Jean-François Quiévreux (25 July 1926 – 5 February 2012), better known as Jef Gilson, was a French clarinetist,pianist,
arranger
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and Defi ...
and big band leader.
"In the occupation of which he initiated groups" proved Gilson "an excellent grasp of the 'discovery' and the promotion of young talent."
Life and work
Classically trained as a clarinetist, Gilson began playing with Claude Luter in the band of Boris Vian. In 1947 he switched to the piano.
He formed a big band in 1963, members of which included, at various stages, Bill Coleman, Bernard Vitet,
Ivan Jullien Ivan Jullien (October 27, 1934 – January 3, 2015) was a French jazz trumpeter.
Jullien played with Claude Bolling and Jacques Denjean early in his career, and was the bandleader for the Paris Jazz All Stars in 1966-1967. He recorded as a leader ...
,
Michel Portal
Michel Portal (born 27 November 1935) is a French composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He plays both jazz and classical music and is considered to be "one of the architects of modern European jazz".
Early life
Portal was born in Bayonne on 2 ...
,
Jean-Louis Chautemps
Jean-Louis Chautemps (6 August 1931 – 25 May 2022) was a French jazz saxophonist.
Career
Born in Paris, Chautemps initially studied medicine and law, and began playing saxophone at age 16. His first major gig was with Jef Gilson in 1950. In 1 ...
Michel Portal
Michel Portal (born 27 November 1935) is a French composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. He plays both jazz and classical music and is considered to be "one of the architects of modern European jazz".
Early life
Portal was born in Bayonne on 2 ...
Bernard Lubat
Bernard Lubat (born July 12, 1945, Uzeste) is a French jazz drummer, pianist, singer, percussionist, vibraphonist, and accordionist.
Lubat grew up in a musical family (his father played trumpet) and he received formal training at the Bordeaux C ...
,Lloyd Miller and Henri Texier.Woody Shaw and Nathan Davis performed and recorded with the orchestra in spring 1965.Clergeat, André; Barry Kernfeld "Gilson, Jef". ''Grove Music Online''. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
In addition, in 1965 he joined the vocal sextet
Les Double Six Les Double Six (also known as the Double Six of Paris) was a French vocal jazz group established in 1959 by Mimi Perrin. The group established an international reputation in the early 1960s. The name of the group was an allusion to the fact that t ...
, first as and a member, later as its musical director.
Gilson's recordings, on which early compositions with tempo changes (''Enfin!'', ''Œil Vision''), bitonal layers and chromatic topics are included, first appeared on a mini label. Some of the harmonic function has been overridden in his compositions since 1964, without, being exclusively free jazz oriented (New Call from France,
MPS
MPS, M.P.S., MPs, or mps may refer to:
Science and technology
* Mucopolysaccharidosis, genetic lysosomal storage disorder
* Mononuclear phagocyte system, cells in mammalian biology
* Myofascial pain syndrome
* Metallopanstimulin
* Potassium perox ...
1966). Commercial success did not materialize, so that in 1968 Gilson temporarily went to Madagascar. In 1971 he returned and concentrated first on
ethno jazz
Ethno jazz, also known as world jazz, is a subgenre of jazz and world music, developed internationally in the 1950s and '60s and broadly characterized by a combination of traditional jazz and non-Western musical elements. Though occasionally equ ...
and later "total improvisation". In 1973 he founded his label, Palm, on which are especially the recordings with his orchestra Europamerica, and with
Butch Morris
Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings.
B ...
. For this more arranged record, which started reflecting his achievements of free jazz, he was awarded the 1978
Prix Boris Vian
Prix was an American power pop band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1975 by Tommy Hoehn and Jon Tiven. The group ended up primarily as a studio project. Its recordings were produced by Tiven along with former Big Star member Chris Bell, who als ...