couw Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 So, here I am playing one disk by Guy Lafitte and popping the next after that, and the next one after that. Not that I have many, but he's such a nice, warm, and friendly player it's hard to depart from this sweet stuff and move on. Any opinions / recommendations? Quote
brownie Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 From Barney Wilen to Guy Lafitte. Going back in time, Couw? Soon you'll be catching up on Alix Combelle. Guy Lafitte was real good. And a very nice person. Spent some great evenings listening to him at the Trois Maillets club in the heart of the Quartier Latin in the late '50s when I was starting my jazz education. Most of his best records were done around that time for the French Columbia and Pathe labels but I don't think they have been reissued. He made a number of excellent albums in the eighties for Black and Blue including 'The Things We Did Last Summer' and 'Guy Lafitte Joue Charles Trenet' which should still be available. His 1954 'Blue and Sentimental' album is also out on the Jazz in Paris series. So is the session he did with Lionel Hampton which was reissued as part of the 'Americans Swinging in Paris'. There's also one track 'Indiana' which was recorded at a French Riviera jazz festival where Lafitte and Barney Wilen play alongside Don Byas, Stan Getz and Coleman Hawkins. This was issued on one of the Europa Jazz LPs. He was from the Coleman Hawkins and Hershel Evans school of straight-ahead no-frill sax players. Lafitte was a fixture at the Marciac jazz festival (in southwestern France) for years until his death in 1998. Lafitte was from the area and spoke with a thick local accent. Quote
brownie Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 Couw, caught up on the 'What are you listening' thread that you already have the 'Blue and Sentimental' Jazz in Paris CD. Very nice Guy Lafitte album! Quote
Vincent, Paris Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 I would strongly suggest that you get "Corps et Ame" (= Body and Soul in French), on Black & Blue. Recorded in 1978 with Hank Jones, George Duvivier and J.C. Heard. Not a bad rhythm section. Quote
couw Posted May 2, 2004 Author Report Posted May 2, 2004 I just ordered a bass/tenor duo disk of Lafitte w/ Pierre Boussaguet, titled Crossings. It was only 3EUR so hard to go wrong. If I understand correctly this was recorded (released?) in 1999; you write he died in '98? Good to know that those Black & Blues are also worth the price. Will seek these out if I stumble on them; they do seem to be available. I see he's also on a disk with Saxomania (1993, IDA), anyone know what to expect of that? It seems this is a group of 5 saxes + rhythm... looks interesting. Lafitte has a really lovely velvet tone; much like Byas I'd say. Besides the Blue & Sentimental disk you mention, I also have the JiParis disk of Jack Diéval and his group, which is very nice swing to bop in a pseudo radio broadcast setting. That Hampton (AmSwiParis) you mention is also part of my modest collection; he's also featured on 4 tracks of the Lucky T disk from the same series. Stunning material. Found this about the Rivièra Festival: 58.3-Europa Jazz : Barney Wilen, Don Byas, Guy Lafitte, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz (ts) Martial Solal (p) Arvell Shaw (B) J. C. Heard (d) Live Broadcast, Cannes, France, July 13, 1958, Europa Jazz EJ-1008 Indiana (8:05) Now's the Time - unreleased bof! Quote
jazzbo Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 A wonderful player! I have to get more of his work! Brownie, nice to hear he was a nice person. That would have been my guess! Quote
couw Posted May 2, 2004 Author Report Posted May 2, 2004 it was this beautiful picture that originally made his name stick with me. A guy named Guy Lafitte, looking like a perfect gentleman, and pouring everything he has into his horn. When the JiParis series came around, I remembered and bought. René Urtreger is on piano. No idea who the other two are. The photo was taken in the Chameleon club somewhere in the 60s. I have no info on the photographer. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 My favorite is "Three Men On A Beat" which I see is now on cd. Other favorites are the Trenet collection and the Black Lion "Bill Coleman Meets Guy Lafitte". Quote
Tom Storer Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 I have the live duet album with Pierre Boussaguet - it was recorded in 1997. Another I enjoy very much is called "Charme," on Emarcy, by Pierre Boussaguet with Lafitte, Hervé Sellin on piano, and Alvin Queen on drums. It was recorded in 1998, and on the title track Lafitte recites a very nice poem he wrote to/about Johnny Griffin. He had a beautiful, raspy, expressive speaking voice. Boussaguet is an excellent bassist, a sure-footed walker with a big, fat tone. I saw him play a duo concert with Tommy Flanagan at the now defunct Petit Opportun, the archetypal tiny basement club in Paris, and also in a James William trio with Tony Reedus on drums. He'd be on a lot of records if he lived in New York. Quote
jazzbo Posted May 2, 2004 Report Posted May 2, 2004 I think that is likely Daniel Humair on drums in that photo. . . . What's the educated guess on the bassist? Michelot? Rovere? Quote
DrJ Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 Just have the JAZZ IN PARIS entry for Lafitte and enjoy it a lot. Beautiful tone. Quote
brownie Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 (edited) I think that is likely Daniel Humair on drums in that photo. . . . What's the educated guess on the bassist? Michelot? Rovere? Lon, you're wrong. For once It is not Daniel Humair on drums. Don't know who this drummer is. No doubt about Urtreger on piano. Not educated enough to identify the bass player B) Edited May 3, 2004 by brownie Quote
king ubu Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 John, do you have an idea when this photo was taken? I only have the JiP, but that was quite a revelation - he's got a beautiful sound. Brownie, any Combelle recommendations? I know him from some stray tracks (I don't even remember where from, exactly, probably with Django?), and I'd like to hear some more of him. ubu Quote
couw Posted May 3, 2004 Author Report Posted May 3, 2004 John, do you have an idea when this photo was taken? none other than "mid sixties." it's from the "That's Jazz" book that zweitausendeins put out some years ago, p328. Quote
king ubu Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 (Lafitte in 1990, taken from this site: http://www.ville-conilhac-corbieres.fr/jazz/historique.htm John, Humair was born in 1938 (so he's only 19 or 20 on the Barney live stuff!) ubu Quote
brownie Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 Brownie, any Combelle recommendations? I know him from some stray tracks (I don't even remember where from, exactly, probably with Django?), and I'd like to hear some more of him. Alix Combelle's glory day was his participation in the April 1937 Swing Records session led by Coleman Hawkins (with Benny Carter and Django Reinhardt) which produced 'Honeysuckle Rose' and 'Crazy Rhythm'. Coleman Hawkins was in top form throughout the date but Combelle managed to shine through on those two tracks where he shared the tenor saxophone solos. He played clarinet on the other sides from the session. Classics has released at least two Combelle albums. He also shone on the 1953 Lionel Hampton in Paris session (with Mezz Mezzrow and Clifford Scott) that was recorded for Vogue and has been reissued a number of times. Quote
king ubu Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 Brownie, any Combelle recommendations? I know him from some stray tracks (I don't even remember where from, exactly, probably with Django?), and I'd like to hear some more of him. Alix Combelle's glory day was his participation in the April 1937 Swing Records session led by Coleman Hawkins (with Benny Carter and Django Reinhardt) which produced 'Honeysuckle Rose' and 'Crazy Rhythm'. Coleman Hawkins was in top form throughout the date but Combelle managed to shine through on those two tracks where he shared the tenor saxophone solos. He played clarinet on the other sides from the session. Classics has released at least two Combelle albums. He also shone on the 1953 Lionel Hampton in Paris session (with Mezz Mezzrow and Clifford Scott) that was recorded for Vogue and has been reissued a number of times. brownie, thanks! I have the Django/Hawk date. Is the Hampton the one released in the Original Vogue Masters series? Or in the JiP? I think I have that, too. I will keep the Classics in mind. ubu Quote
jazzbo Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 Hmmmm. . . just thought it looked a bit lilke Humair to me but I haven't seen many photos. I have both Combelle Chronogical Classics and really enjoy them. Quote
king ubu Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 Hmmmm. . . just thought it looked a bit lilke Humair to me but I haven't seen many photos. this how Humair looks nowadays... ubu Quote
king ubu Posted May 3, 2004 Report Posted May 3, 2004 Berlin 1970: bad quality, but I never saw this, so I thought, why not share it: Some of the music is on JiP "Jazz et cinéma" Vol.3. ubu Quote
JSngry Posted May 4, 2004 Report Posted May 4, 2004 Love the Laffite I've listened to so far. Like everybody else, I love the tone. Plus, he swings real nice. There was a nice interview with him in JJI about a decade ago. Seemed to be a real forthright-yet-gentlemanly kinda guy. Quote
couw Posted May 4, 2004 Author Report Posted May 4, 2004 Received the Crossings disk this afternoon. Absolutely wonderful performance by Lafitte and Boussaguet (bass). It's a live recording of somewhat over an hour featuring mostly slow to mid tempo tunes. Lafitte plays with a more raspy tone than what I am used to, but often enough returns to his good old loveliness. His command of the horn is great and the often abrupt changes between the more raspy and the sweeter (and often amazingly soft) parts are very intruiging. Nice swinging set of tunes/improvisations. Recommended. Quote
Clunky Posted May 13, 2004 Report Posted May 13, 2004 He made a number of excellent albums in the eighties for Black and Blue including ..... 'Guy Lafitte Joue Charles Trenet' Picked this one up on vinyl, very nice Quote
mikeweil Posted May 13, 2004 Report Posted May 13, 2004 I know Lafitte only from the session with Lucky Thompson, which is very nice. Is his tone on his Jazz In Paris CD similar to that on the Thompson session? If so, I would go for it. Quote
couw Posted May 13, 2004 Author Report Posted May 13, 2004 I know Lafitte only from the session with Lucky Thompson, which is very nice. Is his tone on his Jazz In Paris CD similar to that on the Thompson session? If so, I would go for it. Yes, the Lucky T material is from 1956, the material on the Lafitte JiParis disk is from 1954. Sweet and lovely tone on both accounts. The Diéval JiParis disk also features Lafitte and was recorded in 1956. Don't get me wrong on my assessmet of Lafitte's tone on the disk w/ Boussaguet. It is not raspy by objective standards, I was judging from the Lafitte I know. In general Lafitte plays with a sweet tone and a very gentle bounce with an easy-does-it drive. Quote
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