Biography
François Boland, 6 November 1929, Namur, Belgium, d. 12 August 2005, Geneva, Switzerland. A classically trained musician, Boland’s first exposure to jazz came through concerts and records that he heard during World War II. His first contributions to the music were arrangements written for the bands of Bobby Jaspar, Henri Renaud and others. In the early 50s he spent much time in Paris, arranging and playing piano, and worked with visiting Americans such as Chet Baker and Nat Peck. In the late 50s he was writing for Kurt Edelhagen’s German-based, multinational big band. In 1958 he visited New York, writing charts for Count Basie. At the same time, Boland met drummer Kenny Clarke and with the financial backing of entrepreneur Gigi Campi they formed the Clarke-Boland Big Band. This, too, was a multinational band and featured players such as Peck, Derek Humble, Benny Bailey, Jimmy Deuchar, Aake Persson, Sahib Shihab, Ronnie Scott and Johnny Griffin....
Read the Full Biography of Francy Boland Big Band / Clarke-Boland Big Band / Carmen McRae
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