Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Gustave Joseph Viseur was born on May 17, 1915 was born in Lessines, Belgium and because his father was a bargeman, the family moved around a lot until 1920, when they settled in Paris, France. He was given basic instruction in how to play the accordion by his father from the age of eight, then received lessons from a music professor. Father and son played together in an amateur band from 1929. After his father died he began performing on the streets of Paris in fairs and markets.
In the early 1930s, Viseur played second accordion under bandleader Médard Ferrero. In 1933 he met René “Charley” Bazin and the two accordionists started improvising, inspired by hearing jazz. This led to him forming his own band in 1935. It played in a variety of styles and recorded four tunes that year.
Gus was a member of the Boris Sarbek Orchestra, then worked in France and Belgium with Philippe Brun, Joseph Reinhardt, and his own quintet. Together with guitarist Baro Ferret, he added elements of swing to traditional musettes that they played from 1938 and into World War II. He had more public attention after recording L’Accordéoniste with singer Édith Piaf in 1940.
He toured the United States in 1963, then stopped playing and opened a record shop in Le Havre. He started performing again around 1970, and recorded the album Swing Accordéon the following year.
Accordionist Gus Viseur died in Le Havre on August 25, 1974.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Johnny Meijer was born Jan Cornelis Meijer on October 1, 1912 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Widely recognized as a virtuoso jazz accordionist not only did he play popular songs but also fast swing numbers. In 1974 he recorded the Dutch Swing College Band’s Johnny Goes Dixie LP, which went gold.
He will also be remembered for his proficiency with classical and folk music in his native city. was typically seen during performances with a cigar in his mouth. He was a major influence on French accordionist Richard Galliano.
Unfortunately, due to his short temper and drinking, during the last years of his life, Meijer was rarely invited to play large performances, mainly in connection with his short temper and his drinking, the King of the Accordion saw out his final days mostly in silence, occasionally playing weddings and parties.
The subject of a film, Amsterdam erected a statue to the musician. Accordionist Johnny Meijer, who celebrated his 75th birthday at the North Sea Jazz Festival, transitioned on January 8, 1992 in Amsterdam.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Fernand Coppieters was born in Brussels, Belgium on March 3, 1905. He took up piano in his youth and also played the Hammond organ. His first professional work was with the ensemble Bistrouille ADO in 1920 at age 15. Following this, he played in the Red Mills Ragtime Band and the Rhythmic Novelty Dance Orchestra.
Leaving Belgium for France he landed a place in Fud Candrix’s ensemble in France and Holland. Returning to Brussels in 1929, he played in a trio with René Compère and again with Candrix. Soon after this, he joined the 16 Baker Boys, led by Robert de Kers and, later, Oscar Aleman.
In the early 1930s, he accompanied Josephine Baker on tours of Europe, then worked with Roland Dorsay, Candrix once again, and Willie Lewis. In the 1940s and 1950s, he recorded as a leader and worked as a house pianist for Radio Schaerbeek, an independent Belgian radio station.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, he recorded several albums on Hammond organ, for Fontana Records and Philips Records. Pianist and organist Fernand Coppieters, who also played accordion, saxophone, and violin, transitioned on September 9, 1981 in Brussels.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Big Eye Louis Nelson was born Louis Nelson Delisle on January 28, 1885 in New Orleans, Louisiana into a family who were Creoles of color. He spent most of his life in his hometown and studied clarinet with the elder Lorenzo Tio.
By the age of 15, Big Eye was working professionally in the music venues of Storyville, an area of brothels and clubs in New Orleans where Black musicians could find work. He developed a style of hot jazz, also known as Dixieland, and was an influence on clarinetists Johnny Dodds and Jimmie Noone.
In 1917, Nelson joined the reconstituted Original Creole Orchestra that included Freddie Keppard and Bill Johnson. Disbanded in Boston in the spring of that year, it was reassembled in New York City later in the fall. After a short while, he was replaced by Jimmie Noone. He was the regular clarinetist with the Jones & Collins Astoria Hot Eight but did not play on their 1929 recording sessions.
He made his only recordings in his later years in the 1940s, by which time he was often in poor health. Dixieland clarinetist Big Eye Louis Nelson, who also played double bass, banjo, and accordion, transitioned on August 20, 1949.
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The Jazz Voyager
This week I’m crossing the pond for the first time this year to La Ciotat, France to see my friend Delphine Nérot. She will perform at Chapelle des Minimes as a member of the Deene Trio, made up of accordion, bass and voice. The chapel is located in the southern part of the country on the Mediterranean Sea at Place Guibert, 13600.
The Protestant chapel is small, only 32 meters long and 6 meters wide. During the Revolution it was the headquarters of the Club des Antipolitiques, a popular 1791 society recognized as a subsidiary by the center of rue Thubaneau in Marseille. Adjoining the chapel is a synagogue on the left, open onto the car park Square Verdun, and on the right, a dance academy. The chapel boasts a beautifully crafted 300-year-old door. I know the acoustics will be fantastic.
This is my first time visiting this city and venue and I am so looking forward to this voyage. Although restrictions have been lifted, I am wary about the indoor air quality on planes and indoors with low ventilation, so this Jazz Voyager will still mask and social distance whenever possible.
As always, for more information visit notoriousjazz.com/event or 06 09 49 03 24 | www.facebook.com/laciotatculture.
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