Boy Edgar
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Boy Edgar, pseudonyms of ''George Willem Fred Edgar'' (
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, 31 March 1915 – 8 April 1980), was a
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
conductor, pianist and trumpeter.Huygens ING – Amsterdam. Bronvermelding: Lex Lammen, 'Edgar, George Willem Fred (1915–1980)', in Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland. URL:http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/bwn1880-2000/lemmata/bwn4/edgar 2-11-2013/ref> He was also a member of the resistance who saved Jewish children during
WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...
and was promoted as a doctor after the war on an investigation into
multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
.


Life and career

Boy Edgar grew up in Amsterdam as the son of a merchant in colonial products. His father was of
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
descent and his mother Jewish and was from the Dutch East Indies. Initially, the Edgar family was doing well. During his childhood, Boy Edgar was able to visit the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
several times. However, during the economic crisis in the 1930s, the Edgar family's company went bankrupt. His father died in 1935 and left the family in poverty. Boy Edgar first came into contact with
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
in high school. Despite the fact that he had not received any musical training, Edgar succeeded in teaching himself
arrangements In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing Composition (music), composition. Differences from the original composition may include Harmony (music), reharmonization, Musical phrasing, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or M ...
and how to play the piano and the trumpet. In 1932 he started his medical training at the
University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...
. He performed a lot to pay for his studies. In 1935 Boy Edgar recorded a number of songs in the GTB studio in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, including "In the mood for love". In 1936 he won a prize for amateur soloists in
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and a year later he became a member of the Hague ensemble The Moochers. In 1939 he became leader of this ensemble, which he remained until the German occupier banned jazz music. During the war he married Mimosa Frenk (1942-9-30), the Jewish daughter of Eli Frenk and Agnes Bushnach, and together they participated in the underground resistance to save Jewish children from deportation. During the war he did his medical exam. Edgar also composed music for orchestras that were allowed to perform. Edgar was briefly imprisoned after the Second World War because he refused to go to the Dutch East Indies as a soldier. The first years after the war he continued to act as a pianist in various European countries. In 1950, Edgar obtained his PhD with a thesis on processes in the
nervous system In biology, the nervous system is the complex system, highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its behavior, actions and sense, sensory information by transmitting action potential, signals to and from different parts of its body. Th ...
of
multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...
, a disease that his wife was already suffering from at that time. To fully focus on his scientific career and the care of his wife, Edgar stopped making music for some time. His wife died on 3 December 1958. On 5 July 1960, he remarried Ida Jannie Lengtat. Edgar made several full-length records during this period, won an
Edison Award The Edison Award is an annual Dutch music prize awarded for outstanding achievements in the music industry. It is comparable to the American Grammy Award. The Edison award itself is a bronze replica of a statuette of Thomas Edison, designed by ...
and regularly performed with international stars on radio and television. In 1964 he received the
Wessel Ilcken Prize The VPRO/Boy Edgar Award, is an annual award given to a Netherlands, Dutch jazz musician, composer, or bandleader. The individual must have made significant contributions to the Dutch jazz scene over a significant period of time. The award is a scul ...
. The pinnacle of his artistic career was in the mid-60s, when Boy's Big Band recorded the LPs Now's the time (1965) and Finch Eye (1966). In October 1966 Edgar left for
the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
to teach at a number of universities and conduct further research. He stayed in the United States for three years and returned in 1969. Back in
the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
he became a doctor in
Duivendrecht Duivendrecht () is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Ouder-Amstel, and lies about 6 km southeast of Amsterdam’s city centre. It is a suburb of Amsterdam. History The village was first m ...
and the
Bijlmermeer The Bijlmermeer (), or colloquially the Bijlmer (), is a neighborhood in the Amsterdam-Zuidoost borough ( Dutch: ''stadsdeel'') in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The other neighborhoods in Amsterdam-Zuidoost are Gaasperdam, Bullewijk, Venserpolder and ...
, but Edgar could no longer properly combine his work as a doctor and jazz. His
Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...
, which had already fallen apart during his absence, was finally dissolved in 1971. In the 1970s, Edgar did conduct for the Boy Edgar Sound group. After separating from Ida Jannie Lengtat on 1971-06-28, he remarried her on 1973-7-11. Gerrie van der Klei was his partner for some time. At the end of 1979 he quit his job as a
general practitioner A general practitioner (GP) is a doctor who is a Consultant (medicine), consultant in general practice. GPs have distinct expertise and experience in providing whole person medical care, whilst managing the complexity, uncertainty and risk ass ...
. A short time later he died at the age of 65. As a tribute, the
Wessel Ilcken Prize The VPRO/Boy Edgar Award, is an annual award given to a Netherlands, Dutch jazz musician, composer, or bandleader. The individual must have made significant contributions to the Dutch jazz scene over a significant period of time. The award is a scul ...
, which he had won in 1964, was renamed to the Boy Edgar Award in 1980; since 1992 it has been called the
VPRO/Boy Edgar Award The VPRO/Boy Edgar Award, is an annual award given to a Dutch jazz musician, composer, or bandleader. The individual must have made significant contributions to the Dutch jazz scene over a significant period of time. The award is a sculpture by Dut ...
. This prize is described by the Dutch ''Performing Arts Social Fund'' as the most important in the Dutch jazz world. In 2018, Boy Edgar was posthumously awarded by
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem (; ) is Israel's official memorial institution to the victims of Holocaust, the Holocaust known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (). It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; echoing the stories of the ...
for his help to Jews during the Second World War.


Discography

* 1965 – Now's The Time – LP Artone MGOS 9463 * 1966 – Finch Eye – LP Artone MDS S 3001 * 1969 – Various – The Dutch Jazz Scene (Compilatie) Track A1 – A5 – 7-LP Radio Nederland 109 917/923 * 1971 – Boy's Big Band – The Best Of Boy's Big Band – Compilation LP CBS S 52888 * 1973 – Live in Shaffy – LP White Elephant PE 888.017 * 1975 – Gerry van der Klei – Multifaced Gerry – LP Poker PO 13002 * 1978 – Various – Date with the Dutch – 7 × Vinyl 10" Track N1 en N2 – Radio Nederland 109 766/772 Z * 1979 – Music Was His Mistress, An Hommage To Edward Kennedy Ellington – LP BV Haast Records BVHAAST 022 * 1999 – Now's The Time! + Finch Eye – BV Haast Records CD 9901 * 2014 – De geniale chaos van Boy Edgar – 678 Records SSECD-002 * 2015 – Return Live Recordings 1965–1966 – CD Nederlands Jazz Archief NJA 1501


Literature

* Marie-Claire Melzer & Marieke Klomp ''Boy Edgar: het dubbelleven van een alleskunner'', 2015, Uitgeverij Cossee,


References


External links


Biografie at www.historici.nl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar, Boy Dutch jazz pianists Dutch jazz trumpeters Dutch jazz bandleaders Musicians from Amsterdam 1915 births 1980 deaths 20th-century trumpeters 20th-century Dutch pianists 20th-century Dutch physicians Dutch resistance members 20th-century Dutch conductors (music) Dutch male conductors (music) Male jazz pianists Male trumpeters Dutch male jazz musicians 20th-century Dutch male musicians Dutch people of Armenian descent