François Boland (6 November 1929 – 12 August 2005) was a classically trained Belgian jazz composer and pianist. He first gained notice in 1949 and worked with Belgian jazz greats like

Bobby Jaspar Bobby Jaspar (20 February 1926 – 28 February 1963) was a Belgian cool jazz and hard bop saxophonist, flautist and composer. Early life Born in Liège, Belgium, Jaspar learned to play piano and clarinet at a young age. Later, he took up the ...

, and in 1955 he joined

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 ...

's quintet. Moving to the US, he began arranging for

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

, and set up an octet with drummer

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 ...

before returning to Europe and becoming

Kurt Edelhagen Kurt Edelhagen (born 5 June 1920 – 8 February 1982) was a German big band leader. He was born in Herne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Edelhagen studied conducting and piano in Essen. In 1945, he started a trio, then a big band a year later ...

's chief arranger. In 1961, building from a rhythm section featuring

Clarke Clarke is a surname which means "clerk". The surname is of English and Irish origin and comes from the Latin . Variants include Clerk and Clark. Clarke is also uncommonly chosen as a given name. Irish surname origin Clarke is a popular surname i ...

Jimmy Woode James Bryant Woode (September 23, 1926 – April 23, 2005) was an American jazz bassist. He played and/or recorded in bands with Flip Phillips, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Nat Pierce, Sidney Be ...

and himself, he founded

The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band The Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band was a jazz big band co-led by American drummer Kenny Clarke and Belgian pianist François "Francy" Boland. They were one of the most noteworthy jazz big bands formed outside the United States, featuring top ...

, which rapidly became one of the most noted Big Bands assembled outside the United States. After it broke up in 1972 he concentrated on composing. He lived in Europe, primarily

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, from 1976 and did musical arrangements for

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

among others.> He was also part of One World, One Peace, an effort involving

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

. He died in 2005. Francy Boland's song "Just Give Me Time" was covered by

Carola Carola is a female given name, the Latinized form of the Germanic given names Caroline or Carol. People named Carola include: Acting *Carola Braunbock (1924–1978), Czech-born East German actress *Carola Höhn (1910–2005), German actress ...

in 1966, first released on her album ''Carola & Heikki Sarmanto Trio'', reaching the Finnish Charts in 2004.

Discography

* ''Out of the Background'' (SABA, 1967) * ''Flirt and Dream'' (SABA, 1967) With

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

*''

Night Lady ''Night Lady'' is an album by saxophonist Johnny Griffin recorded in West Germany in 1963. Originally released on the Philips label, ''Night Lady'' was later released on EmArcy Records.Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again ''Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again'' is an album by saxophonists Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin recorded in West Germany in 1970 and released on the MPS label.

'' (MPS, 1970) - with

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

Kenny Clarke / Francy Boland Big Band (1962-1971) *''see the discography section of The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band'' With

Sahib Shihab Sahib Shihab (born Edmund Gregory; June 23, 1925 – October 24, 1989) was an American jazz and hard bop saxophonist (baritone, alto, and soprano) and flautist. He variously worked with Luther Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Fletcher Henderson, Tad ...

*''

Summer Dawn ''Summer Dawn'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist/flautist Sahib Shihab recorded in 1964 for the Argo label.Edwards, D. & Callahan, MArgo Album Discography, Part 1: Jazz Series (1956-1965)accessed May 2, 2016 Reception The AllMusic site g ...

'' (Argo, 1964) *''

Seeds A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm pl ...

'' (Vogue Schallplatten, 1968) *''

Companionship The concept of interpersonal relationship involves social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people. Interpersonal relationships vary in their degree of intimacy or self-disclosure, but also in their duration, in t ...

'' (Vogue Schallplatten, 1964-70

971 Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) ...

References

External links

* *
Francy Boland
biography and discography at www.jazzinbelgium.com
Francy Boland
obituary in allaboutjazz.com 1929 births 2005 deaths Belgian jazz pianists 20th-century Belgian pianists Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band members Black Lion Records artists People from Namur (province) {{Jazz-pianist-stub