Alix Combelle
Alix Combelle ( born June 15, 1912 in Paris, France; † 2 March 1978 in Mantes- la -Jolie ) was a French swing tenor saxophonist and bandleader.
Life and work
Combelle comes from a musical family; his father was a saxophonist in the Guard Republicaine. Alix Combelle first played in the chapels of the music halls before, worked from 1932 in the dance orchestra of Gregor Kelekian, the leading French big band. Mid-1930s, he was considered one of France's leading jazz musicians of the swing. He then played with Michel Warlop and made numerous recordings with his own bands for the label Swing and American musicians such as Benny Carter, Bill Coleman, Freddy Johnson and Coleman Hawkins ( " Honeysuckle Rose "). In 1937 and 1938 he visited America, but turned down an offer from Tommy Dorsey. He went back to Paris, where he played with Ray Ventura and Don Barreto. In 1940 he took over the management of the Big Band Jazz de Paris, also Django Reinhardt participated as guest soloist for two years. After the liberation of France, he took this job again. He also went with Buck Clayton, Lionel Hampton and Jonah Jones into the studio. The mid-1950s he shifted his activities to the field of dance music. Combelles play on the tenor was heavily influenced by Coleman Hawkins and Chu Berry.
His son Philippe Combelle is a drummer.
Auswahldiskographie
- Coleman Hawkins: The Hawk In Europe (ASV, 1934-37 )
- Coleman Hawkins: Coleman Hawkins In Europe ( Timeless, 1934-39 )
- Django Reinhardt: 1935-1938 ( Classics ); All Star Sessions ( Blue Note, 1935-39 ), 1940 ( Classics )
Lexigraphic entries / Literature
- Wolf Kampmann: Reclam Jazz Encyclopedia. Stuttgart, Reclam 2002
- Martin Kunzler: Jazz Encyclopedia, Reinbek, Rowohlt 1993
- Bielefeld Catalog Jazz 2001
- Richard Cook & Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, 6th Edition, London, Penguin, 2002 ISBN 0-14-017949-6.