Errol Parker (né Raphaël Schecroun; 30 October 1925 – 2 July 1998) was a French-Algerian jazz pianist who played with

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

, James Moody,

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also led ...

and

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-ha ...

, among others. Born in

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

French Algeria French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...

, Raphaël Schecroun (his working name derives from two of his jazz heroes,

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad " Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first re ...

and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

) moved to Paris at the age of 18."An Original Voice in Conformist Times" (obituary from ''The Scotsman'')
Jazzhouse. In 1964, Parker wrote the song "Lorre", which became a hit in France, and opened his own jazz club "Le Ladybird" on Rue de la Huchette. Following a serious car accident that impaired his playing, Parker emigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where his daughter was to begin university in February 1968.''Liberation'
"Errol Parker ne fait plus jazzer. Le pianiste de «Lorre» est mort à New York à 72 ans"
7 July 1998; accessed 4 March 2015. In America he started a second career as a record producer, but unable to find a suitable drummer he started to perform as a jazz drummer (which was not affected by his shoulder injury). He died of

liver cancer Liver cancer (also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy) is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary (starts in liver) or secondary (meaning cancer which has spread from elsewhere to th ...

, aged 72. His daughter was Elodie Lauten (1950-2014), a pianist and composer.

Discography

* ''No. 2 Musique Pour Les Dragueurs'' (Decca, 1960) * ''Musique Pour Les Tricheurs'' (Decca, 1960) * ''Ouah! Ouah! Ouah! Ouah!'' (Decca, 1960) * ''Au Tabou No. 4'' (Decca, 1961) * ''Errol Parker Trio'' (Philips, 1962) * ''Errol Parker'' (Brunswick, 1963) * ''Opus'' (Brunswick, 1964) * ''Pretext'' (Brunswick, 1965) * ''Minor Talk'' (Polydor, 1966) * ''Le Roi Du Jazz Piano'' (Fontana, 1969) * ''My Own Bag No. 1'' (Sahara, 1972) * ''My Own Bag No. 2'' (Sahara, 1972) * ''My Own Bag No. 3'' (Sahara, 1975) * ''African Samba'' (Sahara, 1976) * ''The Errol Parker Experience'' (Sahara, 1977) * ''Baobab'' (Sahara, 1978) * ''Doodles'' (Sahara, 1979) * ''Solo Concert Live at St Peter's Church'' (Sahara, 1979) * ''Graffiti'' (Sahara, 1980) * ''Tribute to Thelonious Monk'' (Sahara, 1982) * ''The Errol Parker Tentet'' (Sahara, 1982) * ''Live at the Wollman Auditorium'' (Sahara, 1985) * ''Compelling Forces'' (Cadence, 1989)

References

External links

Errol Parker scores, 1982-1990s
Music Division, The New York Public Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Errol 1925 births 1998 deaths Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Deaths from liver cancer French expatriates in the United States French jazz musicians Algerian Jews Musicians from Paris People from Oran 20th-century French musicians French people of colonial Algeria