Jump to content

George Duvivier corner


mjzee

Recommended Posts

Best I can tell, there isn't yet a thread here devoted to the great bassist, George Duvivier.

I want to start with an interesting bit of trivia I learned from The Youngbloods compilation on BGO: On Jesse Colin Young's second album, Young Blood (Mercury, 1965), he's backed by George Duvivier and Osie Johnson!

R-1648972-1235505090.jpeg.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One of George Duvivier's last recording sessions, according to the posthumous discography published by The Scarecrow Press, was a duo recording with James Williams which was never released. I asked the pianist about that date and he told me in so many words that he wasn't satisfied with his playing, though Duvivier was great.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are a few of my Duvivier favorites.  All of these happen to be from the 1970s:

- Gene Ammons - Night Lights (Prestige)

- Ray Bryant - Here's Ray Bryant (Pablo)

- Buddy DeFranco - Like Someone in Love (Progressive)

- Lockjaw Davis - The Heavy Hitter (Muse)

- Hank Jones - Bluesette (Black & Blue)

- Joe Newman - I Love My Woman (Black & Blue)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to buy any album Duvivier plays on, never heard him uninspired. His tone and drive, along with a very personal sense of melodic imgination makes him one of the outstanding bass players in jazz history, IMHO.

There is a priceless video, Jazz Studio '61 where you can see him in an all star band with Ben Webster, Jo Jones etc.- the other band was the Ahmad Jamal Trio with Israel Crosby and Vernel Fournier. Just to see how much Duviver digs the way the trio plays is worth the price of admission. He must have been a very open minded guy, no matter what context he played in. Eric Dolphy dates on Prestige or Verve studio recordings involving writen parts, he had it down. I remember another video where he accompanied Benny Carter shortly before his passing - so much swing and elegance!

I could list any session he played on, here's just one that caught my attention: Blues shouter Wynonie Harris belting out 'Quiet Whiskey' - Sir Charles Thomspon, Mickey Baker, Duvivier, and Specs Powell behind him rock the house!

Edited by mikeweil
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is the last 20 minutes of an interview with George Duvivier that was broadcast on WBGO (NY - NJ area) 10/28/84.  The backstory is: I was driving home after an evening in Manhattan, and started listening to this great interview on my car radio.  When I got home, I managed to record the end of it.  Wish/hope the entire interview exists in the WBGO archives.  Enjoy.

http://picosong.com/MjBX

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, mikeweil said:

I tend to buy any album Duvivier plays on, never heard him uninspired. His tone and drive, along with a very personal sense of melodic imgination makes him one of the outstanding bass players in jazz history, IMHO.

Fully agreed .... some more George Duvivier recordings (dear to my heart) .... :

b1e3c582b4.jpg

R-5527205-1395673320-5452.jpeg.jpg

cec3364228.jpg

428.jpg

51x0hF82RFL.jpg

just to name a few ....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Duvivier was one of the most recorded bass players in the 50´s and very much active until his death.

He is also on most of Bud Powell´s records from 1953 on.

In july 1985 I was at the Hollabrunn Festival and Woody Herman was on schedule with an allstar band with Scott Hamilton, Buddy Tate and others, and George Duvivier should be the bass player and I was looking forward to finally see him live, but it was reported he is sick and some young bass player played instead of him. Later  I found out Duvivier had died only a few days later.....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Gheorghe said:

I think Duvivier was one of the most recorded bass players in the 50´s and very much active until his death.

He is also on most of Bud Powell´s records from 1953 on.

In july 1985 I was at the Hollabrunn Festival and Woody Herman was on schedule with an allstar band with Scott Hamilton, Buddy Tate and others, and George Duvivier should be the bass player and I was looking forward to finally see him live, but it was reported he is sick and some young bass player played instead of him. Later  I found out Duvivier had died only a few days later.....

I believe to have seen Duvivier around 1980 as part of the Hank Jones Trio .... can't remember neither the drummer nor the location though ....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That Ronnie Foster record is nice - Gordon Edwards keeping the groove on electric bass, while Duvivier colors the thing with carefully selected plucks and bowings - I really listened to him on that album and learned to appreciate waht he was doing.

Edited by mikeweil
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's a great you tube video of the Master live with his old buddy Johnny Smith, plus Ray Pizzi, Alan Dawson, Bobby Shew, and Larry Lappin.

Just enter Johnny Smith Live, and look for the 27 minute version of a great jazz clinic concert they had, back when Wynton didn't have to approve you to teach jazz...

Twenty minutes into it, George is featured playing a composition of his called 'E.K.E's Blues, written for Duke, and originally played by Harry Carney.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...