Claude Bolling (10 April 1930 – 29 December 2020) was a French

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 ...

pianist, composer, arranger, and occasional actor.

Biography

He was born in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

, France, and studied at the Nice Conservatory, and then in Paris. A child prodigy, by the age of 14 he was playing jazz piano professionally, with

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from t ...

, and

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

. Bolling's books on jazz technique show that he did not delve far beyond

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

into much

avant-garde jazz Avant-garde jazz (also known as avant-jazz and experimental jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. It originated in the early 1950s and developed through to the late 1960s. Orig ...

. He was a major part of the

traditional jazz Trad jazz, short for "traditional jazz", is a form of jazz in the United States and Britain in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, played by musicians such as Chris Barber, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Ken Colyer and Monty Sunshine, based on a reviva ...

revival in the late 1960s, and he became friends with

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

. He wrote music for over one hundred films, including a 1957 documentary about the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

, and films such as ''

The Hands of Orlac ''The Hands of Orlac'' may refer to: * ''Les Mains d'Orlac'', a novel by Maurice Renard and several adaptations of that novel: * The Hands of Orlac (1924 film), ''The Hands of Orlac'' (1924 film), an Austrian film * The Hands of Orlac (1935 film) ...

'' (1960), ''

World in My Pocket ''World in My Pocket'' (also known as ''On Friday at Eleven'') is a 1961 European crime-drama film directed by Alvin Rakoff. The film was a co-production between West Germany (where it was released as ''An einem Freitag um halb zwölf''), France ...

'' (1961), ''

Me and the Forty Year Old Man ''Me and the Forty Year Old Man'' (french: Moi et les hommes de 40 ans) is a 1965 French film directed by Jacques Pinoteau. Cast *Dany Saval as Caroline *Paul Meurisse as Alexandre Dumourier *Michel Serrault as Bénéchol *Paul Hubschmid as Jean- ...

'' (1965), ''

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...

'' (1970), ''

Borsalino Borsalino is the oldest Italian company specializing in the manufacture of luxury hats. Since 1857, the manufacture has been based in Alessandria, Piedmont. The founder, Giuseppe Borsalino, is remembered for creating a particular model of felt ...

'' (1970), ''

To Catch a Spy ''To Catch a Spy'' is a 1971 comedy spy film directed by Dick Clement and starring Kirk Douglas, Marlène Jobert, Trevor Howard, Richard Pearson, Garfield Morgan, Angharad Rees and Robert Raglan. It was written by Clement and Ian La Frenais. T ...

'' (1971), ''

Le Magnifique ''Le Magnifique'' (literally ''The Magnificent''; also known as The Man from Acapulco) is a French/Italian international co-production released in 1973, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jacqueline Bisset and Vittorio Caprioli that was directed by P ...

'' (1973), '' Borsalino & Co.'' (1974), ''

Flic Story ''Flic Story'' is a French crime thriller released on October 1, 1975, based on the autobiography of the same name written by French police detective Roger Borniche. Both film and book portray Borniche's nine-year pursuit of French gangster and mu ...

'' (1975), '' The Passengers'' (1977), ''

Silver Bears ''Silver Bears'' is a 1978 British comedy crime thriller film based on a novel by Paul Erdman, directed by Ivan Passer and starring Michael Caine, Cybill Shepherd, Louis Jourdan and Joss Ackland. Caine portrays mob accountant "Doc" Fletcher w ...

'' (1978), ''

California Suite ''California Suite'' is a 1976 play by Neil Simon. Similar in structure to his earlier ''Plaza Suite'', the comedy is composed of four playlets set in Suite 203-04, which consists of a living room and an adjoining bedroom with an ensuite bath, in ...

'' (1978), ''

Jigsaw Jigsaw may refer to: * Jigsaw (tool), a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves * Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces Arts and media Comics * Jigsaw (Marvel Comics), a supervillain and arch-enemy of ...

(L'Homme en colère)'' (1979), '' The Awakening'' (1980), ''

Willie & Phil ''Willie & Phil'' is a 1980 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky and starring Michael Ontkean, Margot Kidder, and Ray Sharkey. Plot The film is set in late 1970s New York City, amidst the counterculture chic of that e ...

'' (1980), ''

Three Men to Kill ''Three Men to Kill'' (French: ''Trois hommes à abattre'') is a French crime film released in 1980, directed by Jacques Deray, starring Alain Delon with Dalila Di Lazzaro. The screenplay is written by Jacques Deray, Alain Delon and Christopher Fr ...

'' (1980), ''

The Bay Boy ''The Bay Boy'' is a 1984 Canadian drama film. It is a semi-autobiographical film based on director Daniel Petrie's experiences of growing up in Glace Bay, a mining town on Cape Breton Island, during the Great Depression. It features the screen deb ...

'' (1984), ''

He Died with His Eyes Open ''He Died with His Eyes Open'' (original title: ''On ne meurt que deux fois'') is a 1985 French erotic neo-noir thriller film directed by Jacques Deray. It was based on the 1984 English-language novel ''He Died with His Eyes Open'' by Derek Raymon ...

'' (1985), '' Try This One for Size'' (1989) and ''

Chance or Coincidence ''Hasards ou coïncidences'' is a French film directed by Claude Lelouch, released in 1998. Starring * Alessandra Martines : ''Myriam Lini'' * Pierre Arditi : ''Pierre Turi'' * Marc Hollogne : ''Marc Deschamps'' * Véronique Moreau : ''Catherine D ...

'' (1998). Bolling was also noted for a series of "crossover" collaborations with classical musicians. His '' Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio'' with

Jean-Pierre Rampal Jean-Pierre Louis Rampal (7 January 1922 – 20 May 2000) was a French flautist. He has been personally "credited with returning to the flute the popularity as a solo classical instrument it had not held since the 18th century." Biography Ea ...

, a mix of Baroque elegance with modern swing, has been a top seller for many years, and was followed up by other works in the same vein. It was particularly popular in the United States, at the top of the hit parade for two years after its release and on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' top 40 for 530 weeks, roughly ten years. Following his work with Rampal, Bolling went on to work with many other musicians, from different genres, including guitarist

Alexandre Lagoya Alexandre Lagoya (29 June 1929 – 24 August 1999) was a French classical guitarist and composer. His early career included boxing and guitar, and as he cites on the sleeve of a 1981 Columbia album, his parents hoped he would outgrow his predilecti ...

, violinist

Pinchas Zukerman Pinchas Zukerman ( he, פנחס צוקרמן, born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor. Life and career Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zuk ...

, trumpeter

Maurice André Maurice André (21 May 1933 – 25 February 2012) was a French trumpeter, active in the classical music field. He was professor of trumpet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris where he introduced the teaching of the pic ...

, and cellist

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (''Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

. He also worked with and performed tributes to many others, including

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997, born Stefano Grappelli) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the firs ...

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

, and

. Bolling was also notable as the composer of the ''

Lucky Luke ''Lucky Luke'' is a Western ''bande dessinée'' series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René Goscinny. Their par ...

'' animated features '' Daisy Town'' (1971) and ''

La Ballade des Dalton ''La Ballade des Dalton'' (aka ''The Ballad of the Daltons'' in English) is a 1978 French animated film written and directed by René Goscinny, Morris, Henri Gruel and Pierre Watrin starring the comic book character Lucky Luke. Two different ...

'' (1978).

Discography

* ''French Jazz'' (Bally, 1956) * ''Rolling with Bolling'' (Omega Disk, 1957) * ''Joue Duke Ellington'' (Fontana, 1960) * ''Jazzgang Amadeus Mozart'' (Philips, 1965) * ''Original Ragtime'' (Philips, 1967) * ''Original Boogie Woogie'' (Philips, 1968) * ''Original Piano Blues'' (Philips, 1969) * ''Original Jazz Classics Piano'' (Philips, 1970) * '' Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio'' with Jean-Pierre Rampal (Columbia Masterworks, 1975) * ''With the Help of My Friends'' (Who's Who in Jazz, 1975) * ''Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano'' with Alexander Lagoya (CBS, 1976) * ''Suite for Violin and Jazz Piano'' (Columbia Masterworks, 1977) * ''Jazz Gala 79'' (America, 1979) * ''Concerto for Classic Guitar and Jazz Piano'' with Angel Romero (Angel, 1980) * ''Picnic Suite'' (CBS, 1980) * ''Bolling: Toot Suite'' with Maurice Andre (CBS, 1981) * ''Suite for Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Piano'' with Jean-Pierre Rampal (CBS, 1983) * ''The Original Bolling Blues'' (Mercury, 1983) * ''Suite for Cello and Jazz Piano Trio'' with Yo Yo Ma (CBS Masterworks, 1984) * ''Bolling

and or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar, and computing * Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a boole ...

plays Ellington usic' (CBS, 1987) CBS CD MK42474 (1987) * ''Bolling: Suite No. 2 for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio'' (CBS, 1987) * ''Sonatas for Two Pianists'' (CBS, 1989) * ''Warm Up the Band'' (Columbia, 1991) * ''Cross Over U.S.A.'' (Milan, 1993) * ''Enchanting Versailles: Strictly Classical'' (Milan, 1995) * ''Suite for Flute and Piano Jazz Trio'' (Acte Préalable, 1999) * ''Suite for Violin and Piano Jazz Trio'' (Acte Préalable, 1999) * ''Suite for Cello and Piano Jazz Trio'' (Acte Préalable, 1999) * Bolling Big Band: ''Gershwin In Swing'' (CAID, 2003) * ''Bolling: Suite for Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Piano Trio'' (Mérida, 2011)

References

External links

*
Official site
*
Discography at SonyBMG Masterworks
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bolling, Claude 1930 births 2020 deaths Big band bandleaders French composers French male composers French jazz pianists 20th-century French male pianists French jazz composers Male jazz composers Animation composers French film score composers People from Cannes Columbia Records artists 21st-century French male pianists