Fritz and Gretchen Stansell, the founders of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and the Blue Lake International Program, were there. Fischer played two concerts in the Blue Lake Jazz Festival, including a duet with Gary Foster, and appeared in Grand Rapids around the same time (during the 1980's). Probably interviewed him three or four times for broadcast. A generous, though critical person. Was glad to see his most recent big band recording nominated for a Grammy this year. The clarinet choir recordings, especially "A Family Affair," will be heard tonight on Blue Lake Public Radio in his honor. Man, the depth of sound he gets from the voicings of those instruments. We'll also hear a version of "I Can't Get Started" where he plays his keyboard: he set it up to get several sounds out of each key. In the 1980's that was pretty new. Muhal was doing that, too, in that time. A sort of chime on top, a piano sound in the middle, and a Rhodes sound in their, too. My ear isn't sophisticated enough to tell you know if that was in thirds or how he set it up, but the effect was mesmerizing or very annoying depending on your state of mind when hearing him. The line was always opening up. Clare was a tough nut. He lifted weights like an olympic athlete.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

sux, his revelation stuff is hard to find, i have one called the Great White Hope! where he plays solo yamaha organ, ive never heard is pacific jazz stuff. Salsa Picante is bomb. oh and cal tjader- GUARABE. seriously.

rip

[mikeweil]

A local jazz vocals student told me she once attended a workshop by Fischer - he was rough on them as they were not up to the level he was used to from the United States. Well, he was used to work with the very best professional vocalists, and the ones he chose for his own vocal albums executed meticulously.

Those Revelation LPs were imported here back then, I got only two of them as there were so many and my budget was limited. Nowadays they are very rare. As always, it is a shame a musician of his caliber was not supported by record labels except for Revelation or Discovery (whatever happened to them?) or Concord - but maybe he was tough to deal with.

I hpoe the stuff available from his website will be around for some time - there are still some I want.

I know Clare Fischer was not an organist, but I still love his organ playing on the Cal Tjader album Sona Libre for Verve, or on Great White Hope! - I played that to deafness back then. His harmonic and especially rhythmic understanding of Latin concepts was great.

There are one or two organ quartet LPs with Gary Foster - will pull them out later today - very nice music!  

Edited January 28, 2012 by mikeweil

[mikeweil]

http://www.clarefischer.com/

[rpklich]

I loved his work on Poncho Sanchez's first record on the Discovery label. Gary Foster was on that LP too.