Lou Bennett (May 18, 1926,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

– February 10, 1997,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) was an American

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 ...

organist. Bennett first played

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

on piano, but started playing organ in 1956 after hearing Jimmy Smith. Bennett toured the U.S. with an organ trio between 1957 and 1959, and then moved to Paris in 1960. There he recorded and performed at the Blue Note with Jimmy Gourley and

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), known professionally as Kenny Clarke and 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 ...

(as well as Rene Thomas); he returned to America only once, for the 1964

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hire ...

. He also recorded in the 1960s with

Philip Catherine Philip Catherine (born 27 October 1942) is a Belgian jazz rock guitarist. Biography Philip Catherine was born in London, England, to an English mother and Belgian father, and was raised in Brussels, Belgium. His grandfather was a violinist i ...

Shirley Bunnie Foy Shirley Bunnie Foy (October 13, 1936 – November 24, 2016), also known as Bunny Foy, was an American jazz singer, songwriter, and percussionist. Biography Shirley Bunnie Foy was born in Harlem, New York. She was raised in a family of musicia ...

and Franco Manzecchi. In the 1980s he played in his own quintet with Gerard Badini, among others. During this period he also toured extensively throughout Spain, including, Almeria, Barcelona, La Coruna, Segovia, and Madrid.

Discography

As leader

* ''Amen'' (

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, 1960) * ''Dansez et Rêvez'' (RCA Victor, 1960) * ''Enfin!'' (RCA Victor, 1963) * ''Echoes and Rhythms of My Church'' ( Bel Air

rance Rance may refer to: Places * Rance (river), northwestern France * Rancé, a commune in eastern France, near Lyon * Ranče, a small settlement in Slovenia * Rance, Wallonia, part of the municipality of Sivry-Rance ** Rouge de Rance, a Devonian ...

1964) * ''Lou Bennett et Son Quintette avec

'' P(Bel Air, 1964) * ''Pentacostal Feeling'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

, 1966; Gitanes, 2001) *

Núria Feliu Núria Feliu i Mestres (21 September 1941 – 22 July 2022) was a Spanish Catalan singer and actress, a singular figure of the Nova Cançó movement. Career Feliu was born on 21 September 1941 in the Barcelona neighbourhood of Sants, a neighb ...

, Lou Bennett: ''I Els Seus Amics'' ( Edigsa

pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...

1966) * ''La Vil Seducción'' (Sonoplay

1968; Fonomusic

1997) * ''Plays For Clem'' (Clem ermany 1971) * ''Live at Club Saint-Germain'' (

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

, 1980) * ''Blue Lou's Blues'' (Caravage

1986) * ''Now Hear My Meaning'' (Mas

1993)

As sideman

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened to "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

, ''That's All'' (Music For Pleasure

1983; EPM Musique, 1990) *

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

, ''Body and Soul'' (Moon

taly Taly () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a Village#Russia, settlement) in Alexandrovskoye Urban Settlement, Alexandrovsky District, Perm Krai, Russia. The population was 17 as of 2010. There are 11 streets. Geography ...

1967 el. 1989 * Brew Moore, ''Live in Europe 1961'' (Sonorama ermany 2015) * Jack Sels, ''Sax Appeal'' (Relax etherlands 1966) * Ximo Tebar, ''Hello Mr. Bennett'' (DM/Difusió Mediterranea, 1993; WEA, 1997) * Ximo Tebar, ''Son Mediterraneo'' (WEA, 1995) * Rene Thomas, ''Meeting Mister Thomas'' (Barclay, 1963; Gitanes, 2001) *

Leo Wright Leo Wright (December 14, 1933 in Wichita Falls, Texas – January 4, 1991 in Vienna) was an American jazz musician who played alto saxophone, flute and clarinet. He played with Booker Ervin, Charles Mingus, John Hardee, Kenny Burrell, Johnny C ...

, ''It's All Wright'' (BASF, 1973)

References

* Lou Bennettat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Lou 1926 births 1997 deaths American jazz keyboardists Jazz musicians from Philadelphia 20th-century American musicians