Jean-François Jenny-Clark

[Latmes]

Another short video of JF Jenny-Clark that gives an idea of his peculiar sound, with Martial Solal : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic2UMKoBeiw
sorry for the poor quality of sound and image

[damonsmith]

I had a nice moment of being thankful that I spent my 20s amassing an extensive LP library of nearly anything related to the double bass and free jazz when I pulled out a gorgeous duo LP of Jenny-Clark and Aldo Romano. It has some strange overdubs but it is a great LP just the same.
As far as Emusic, there is a nice George Russel Sextett and a beautiful jazz trio with Tony Hymas called "Winter's Tale".

[Ashley Long]

He did a solo bass album as well. I did a duo tour with Louis-Michel Marion in November and he gave me a copy. Haven't got a clue what its called, I'll try and find out, not even sure if its commercially available.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Ashley Long

He did a solo bass album as well. I did a duo tour with Louis-Michel Marion in November and he gave me a copy. Haven't got a clue what its called, I'll try and find out, not even sure if its commercially available.

I got it from Soulseek, it is beautiful!

[Latmes]

Originally Posted by Ashley Long

He did a solo bass album as well. I did a duo tour with Louis-Michel Marion in November and he gave me a copy. Haven't got a clue what its called, I'll try and find out, not even sure if its commercially available.

He recorded only one album under his name, "Unison", a very nice one, playing alone, using overdubs and effects sometimes, and on several tracks playing in duet with tenor sax Stefan Lauer and pianist Joachim kühn (both are German).
A few years after his death, an interesting live solo (recorded in 1994) album was released, "Solo".

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Latmes

He recorded only one album under his name, "Unison", a very nice one, playing alone, using overdubs and effects sometimes, and on several tracks playing in duet with tenor sax Stefan Lauer and pianist Joachim kühn (both are German).
A few years after his death, an interesting live solo (recorded in 1994) album was released, "Solo".

I think the overdub one is on CMP, you can still find it around.

[oliebrice]

I've been getting really into JF Jenny-Clark recently, he sounds great on the Motian, Petrucciani and Rava records mentioned above.
The one I've found that hasn't been listed here is Kenny Wheelers 'Around 6', with Evan Parker. great record, really interesting mix of modern 'ecm' harmony and free playing...

[oliebrice]

from an interview with Evan Parker -

IJ: I'd like to have your impressions about Around six by Kenny Wheeler.

EP: Around six. It was a complicated session. Complicated for several reasons because, well ... Eje Thelin didn't really read music, so nobody knew that until we got ... until Kenny got there. Kenny's harmony voicings are not very easy to learn by ear because there are very close voicings. So there was some problems with that, and there were couple of other problems ... The expectations were not exactly ... The way it came out was not the way it was imagined, I think. And also I have to say that for me that was some very interesting material that was recorded that didn't get used. Very important factor in this recording was J.F. Jenny Clark, because there were moments of great crisis during this recording where people suddenly, you know, oh! this is not easy, this is very difficult now because of this or this problem, and J.F. was very strong in these situations, very helpful for Kenny, and just kept very concentrated on the project and bmm, bmm, bmm, helped Kenny through that. There were some duo things and even solo things with Kenny, that were recorded but didn't end up on the record. From myself I felt that the last thing I could do was make extra problems, so I just stayed in the background and didn't make problems. That was my main thinking on that session was not to ask for another take, or not to say ... oh! my sound is not like that or there were one or two thoughts that I had which I kept to myself. But I think the writing is interesting. There are people that say "Oh! this was a very nice record, and a very good band", although this is not exactly, people compare it with the band that toured a little bit later with Paul Motian, John Taylor and J.F. again, me and Kenny. So it was like the forerunner of that band which did a tour later on. When was Around six recorded? Seventy ...

IJ: 1979.

EP: So I think, the year later we toured with the quintet with Motian. In some ways that was easier. Quicker understandings about how to do it.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by oliebrice

from an interview with Evan Parker -

IJ: I'd like to have your impressions about Around six by Kenny Wheeler.

EP: Around six. It was a complicated session. Complicated for several reasons because, well ... Eje Thelin didn't really read music, so nobody knew that until we got ... until Kenny got there. Kenny's harmony voicings are not very easy to learn by ear because there are very close voicings. So there was some problems with that, and there were couple of other problems ... The expectations were not exactly ... The way it came out was not the way it was imagined, I think. And also I have to say that for me that was some very interesting material that was recorded that didn't get used. Very important factor in this recording was J.F. Jenny Clark, because there were moments of great crisis during this recording where people suddenly, you know, oh! this is not easy, this is very difficult now because of this or this problem, and J.F. was very strong in these situations, very helpful for Kenny, and just kept very concentrated on the project and bmm, bmm, bmm, helped Kenny through that. There were some duo things and even solo things with Kenny, that were recorded but didn't end up on the record. From myself I felt that the last thing I could do was make extra problems, so I just stayed in the background and didn't make problems. That was my main thinking on that session was not to ask for another take, or not to say ... oh! my sound is not like that or there were one or two thoughts that I had which I kept to myself. But I think the writing is interesting. There are people that say "Oh! this was a very nice record, and a very good band", although this is not exactly, people compare it with the band that toured a little bit later with Paul Motian, John Taylor and J.F. again, me and Kenny. So it was like the forerunner of that band which did a tour later on. When was Around six recorded? Seventy ...

IJ: 1979.

EP: So I think, the year later we toured with the quintet with Motian. In some ways that was easier. Quicker understandings about how to do it.

Nice one, I just pulled out the LP, it has been years since I heard it. while I was digging it out I found a duo LP with JF and Steve Grossman, "New Moon" on Musica records.

[twodinners]

Hi all,

How lovely to read this thread and to remember J-F.

Way back in the way back when I was a young pudnocker playing electric bass and wanting to be the next Jaco without all the fuss of studying or practising I got a call from the UK jazz organisation the Jazz Centre Society (I think), saying did I play bass, but more importantly, could I drive a van.

I ended up driving a Kenny Wheeler Quintet around the UK for a month or so. The band was Kenny, Evan Parker, John Taylor, Paul Motian and Jean-François Jenny-Clark.

Towards the end of the tour J-F offered to give me some bass tips and very painstakingly introduced me to the concept of altered dominants. I thought it sounded awful.

On the last show of the tour in Glasgow at the beginning of the second set Kenny suprisingly announced that they had a special guest to sit in. He then introduced the bands driver.

Needless to say, in the American vernacular, I sucked hugely, but it was a tremendous gesture, even though at that time I really had no real appreciation of calibre and signifance of these gents.

Still it makes a good story, and I can say I played with Paul Motian (though it would be pushing it to put it on my CV) and thirty years later I now love my journey into the world of jazz harmony.

Shortly afterwards I visited J-F in Paris with my girlfriend at his invitation (I may have invited myself) where he put me up in his apartment. We slept on the floor in a room with his basses, where he let me fumble about (pause) on an ancient bass that he couldn't risk taking out of the house.

I'm now playing upright, something I really should have done years ago, but we get where we are when we get there.

God bless Jean-François Jenny-Clark.

Kevin

[oliebrice]

what a great experience Kevin! I'd love to have heard that band, but don't think any recordings exist. don't suppose you've got any?

[twodinners]

Originally Posted by oliebrice

what a great experience Kevin! I'd love to have heard that band, but don't think any recordings exist. don't suppose you've got any?

Oops, long overdue reply...

I don't have any recordings of that tour/lineup I'm afraid but I do have a lovely memory of taking them all to Lindisfarne one day, and making these slightly grumpy and reluctant jazz musicians get out for a photo shoot.

It was the year of the Falklands war and I remember I organised a band sweepstake on the National, which I won and then put behind the bar at the next hotel.

I'd love to hear some of his works, especially trio stuff, can anyone point me the way?

Regards,

Kevin