Michel Roques

[BeBop]

Just picked up a Rene Thomas CD from AllenLowe (Thanks! Recommended Seller.) Michel Roques plays tenor on one track. He sounds good enough that I'm interested in hearing more of his stuff. He's not listed in AllMusic, and web searches turn up little. (Lots on Jean-Michel Roques.) There are a few pictures from a concert program that I can't view.

Another concert:

1983

- Quintet du Languedoc

- Big Band du Languedoc

- Les Haricots Rouges

- Quintet Guilhot-Roques : Claude Guilhot (vib), Michel Roques (s), Alain Jean-Marie (p), Ricardo Del Fra (b), Richard Portier (dm)

- Ray Bryant Trio rencontre Harry "Sweets" Edison et Buddy Tate : Harry Edison (tp, voc), Buddy Tate (s), Ray Bryant (p), Major Holley (b), Oliver Jackson (dm)

There's an album called "Chorus".

And this item:

Private tape

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Session 7, 21.07.1968, Juan Les Pins, Early Bird Jazz Club,

Pharoah Sanders ts

Michel Roques ts

prob. Lonnie Liston Smith p

Norris Jones (Sirone) b

Majeed Shabazz dr

1.Unknown title 16:57

2.Sunny (Hebb-Laurent) 5:44

3.The Creator Has a Master Plan (Sanders-Thoams)16:07

4.Unknown title 6:09

Pharoah Sanders?

A 1964 article from Jazz Hot.

Bits and pieces and bits.

Anyone have anything comprehensive on this cat?

[brownie]

I was at the Early Bird Club jam session with Pharoah Sanders. Sanders and his group (with Lonnie Liston Smith) was appearing at the Antibes-Juan les Pins festival then.

Did not realize it was taped! Lots of great memories from those concerts and that jam session. All this took place right after the 1968 French riots!

Michel Roques was blind and self taught. Excellent and very underrated musician. He often played saxophones and flute at the same time a la Roland Kirk but he was his own man!

He played whenever possible on the French jazz scene and jammed with Bud Powell, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin and others.

I have been told he died in poverty not very long ago. Could not find any confirmation of this.

[BeBop]

Thanks. I appreciate the info and personal perspective.

Poking around on the internet has been fun. Eventually, I'll track down a few more recordings.