Jazz pianist, conductor and composer Claude Bolling, who wrote many scores for films like
Borsalino's
and arranged
Brigitte Bardot's famous song
La Madrague
, has died at the age of 90, announced on Wednesday his entourage at AFP.
The musician, who suffered from various pathologies, died on Tuesday at Saint-Cloud hospital, west of Paris.
Born in Cannes on April 10, 1930, this child prodigy has been playing professionally from the age of 14 with Lionel Hampton and participating in concerts organized by the Hot Club de France at the École normale de musique in Paris.
A capital that he left for Nice during the Occupation and where he followed the teachings of Marie-Louise "Bob" Colin, pianist, trumpeter and drummer in one of the many popular female orchestras in the interwar period. .
She encouraged him to return to Paris where he created his first orchestra at 16 and recorded his first record at 18.
A disciple of Duke Ellington, the famous American jazz composer, he created a jazz “big band” in 1956 which lasted until the mid-2010s, an exceptional longevity.
He will publish nearly forty albums.
In 1984, we also owe the music to
Le vent tourbillon
6, a musical directed by Michael Lonsdale on a libretto by Roger Landy.
In France, he is considered a benchmark in the world of jazz.
Among those who passed in his “big band” were renowned musicians such as his alto saxophonist Claude Tissendier.
In the 1960s, Boris Vian, who nicknamed him "Bollington", opened the doors to variety and musical direction for many stars such as Brigitte Bardot, Juliette Gréco and Henri Salvador.
He is also at the origin of the feminine quartet which collects hits, Les Parisiennes.
He provides them with his compositions, arrangements, clips, etc.
Some of their best-known titles include
It's Too Good to Work
,
February 30,
and
Money Doesn't Make Happiness.
"
Claude Bolling, my '' dubol '' left taking with him my youth and 60 years of faithful friendship, joie de vivre, funny songs and a carefree bond,
" responded Brigitte Bardot in a statement.
"'It's a day like any other and yet you are leaving."
I sing it for you today with tears in my eyes, ”
she added.
He composed music for films, the most famous of which are
Borsalino
(1970) by Jacques Deray, with Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, but also
Le Magnifique
,
Lucky Luke.
We owe him compositions for
Les
Brigades du Tigre
.
This jack-of-all-trades has multiplied the experiences by marrying a jazz trio with a classical soloist.
He composed and recorded in particular
Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio
with the famous French flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal, a work which broke attendance records in the Billboard charts in the United States (530 weeks) and led Claude Bolling to New York's Carnegie Hall stage.
On December 15, 2010, he was appointed an officer of the Legion of Honor.