René Urtreger (born July 6, 1934) is a French

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, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrum ...

pianist.

Early life

Urtreger was born in Paris and began his piano studies at the age of four, studying privately first, and then at the Conservatory. He studied with an orientation toward jazz, playing in a small Parisian club, the Sully d' Auteuil. Conducted by

Hubert Damisch Hubert Damisch (28 April 1928 – 14 December 2017), was a French philosopher specialised in aesthetics and art history, and professor at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris from 1975 until 1996. Damisch studied at ...

, the Sully boasted an orchestra of talented students including

Sacha Distel Alexandre "Sacha" Distel (29 January 1933 – 22 July 2004) was a French singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor who had hits with a cover version of " Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" in 1970, which reached No 10 in the UK Charts, " Scoubidou ...

and Louis Viale. In 1953, Urtreger won first prize in a piano contest for amateurs, and from that moment decided to be a professional musician.

Later life and career

In a Parisian concert in 1954, he accompanied two great American expatriates: saxophonist

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 trumpeter

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

. Their collaboration in the "Salon du Jazz" became one of the most highly requested French performances by the American musicians that toured the French capital. After serving in the military from 1955 to 1957, Urtreger would play in a club on the

left bank In geography, a bank is the land alongside a body of water. Different structures are referred to as ''banks'' in different fields of geography, as follows. In limnology (the study of inland waters), a stream bank or river bank is the terrai ...

of the Seine, the famous

Club Saint-Germain The Club Saint-Germain was a jazz club located at 13 rue Saint-Benoît in the 6e arrondissement de Paris. History The club was opened in 1947 by Freddie Chauvelot, Christian Casadesus, Paul Lavigne, Marc Doelnitz, and Boris Vian. Throughout ...

. Again he collaborated with two jazz masters:

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

and

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

. His work so impressed the latter that Urteger accompanied Young for a short tour of Europe in 1956. In December 1957, he was part of Davis's group which recorded the soundtrack to the film '' Ascenseur pour l'échafaud (Elevator to the Gallows)''. In the late 1950s he worked with the likes of

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charle ...

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre o ...

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as ...

and

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

among others. Shortly thereafter, he broadened his focus to accompany other artists of other genres, largely due to financial necessity. His canon of jazz work is still widely regarded as sensitive with a full, dense sound of swing. The Academie du Jazz of France formally recognized his accomplishments in 1961 with the

Prix Django Reinhardt The Prix Django Reinhardt is an award granted by the French Académie du Jazz for the best French jazz musician of the year. It is named after Django Reinhardt. The prize is determined by a jury of jazz journalists, producers, and musicians. In 20 ...

for outstanding jazz artist of the year. He subsequently provided soundtracks for films by

Claude Berri Claude Berri (; 1 July 1934 – 12 January 2009) was a French film director, writer, producer, actor and distributor. Early life Born Claude Beri Langmann in Paris, Berri was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. His mother, Beila (née Bercu), w ...

among others. In 1977, he reappeared on the Paris jazz scene with the intention to resume his career. His renaissance was as a small-ensemble accompanist, with

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jaz ...

Aldo Romano Aldo Romano (born 16 January 1941) is an Italian jazz drummer. He also founded a rock group in 1971. Biography He was born in Belluno, Italy. Romano moved to France as a child and by the 1950s he was playing guitar and drums professionally in ...

Barney Wilen Bernard "Barney" Jean Wilen (4 March 1937 – 25 May 1996) was a French tenor and soprano saxophonist and jazz composer. Life Wilen was born in Nice, France; his father was an American dentist turned inventor, and his mother was French. He began ...

. His 1980 performance at the

Antibes Antibes (, also , ; oc, label=Provençal, Antíbol) is a coastal city in the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France, on the Côte d'Azur between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is in the commune of Antibes and the Sop ...

Jazz Festival was an important performance of his later career. He was also featured at "Le Jazz Cool, Le Jazz Hot: A Celebration of Modern Jazz in Los Angeles and France" at the

Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. The Getty Center is located in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles and ...

in Los Angeles (November 2007). In an interview, Urtreger said "Jazz is supposed to be a music of improvisation, of madness".

Awards

* Grand Prix SACEM (1997) *

Grand Prix du Disque Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and comm ...

(2000) * Victoire de la Musique, Category Jazz, for the album ''HUM'' (2000) * Honorary Victoire de la Musique for his Overall Contribution (2005) * Officer of the Order of Arts and Literature (2006)

Discography

As leader

* ''Joue Bud Powell'' (Barclay, 1955) * ''Rene Urtreger Trio'' (Versailles, 1957) * ''Jazz Piano International'' with Derek Smith, Dick Katz (Atlantic, 1958) * ''Hum!'' with

Daniel Humair Daniel Humair (born 23 May 1938 in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Swiss drummer, composer, and painter. He is widely renowned and became a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 1986 and Officier in 1992. He has played with many jazz pe ...

, Pierre Michelot (Vega, 1960) * ''Les Double Six'' (Columbia, 1961) * ''Pianos Puzzle'' (Saravah, 1970) * ''Recidive'' (Sonopresse, 1978) * ''Urtreger Michelot Humair'' with Pierre Michelot & Daniel Humair (Carlyne, 1979) * ''En Direct D'Antibes'' (Carlyne, 1980) * ''Jazzman'' (Carlyne, 1985) * ''Masters'' with Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (Carlyne, 1987) * ''Serena'' (Carlyne, 1990) * ''Didi's Bounce'' (Saravah, 1991) * ''Move'' (Black and Blue, 1997) * ''Et Maintenant'' with

Jean-Pierre Cassel Jean-Pierre Cassel (born Jean-Pierre Crochon; 27 October 1932 – 19 April 2007) was a French actor. Early life Cassel was born Jean-Pierre Crochon in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, the son of Louise-Marguerite (née Fabrègue), an opera sin ...

(Kiron Musik, 2000) * ''Onirica'' (Sketch, 2001) * ''Tentatives'' (Minium/Discograph, 2006) * ''Something to Live For'' with Isabelle Georges (Elabeth, 2006) * ''Live'' (Atelier Sawano, 2007) * ''75'' (Carlyne, 2009) * ''Rene Urtreger Yves Torchinsky Eric Dervieu'' (Carlyne, 2014) * ''Premier Rendez-Vous'' with Agnes Desarthe (Naive, 2017)

As sideman

With

* ''Brussels 1964'' (Landscape, 1992) * ''Chet Baker and His Quintet with Bobby Jaspar'' (Barclay, 1959) * ''Chet Baker in Paris 1955-1956'' (Blue Star, 1975) * ''Chet Baker, Rene Urtreger, Aldo Romano, Pierre Michelot'' (Carlyne, 1989) With

* ''Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud'' (Fontana, 1958) * ''Jazz Track'' (Columbia, 1959) * ''The Complete Amsterdam Concert'' (Celluloid, 1984) With

Claude Francois Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

* ''A L'Olympia'' (Philips, 1969) * ''J'y Pense et Puis J'oublie'' (Mercury, 2014) * ''Une Petite Larme M'a Trahi'' (Mercury, 2014) With

* ''With European Friends'' (LRC, 1985) * ''In Paris 1958-1959'' (Royal, 1987) * ''Pennies from Heaven'' (Eclipse, 1990) * ''Sweetie Pie'' (Philology, 1992) With

* ''Le Dernier Message de Lester Young'' (Barclay, 1959) * ''Lester Young in Paris'' (Verve, 1960) * ''Prez in Europe'' (HighNote, 2002) With others *

Elek Bacsik Elek Bacsik (22 May 1926 – 14 February 1993) was a Hungarian-American jazz guitarist and violinist. He was the cousin of guitarist Django Reinhardt. Career Bacsik was born in Budapest, Hungary. He was the son of Árpád Bacsik and Erzséb ...

& Stephane Grappelli, ''Europa Jazz'' (Europa Jazz 1982) *

Gary Burton Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American jazz vibraphonist, composer, and educator. Burton developed a pianistic style of four-mallet technique as an alternative to the prevailing two-mallet technique. This approach caused him to be h ...

, ''Live in Cannes'' (Jazz World, 1995) * Gary Burton, ''No More Blues'' (TKO Magnum 2000) *

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-h ...

, ''Plays Andre Hodeir'' (Philips, 1956) *

Henri Crolla Henri Crolla (born Enrico Crolla; 26 February 1920 – 17 October 1960) was an Italian jazz guitarist and film composer. Born in Naples, Campania, Italy, to a family of itinerant Neapolitan musicians, he moved with his family to Porte de Ch ...

, Stephane Grappelli, ''Notre Ami Django Hommage de Ses Compagnons'' (Vega, 1958) * Nathan Davis, ''Peace Treaty'' (SFP, 1965) *

Anne Ducros Anne Ducros is a French jazz singer. Career In 1990, she started touring the world for the next ten years with musicians such as Chick Corea, Jacky Terrasson, and Kenny Barron. She recorded the album ''Piano, Piano'' (Dreyfus, 2006) with pianis ...

, ''Piano, Piano'' (Dreyfus, 2005) *

Hubert Fol Hubert Fol (November 11, 1925, Paris – January 19, 1995, Paris) was a French jazz saxophonist and bandleader. Fol was Raymond Fol's brother, and learned piano from an early age through lessons from his mother. He also took lessons in violin and ...

, ''You Go to My Head'' (Barclay, 1956) *

Jimmy Gourley James Pasco Gourley, Jr. (June 9, 1926 – December 7, 2008) was an American jazz guitarist who spent most of his life in Paris. Gourley was born in St. Louis in 1926. He met saxophonist Lee Konitz in Chicago when both were members of the s ...

, ''Jimmy Gourley and the Paris Heavyweights'' (52e Rue Est, 1984) *

Stephane Grappelli Stephane may refer to: * Stéphane, a French given name * Stephane (Ancient Greece), a vestment in ancient Greece * Stephane (Paphlagonia) Stephane ( grc, Στεφάνη) was a small port town on the coast of ancient Paphlagonia, according to Arria ...

, ''Stephane Grappelli'' (Gitanes Jazz, 1991) *

, ''Crazy Rhythm'' (EmArcy, 1955) * Lionel Hampton, ''Jam Session in Paris'' (EmArcy, 1955) *

Michel Hausser Michel Hausser (born February 7, 1927, Colmar) is a French jazz vibraphonist. Hausser played accordion as a child and taught the instrument in his early twenties before switching to vibraphone in 1948. Initially, he studied the instrument classic ...

, ''Up in Hamburg'' (Columbia, 1960) * Michel Hausser, ''Vibes + Flute'' (Columbia, 1960) *

Bobby Jaspar Bobby Jaspar (20 February 1926 – 28 February 1963) was a Belgian cool jazz and hard bop saxophonist, flautist and composer. Early life Born in Liège, Belgium, Jaspar learned to play piano and clarinet at a young age. Later, he took up t ...

, ''Bobby Jaspar and His All Stars'' (EmArcy, 1956) *

Didier Lockwood Didier Lockwood (11 February 1956 – 18 February 2018) was a French violinist. He played in the French rock band Magma in the 1970s, and was known for his use of electric amplification and his experimentation with different sounds on the electri ...

, ''For Stephane'' (Ames, 2008) *

Stuff Smith Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song " If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper"). Smith was, al ...

& Stephane Grappelli, ''Stuff and Steff'' (Barclay, 1965) * Rene Thomas, ''The Real Cat'' (Gitanes Jazz, 2000)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Urtreger, Rene 1934 births Living people Musicians from Paris Bebop pianists French jazz pianists French male pianists 21st-century pianists 21st-century French male musicians French male jazz musicians