Bolling Bonanza

Bolling Bonanza-November 28, 2010 @ 3:00- honoring Bolling’s  80th birthday

a brief description

“I dread losing time, so instead of doing nothing, I organize.

 ”I didn’t want to create a new musical system; yet now I’m the prisoner of it.” 

- Claude Bolling

In honor of his 80th birthday, Chamber Music PLUS is pleased to present an all Bolling extravaganza.

Claude Bolling is a world famous French jazz pianist, composer, arranger and conductor, who virtually defined the concept of jazz-classical crossover with his groundbreaking work “Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano” (CBS) which stayed Number 1 on the US Billboard’s charts for a phenomenal 464 weeks ! 

His works are also very important in film music with more than a hundred film and TV soundtracks compositions to his credit ! Best known in that sphere for his contribution to the Alain Delon- Jacques Deray gangster spoof Borsalino in 1970.

Claude Bolling is often referred to as “Duke Ellington’s spiritual son”, not only because he was a protege and close friend of the jazz legend, but because he is the best living interpreter of Ellington’s sound. 

As a player, his skill with the keyboard and deep feeling about his music is immediately heard and as an entertainer, it is always very apparent that this man actually enjoys communicating with audience members and bringing them to their feet !

For many years regarded as the foremost French ragtime and boogiewoogie pianist, Bolling’s own keyboard style derived at least in part from such greats as Art Tatum and Teddy Wilson. 

His meeting with Stéphane Grappelli in 1991 for the album First Class (which won both the Django d’Or 1993 and Prix du HCF) is another great phonographic success. These issues allow the Claude Bolling big band to rightful take its place at the top of the list of modern day big band jazz orchestras, paralleling the great big bands to which it walks in stride with.

About the music

The music by Claude Bolling

Performers

Sly Slipetsky (piano) is a free-lance jazz pianist and tuba player who has happily made Arizona his home since August of 1997. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, Sly began his piano studies at the age of eight and he picked up the tuba at age fourteen. He began his jazz studies at a summer music camp in Maine known as Camp Encore/Coda for three consecutive summers (1989 – 1991). After graduating from high school in 1992, Sly spent a total of nine years in three universities (University of Delaware, Newark, University of Arizona, Tucson, and Arizona State University, Tempe) where he further honed his jazz skills on both instruments. Sly has earned his living as one of the busiest jazz musicians in Arizona. Sly performs as a solo pianist, a vocal accompanist, a member of many small groups and big bands, and is a first call with out of town performers. Sly is also a phenomenal tuba player, one of the major highlights of his career is having taken first place (playing tuba!) in the Rich Matteson Jazz Competition at the International Tuba/Euphonium Conference in Greensboro, North Carolina in the summer of 2002.

Pete Swan (drums) is based in Tucson, Arizona, who has performed with a long list of notable artists. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, and studied with Don Worth and Mel Brown. Pete is on the faculty of the annual summer Centrum Jazz Workshop (formerly the Bud Shank Jazz Workshop) in Portland and performs in a trio setting in the vocal section of the camp. In this setting Pete has had the opportunity to perform with Bud Shank, the Clayton Hamilton Big Band, John Clayton, Kim Richmond, Ron Escheté, Jiggs Whigham, Nancy King and Steve Christofferson, Jay Clayton, Bobby Shew, Bob Florence, Marc Seales, Kristin Korb, Dawn Clement, and Reuel Lubag.

Pete has been running a jazz concert and jam session since 2000 every Sunday night at the Old Pueblo Grill in Tucson. This has enabled Pete to produce concerts and perform with such notables as Kim Richmond, Nancy Kelly, Warren Chaisson, Judy Roberts and Greg Fishman, Artt Frank, Larry Gray, Frank Proto, John Clayton, Francois Rabbath, Matt Criscuolo, Tom Garling, Todd Johnson, Bob Mover, Drew Salperto, Doug Webb, Carl Saunders, Dickie Thompson, Brice Winston, John Tank, Matt Holman, Alex Heitlinger, Orbert Davis, and Ron Dewar.

Scott Black (bass) started his study of jazz as a trumpet player at Indiana University graduating in 1976. Six years in New York City followed during which time Scott (motivated by a sore throat and a desire for more small group jazz work) switched from being a trumpet player to a bass player. NYC provided the best possible jazz education and experience, not least of which was six months playing with Barry Harris and Jimmy Lovelace at Barry’s weekly Jazz Workshop. Moving to the midwest in 1983, Scott directed a jazz school, taught private lessons, and played bass with great jazz musicians in Chicago. A vacation in Tucson led to his now permanent vacation home (as he frequently tells people) and a very busy career as a professional musician. Scott teaches private lessons, directs combos at the Arizona Jazz Academy and can be seen performing nightly in and around Tucson. Scott is part of a touring trio with pianist Gary Moran, guitarist Matt Mitchell and vocalist Joe Bourne, performing and recording the music of the Nat Cole Trio. He has also recorded with Tucson artists: vocalists John Ronstadt and Julie Anne, pianists Arthur Statman and Jeff Haskell, drummers Fred Hayes and Pete Swan, and guitarist Ed DeLucia.

Clark Schuldmann Duo are honored to perform with such Tucson favorites in this birthday salute to Mr. Bolling.