Alix Combelle (15 June 1912 – 26 February 1978 :fr:Alix Combelle) was a French swing saxophonist, clarinetist, and

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a dance band, rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhyth ...

. He recorded often with

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...

and the

Quintette du Hot Club de France The Quintette du Hot Club de France ("The Quintet of the Hot Club of France"), often abbreviated "QdHCdF" or "QHCF", was a jazz group founded in France in 1934 by guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli and active in one for ...

Career

A native of Paris, his father was François Combelle, who played classical saxophone with the Band of the Republican Guard. Alix Combelle played drums in the late 1920s. In the early 1930s he played clarinet and saxophone in theater pit orchestras in Paris. He was a member of a bands led by Gregor (Krikor Kelekian), Arthur Briggs,

Michel Warlop Michel Maurice Armand Warlop (23 January 1911 – 6 March 1947) was a French classical and jazz violinist professionally active from 1929 to 1947. Early life and education Michel Warlop (Michou to his friends) was a child prodigy who began mu ...

, Guy Paquinet, and Ray Ventura. He worked with visiting American musicians such as

Benny Carter Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...

Adelaide Hall Adelaide Louise Hall (20 October 1901 – 7 November 1993) was an American-born UK-based jazz singer and entertainer. Her career spanned more than 70 years from 1921 until her death. Early in her career, she was a major figure in the Harlem Ren ...

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, Freddy Johnson, and Danny Polo. He was a member of Bill Coleman's band when it included Argentinian swing guitarist Oscar Aleman. He performed with French singers such as

Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics for nearly 1,000 songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These songs inclu ...

and

Jean Sablon Jean Sablon (Nogent-sur-Marne 25 March 1906 – Cannes 24 February 1994) was a French singer, songwriter, composer and actor. He was one of the first French singers to immerse himself in jazz. The man behind several songs by big French and Amer ...

and recorded with Philippe Brun. In the 1940s he led the band Jazz de Paris. His son, Philippe, was a drummer.

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Combelle, Alix 1912 births 1978 deaths Musicians from Paris Continental jazz clarinetists Continental jazz saxophonists Swing clarinetists Swing saxophonists French jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists French jazz clarinetists French jazz bandleaders 20th-century French musicians 20th-century French saxophonists 20th-century French male musicians French male jazz musicians