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Wednesday, October 05, 2005:




I got this from the Daily Telegraph. Georges Arvanitas played the very groovy organ in Gainsbourg's "Je t'aime, moi non plus." Plus he must have known Boris Vian, since he played Le Tabou and other haunts of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés. We are sorry to see him go. Here is his obit:



Georges Arvanitas
(Filed: 06/10/2005)

Georges Arvanitas, who died in Paris on September 25 aged 74, was numbered among the masters of European jazz.



His fluid technique, delicacy of touch and apparently effortless command of diverse styles made him a favourite accompanist for American jazz stars visiting France; he was also a composer and bandleader in his own right.

Georges Arvanitas was born at Marseilles on June 13 1931, the son of Greek immigrants from Constantinople. He began piano lessons at the age of four and showed exceptional promise. His musical upbringing was strictly classical, but he was drawn to jazz as a teenager.

Called up for national service at 18, Arvanitas was posted to Versailles, close to Paris and its burgeoning post-war jazz scene. When his period of service came to an end, he had already become a familiar figure on the bandstands of clubs such as Le Tabou and Les Trois Mailletz, playing with Mezz Mezzrow, Don Byas, Albert Nicholas and other famous jazz names.

He remained in Paris, first leading the resident band at the Club St Germain and later at the city's premier jazz venue, the Blue Note. Throughout the 1950s and into the following decade, Paris was the undisputed European capital of jazz and Arvanitas was at the centre of activities.

He was the leading accompanist for Americans such as Dexter Gordon and Chet Baker, and leading Americans accompanied him. His 1963 album 3 am, with Doug Watkins and Art Taylor on bass and drums respectively, won the Prix Django Reinhardt and the Prix Jazz Hot.

In 1965 Arvanitas spent six months in New York, working with the saxophonist Yusef Lateef and the trumpeter Ted Curzon, with whom he recorded an album, The Blue Thing And the New Thing. He returned to America the next year, to tour with a big band led by the trombonist Slide Hampton. Reflecting later on his American experiences, he said he was glad he had worked in the homeland of jazz and had enjoyed the high musical standards involved, but that there had been "too much travelling, not enough money".

Changing styles of jazz appeared to cause Arvanitas no difficulty. He played blues with T-Bone Walker, romantic ballads with Ben Webster and bebop with Johnny Griffin. A moment of uncertainty arrived when he was required to play for the avant-garde saxophonist Archie Shepp, whose improvisations regularly parted company with the structure laid down by the rhythm section. Arvanitas and the drummer Philly Joe Jones devised a set of secret musical signals to hold the performance together.

As a studio musician, Arvanitas was renowned for his ability to produce a perfect result at the first attempt, which led to his being known affectionately as "Georges une prise" (One-take George). He is the keyboard player on many albums and soundtracks by Michel Legrand, with whom he travelled on concert tours to Japan, Brazil and Argentina during the 1970s. He can also be heard playing the Hammond organ on the 1969 hit Je t'aime, moi non plus by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg.

From 1965 until 1993 Arvanitas led his own trio, with the bassist Jacky Samson and drummer Charles Saudrais, with which much of his best work was recorded, notably In Concert (1968), Space Ballad (1970) and Anniversary (1976). His own compositions often included Greek and Balkan elements, especially irregular time-signatures.

Georges Arvanitas was appointed Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 1985 and Officier in 1996. Ill health forced him to retire from performing in 2003.

He is survived by his wife, Françoise, and their daughter.

Tosh // 7:53 PM
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