Georges Arvanitas (June 13, 1931 – September 25, 2005) was a French jazz pianist and organist.

Life and career

He was born in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, a child of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

immigrants from

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

. At the age of four he began studying

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and initially trained as a classical pianist, switching to

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 ...

during his teens. His influences included

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Along with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke and Dizzy Gillespie, Powell was a leading figure in the development of modern ...

and

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

. In the late 1950s, he featured on albums by

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, double ...

and

Louis Hayes Louis Hayes (born May 31, 1937) is an American jazz drummer and band leader. He was with McCoy Tyner's trio for more than three years. Since 1989 he has led his own band, and together with Vincent Herring formed the Cannonball Legacy Band. He i ...

, and played with

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

and

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 ...

. He also worked with

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

.Yusef Lateef and Herb Boyd
''The Gentle Giant: The autobiography of Yusef Lateef''
Morton Books, 2006, p. 99.

Discography

* ''3 am'' (Pretoria, 1958) * ''Cocktail for Three'' (Pretoria, 1959) * ''Soul Jazz'' (Columbia, 1960) * ''Pianos Puzzle'' (Saravah, 1970) * ''In Concert'' (Futura, 1970) * ''Les Classiques Du Jazz'' (AFA, 1970) * ''Orgue Hammond'' (Neuilly, 1971) * ''Douce Ambiance'' (Neuilly, 1972) * ''Live Again'' (Futura, 1973) * ''Porgy and Bess'' (AFA, 1973) * ''Anniversary'' (AFA, 1975) * ''I Like It Cool'' (REV, 1976) * ''The Hound of Music'' (Psi, 1978) * ''Qu'est-Ce Qu'on Joue?'' with Claude Guilhot (Sign, 1986) * ''Round About Midnight'' (Carrere, 1986) * ''Georges Arvanitas Quartet'' (Carrere, 1987) * ''One Night for Three Pianos'' (Nothing Like Music, 1990) * ''Tea for Two'' with David Murray (Fresh Sound, 1991) * ''Recontre'' (Columbia, 1998) * ''Little Florence'' (Sound Hills, 2000)

As sideman

With

Cat Anderson William Alonzo "Cat" Anderson (September 12, 1916 – April 29, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter known for his long period as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra and for his wide range, especially his ability to play in the altissimo ...

* ''Plays at 4 a.m.'' (Columbia, 1958) * ''Old Folks'' (All Life, 1980) * ''The Ellingtonian'' (EMI, 2002) With

Ted Curson Theodore Curson (June 3, 1935 – November 4, 2012) was an American jazz trumpeter. Life and career Curson was born in Philadelphia. He became interested in playing trumpet after watching a newspaper salesman play a silver trumpet. Curson's fath ...

* ''

The New Thing & the Blue Thing ''The New Thing & the Blue Thing'' is an album by American trumpeter Ted Curson which was recorded in 1965 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic, 1965) * ''

Pop Wine ''Pop Wine'' is an album by American trumpeter Ted Curson which was recorded in France and first released on the Futura label in 1971.

'' (Futura, 1971) * ''Cattin' Curson'' (Marge, 1975) With Manu Dibango * ''Dangwa & Oboso'' (Atlantic, 1972) * ''O Boso'' (Fiesta, 1972) * ''The Original Soul Makossa'' (Atlantic, 1972) * ''Weya & Moni'' (Atlantic, 1973) With

Maxime Le Forestier Maxime Le Forestier (; born 10 February 1949 as Bruno Le Forestier) is a French singer-songwriter. Life and career Bruno Le Forestier was born on 10 February 1949 in Paris to father Robert Le Forestier and mother Genevieve (née Lili 1917–2010 ...

* ''Mon Frere'' (Hispavox, 1972) * ''Maxime Le Forestier'' (Polydor, 1973) * ''Enregistrement Public'' (Polydor, 1974) With others *

Pepper Adams Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III (October 8, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a s ...

, ''Live in Europe'' (Impro 1977) *

Graeme Allwright Graeme Allwright (7 November 1926 – 16 February 2020) was a New Zealand-born French singer and songwriter. He became popular in the 1960s and 1970s as a French language interpreter of the songs of American and Canadian songwriters such as Leon ...

, ''Jeanne D'Arc'' (Mercury, 1972) *

Antoine Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

, ''Madame Laure Messenger, Claude, Jeremie, et L'Existence De Dieu'' (Vogue, 1967) *

Jimmy Archey Jimmy Archey (12 October 1902 – 16 November 1967) was an American jazz trombonist born in Norfolk, Virginia, perhaps most noteworthy for his work in several prominent jazz orchestras and big bands of his time (including his own). He performed ...

, ''Jimmy Archey et L'Orchestre Michel Attenoux'' (Barclay, 1955) *

Svend Asmussen Svend Asmussen (28 February 1916 – 7 February 2017) was a Danish jazz violinist, known as "The Fiddling Viking". A Swing style virtuoso, he played and recorded with many of the other jazz musicians, including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and S ...

, ''Embraceable'' (Storyville, 2015) * Michel Attenoux, ''Michel Attenoux et Son Orchestre'' (Barclay, 1955) * Michel Attenoux, ''Hommage a Sidney Bechet'' (Panorama, 1959) *

Marcel Azzola Marcel Azzola (10 July 1927 – 21 January 2019) was a French accordionist. He performed with Stan Getz and Jacques Brel, among others. The famous line "" ("Heat up, Marcel") in Brel's song "Vésoul" refers to Azzola, who played the accordion d ...

Dany Doriz Daniel Dorisse, known professionally as Dany Doriz (born 7 September 1941 in Boissy-Saint-Léger) is a French jazz and blues vibraphonist and bandleader. Doriz learned saxophone and piano as a youth in addition to vibraphone, the latter of which ...

, ''Jazzola'' (Black and Blue, 1999) * Elek Bacsik &

Stephane Grappelli Stephane may refer to: * Stéphane, a French given name * Stephane (Ancient Greece), a vestment in ancient Greece * Stephane (Paphlagonia) Stephane ( grc, Στεφάνη) was a small port town on the coast of ancient Paphlagonia, according to Arr ...

''Europa Jazz'' (1982) *

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 ...

, ''Live in Paris 1960-63'' (France's Concert, 1988) *

Mickey Baker MacHouston "Mickey" Baker (October 15, 1925 – November 27, 2012) was an American guitarist, best known for his work as a studio musician and as part of the recording duo Mickey & Sylvia. Early life Baker was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His m ...

, ''Bossa Nova en Direct du Bresil'' (Versailles, 1962) * Mickey Baker, ''Mickey Baker Plays Mickey Baker'' (Versailles, 1962) * Francois Beranger, ''Francois Beranger'' (L'Escargot, 1974) *

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also led ...

, ''Amoureusement Votre'' (Universal/EmArcy 2007) * Bill Coleman, ''Together at Last'' (Pathe, 1969) *

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

, ''Et Sa Trompette'' (Vogue, 1966) *

Sonny Criss William "Sonny" Criss (23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977) was an American jazz musician. An alto saxophonist of prominence during the bebop era of jazz, he was one of many players influenced by Charlie Parker. Biography William Criss wa ...

, ''Mr. Blues Pour Flirter'' (Brunswick, 1963) * Sonny Criss, ''Live in Italy'' (Fresh Sound, 2003) *

Nicole Croisille Nicole Croisille (born 9 October 1936 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is a French singer and actress. She has appeared in 24 films between 1961 and 2005, and recorded several albums since 1961. Perhaps her most heard work is on the soundtrack of 1 ...

, ''Femme'' (Deram, 1975) *

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 ...

, ''Eddie Davis Live at Massy 1975'' (Spotlight, 1977) * Nathan Davis, ''Live in Paris The ORTF Recordings 1966 & 67'' (Sam, 2018) *

Jimmy Dawkins James Henry “Jimmy” Dawkins (October 24, 1936 – April 10, 2013) was an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer. He is generally considered to have been a practitioner of the "West Side sound" of Chicago blues. Career ...

, ''Jimmy Dawkins'' (Vogue, 1972) *

Eric Demarsan The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse languag ...

, ''Le Cercle Rouge'' (Decca, 2000) *

, ''This One's for Basie'' (Black and Blue, 1994) *

Les Double Six Les Double Six (also known as the Double Six of Paris) was a French vocal jazz group established in 1959 by Mimi Perrin. The group established an international reputation in the early 1960s. The name of the group was an allusion to the fact that the ...

, ''Les Double Six'' (Columbia, 1961) * Les Double Six, ''Les Double Six'' (Columbia, 1962) * Leo Ferre, ''C'est Extra'' (Barclay, 1969) * Leo Ferre, ''Leo Ferre Chante L'ete 68'' (Barclay, 1969) *

Brigitte Fontaine Brigitte Fontaine, (born 24 June 1939) is a singer of avant-garde music. She has employed numerous unusual musical styles, melding rock and roll, folk, jazz, electronica, spoken word poetry, and world. She has collaborated with Stereolab, Mich ...

, ''Brigitte Fontaine'' (Saravah, 1975) *

Bud Freeman Lawrence "Bud" Freeman (April 13, 1906 – March 15, 1991) was an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing tenor saxophone, but also the clarinet. Biography In 1922, Freeman and some friends from high sc ...

, ''Satin Doll'' (All Life, 1980) *

, ''Parisian Concert'' (Futura, 1973) * Pierre Gossez, ''Come Bach'' (Fontana, 1964) * Claude Guilhot, ''Belbology'' (Vega 1969) * Claude Guilhot, ''Traficos'' (Owl, 1975) *

Raymond Guiot Raymond Guiot (born 5 October 1930) is a French flautist, pianist and composer. He has also trained many flutists throughout the world. Biography Guiot entered the Conservatoire de Roubaix at the age of 7, pushed by a father in love with clas ...

, ''Joue Domenico Scarlatti'' (Decca, 1970) *

Rufus Harley Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin ''rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Rufus Ada George (born 1940), Nigerian politician * Rufus A ...

, ''From Philadelphia to Paris'' (Carrere, 1988) *

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

, ''Disorder at the Border'' (Milan, 1989) * Andre Hodeir &

Henri Crolla Henri Crolla (born Enrico Crolla; 26 February 1920 – 17 October 1960) was an Italian jazz guitarist and film composer. Born in Naples, Campania, Italy, to a family of itinerant Neapolitan musicians, he moved with his family to Porte de Cho ...

, ''Marie Laforet Saint-Tropez Blues'' (Fontana, 1960) *

Barney Kessel Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups a ...

, ''What's New... Barney Kessel?'' (Mercury, 1969) *

Guy Lafitte Guy Lafitte (12 January 1927 – 10 June 1998) was a French jazz saxophonist. Career A native of Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne, France, he worked with Mezz Mezzrow from 1951 to 1952 and Big Bill Broonzy in 1951. In 1954 he made Paris his home and ...

, ''Jambo!'' (RCA, Victor 1968) *

, ''

Psychicemotus ''Psychicemotus'' is a 1965 album by Yusef Lateef. Track listing # "Psychicemotus" ( Yusef Lateef) – 5:05 # "Bamboo Flute Blues" (Lateef) – 4:02 # "Semiocto" (Lateef) – 4:31 # "Why Do I Love You?" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern) – 6 ...

'' (Impulse!, 1965) *

Bernard Lavilliers Bernard Oulion (; born 7 October 1946 in Saint-Étienne), known professionally as Bernard Lavilliers (), is a French singer-songwriter and actor. Discography Albums Studio albums * ''Premiers pas...'' (1968) * ''Les poètes'' (1972) * ''Le St� ...

, ''Bernard Lavilliers'' (Motors, 1977) *

Colette Magny Colette Magny (31 October 1926 – 12 June 1997) was a French singer and songwriter. A charismatic performer who did not record until her thirties, her work encompassed blues, jazz, protest songs, experimental music and spoken word recordin ...

, ''Melocoton'' (CBS, 1963) *

Anita O'Day Anita Belle Colton (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006), known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appe ...

, ''Anita O'Day in Berlin'' (MPS/BASF 1971) *

Pony Poindexter Norwood "Pony" Poindexter (February 8, 1926, New Orleans, Louisiana – April 14, 1988, Oakland, California) was an American jazz saxophonist. Poindexter began on clarinet and switched to playing alto and tenor sax. In 1940 he studied unde ...

& Rene Thomas, ''Blue Note Paris 1964'' (Royal Jazz, 1990) *

Babik Reinhardt Jean-Jacques "Babik" Reinhardt (8 June 1944 – 13 November 2001) was a French guitarist and the younger son of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt by Django's second wife, Naguine. His elder half-brother Lousson, who was Django's son by his ...

, ''Joue Sidney Bechet'' (Vogue, 1968) *

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 ...

, ''Blue Cylinder'' (Psi, 1970) *

Brother John Sellers Brother John Sellers (May 27, 1924, Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States – March 27, 1999, Manhattan) was an American gospel and folk singer. Sellers played in gospel tent shows while young. He was discovered by Mahalia Jackson, who brought hi ...

, ''Blues and Spirituals'' (Columbia, 1957) *

Gilles Servat Gilles Servat is a French singer, born in Tarbes in southern France in 1945, into a family whose roots lay in the Nantes region of Brittany. He is an ardent promoter ardent of the Breton culture, and sings in both French and Breton, as well as ...

, ''La Liberte Brille Dans La Nuit'' (Kalondour, 1975) *

Stuff Smith Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song " If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper"). Smith was, al ...

, ''Live in Paris 1965'' (France's Concert, 1988) *

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for his chromatic harmonica playing, as well as his guitar and whistl ...

, ''Blues Pour Flirter'' (EmArcy/Universal, 1961) *

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''Roll ...

, ''I Want a Little Girl'' (Black and Blue, 1973) *

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

, ''Autumn Leaves'' (Futura, 1972) *

Bob Wilber Robert Sage Wilber (March 15, 1928 – August 4, 2019) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, and band leader. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber was a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his caree ...

, ''Memories of You'' (Black and Blue, 1996) *

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

, ''Negro Spirituals'' (Polydor, 1964) *

Chris Woods Christopher Charles Eric Woods (born 14 November 1959) is an English football coach and former professional footballer, who is goalkeeping coach for the Scotland national team. As a player, he was a goalkeeper who played in the Football Leag ...

, ''Chris Meets Paris Meets Chris'' (Futura, 1973) * Frank Wright, ''Shouting the Blues'' (Sun, 1977) * Frank Wright, ''Kevin My Dear Son'' (Sun, 1979)

References

External links

Album Live Again
at www.sefronia.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Arvanitas, Georges 1931 births 2005 deaths Musicians from Marseille French people of Greek descent French jazz pianists 20th-century French male pianists Jazz organists 20th-century organists French male jazz musicians Black & Blue Records artists