Bobby Jaspar (20 February 1926 – 28 February 1963) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

cool jazz Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and lighter tone, in contrast to the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz often employs formal arrangements and ...

and

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

saxophonist, flautist and composer.

Early life

Born in

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

, Belgium, Jaspar learned to play piano and

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

at a young age. Later, he took up the

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

and

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

Career

With the "Bop Shots" band, he took his first steps in the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

world. In 1950, Jaspar moved to Paris, playing and recording with the best musicians of the era. Here he met singer

Blossom Dearie Margrethe Blossom Dearie (April 28, 1924 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She had a recognizably light and girlish voice. Profile at AllMusicDearie performed regular engagements in London and New York City over ...

; the two were married in 1954 but separated in 1957. In 1956, Jaspar was persuaded to try his luck in the United States, where his reputation in jazz circles had preceded him. He played and recorded with the quintet of

J. J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biograph ...

, with

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

Toshiko Akiyoshi is a Japanese–American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. Akiyoshi received fourteen Grammy Award nominations and was the first woman to win Best Arranger and Composer awards in ''Down Beat'' magazine's annual Readers' Poll. ...

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

and many others. In 1961/1962, Jaspar returned to Europe for a year for a series of concerts and a number of recordings. With his colleague, Belgian guitarist René Thomas, he formed a successful quintet. In some sessions, this was expanded to a powerful sextet with American trumpeter

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

. One of those sessions, recorded in 1962, was released on record as '' Chet Is Back!.''

Death

Bobby Jaspar died from a heart attack in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, on 28 February 1963 at age 37.

Discography

As leader/coleader

* '' Flute Flight'' with

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (incl ...

(

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

, 1957) * '' Flute Soufflé'' with Herbie Mann (Prestige, 1957) * ''Bobby Jaspar with George Wallington'' with

George Wallington George Wallington (October 27, 1924 – February 15, 1993) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life Wallington was born Giacinto Figlia (some sources give "Giorgio") in Sicily, and then moved to the United States (New York) with ...

(Riverside, 1957) – aka ''Tenor Sax and Flute'' * ''Bobby Jaspar Quartet at Ronnie Scott's'' (Mole, 1962) * ''In Paris'' ( DRG, 1990) * ''Phenil Isopropil Amine'' (Polygram, 1991) * ''Bobby Jaspar & His Modern Jazz'' (

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

, 1999) * ''Bobby Jaspar &

Henri Renaud Henri Renaud (20 April 1925, in Villedieu-sur-Indre, France – 17 October 2002, in Paris) was a French jazz pianist, record producer and record company executive. His styles reflected the decades when he was musically active: he played in the sw ...

'' (Vogue, 2000) * ''Jazz in Paris Modern Jazz Au Club St Germain'' aka In Memory of Dick (Gitanes, 2001) * ''Bobby Jaspar With Friends'' (

Fresh Sound Fresh Sound, or Fresh Sound New Talent, is a jazz record label established in Barcelona, Spain, by Jordi Pujol. The label was initially founded as a reissue label. The catalog includes work by musicians both major and minor that was recorded be ...

, 2004) (with

Mundell Lowe James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician. He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the ''Billy Jack'' soundtrac ...

& René Thomas) * ''Clarinescapade'' (Fresh Sound, 2007) * ''Jeux De Cartes'' (

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...

, 2008) * ''Complete Live at the Bohemia Recordings:

Quintet feat. Bobby Jaspar'' (Fresh Sound, 2009) * ''Revisited'' (Traditions Alive, 2010) * ''Modern Jazz Au Club'' (Universal, 2010) With

* ''Chet Baker And His Quintet With Bobby Jaspar'' lso known as ''Alone Together''(

Barclay Barclay may refer to: People * Barclay (surname) * Clan Barclay Places * Barclay, Kansas * Barclay, Maryland, a town in Queen Anne's County * Barclay, Baltimore, Maryland, a neighborhood * Barclay, Nevada, a town in Lincoln County * Barclay, ...

, 1956) * '' Chet Is Back!'' (RCA 1962) With

* ''

Weaver of Dreams ''Weaver of Dreams'' is an album by guitarist Kenny Burrell recorded in 1960 and 1961 and originally released on the Columbia label.Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

* ''Byrd In Paris'' (Brunswick, 1958) * ''Parisian Thoroughfare'' (Brunswick, 1958) With

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solo ...

* ''

Bags & Flutes ''Bags & Flutes'' is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson featuring performances recorded in 1957 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic, 1957) With

* ''

J Is for Jazz ''J Is for Jazz'' is an album by the J. J. Johnson Quintet which was released on the Columbia label.Dial J. J. 5'' (Columbia, 1957) * ''

Really Livin' ''Really Livin'' is an album recorded by the J. J. Johnson Sextet which was released on the Columbia label. Reception AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars. Track listing # "Me Too" (J. J. Johnson) - 6:00 # "Decision" ( Sonny Rollins) - 4:50 # " ...

'' (Columbia, 1959) With

Hank Jones Henry Jones Jr. (July 31, 1918 – May 16, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored ...

* '' Hank Jones' Quartet'' (Savoy, 1956) With

Wynton Kelly Wynton Charles Kelly (December 2, 1931 – April 12, 1971) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is known for his lively, blues-based playing and as one of the finest accompanists in jazz. He began playing professionally at the age of ...

* ''

Kelly Blue ''Kelly Blue'' is an album by American jazz pianist Wynton Kelly, released in 1959. History Coming off of his success as a sideman with Miles Davis's sextet, Riverside Records gave Kelly an opportunity to expand on his solo career. ''Kelly Blue ...

'' (Riverside, 1959) With The Prestige All Stars * ''

Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors ''Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors'' is a jazz album released in November 1957 by Prestige Records. It is credited to Idrees Sulieman, Webster Young, John Coltrane and Bobby Jaspar, with Mal Waldron, Kenny Burrell, Paul Chambers and Art Ta ...

'' (Prestige, 1957) With John Rae * ''Opus de Jazz 2'' (Savoy 1960)

References

External links

Bobby Jaspar Discography
*
Page on jazzinbelgium.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaspar, Bobby 1926 births 1963 deaths Cool jazz saxophonists Cool jazz flautists Hard bop saxophonists Hard bop flautists Belgian jazz saxophonists Belgian jazz flautists Musicians from Liège 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century flautists