Bill Coleman and Don Byas

This time my favorite CD is BILL COLEMAN AND DON BYAS, playing with some unknown bands in France around 1950. In fact there are two different concerts on this record.

When he arrived in the end of 1948 in Paris it was not the first time Bill Coleman visited France. He was in France in the 1930s when he made recordings with artists like Oscar Aleman see Oscar aleman Discography .

He played in 1948 with the house band of the Hot Club of France, the Edward´s Jazz Band , a band full of young French musicians like Michel De Villers, Geo Daly, Bernard Peiffer, Jean Bouchety and Roger Paraboschi. The name of the band was borrowed from the place where the Paris Hot Club was situated, the Edward VII Theatre. After a few rehearsals they started an extensive tour through Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. Don Byas, who also left the US to live in Europe, joined the group. Although they had a lot of success, the band didn´t last more then a few month due to a lack of bookings. There had been made some studio recordings early 1949 with a part of the band.

The recordings on this CD were probably made at the first concert on tour by some jazz fans. Of course this means that the sound quality isn´t studio quality, but it has become and unique document of an excellent vital band.

The final six tunes were made by Don Byas who playes with another house band, the Saratoga Jazz Hounds early 1951. No Bill Coleman on these tunes.

I like to listen to this spontaneous vital concerts that would have been lost forever if they weren´t reissued on this 1994 Clifford Records.