Thursday, September 11, 2008

Nedly Elstak: trumpeter

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.) NEDLY ELSTAK: Trompettist
LORRAINE GELLER
Nedly Elstak is one of those musicians, active in the Dutch jazz scene in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, who is now almost forgotten. Almost, because Jazz music is no longer a hot item and only few listeners or musicians, will remember his great trumpet playing, but thanks to a great compilation record, released by the Dutch Jazz Archive (NJA 0102) some years ago, his musical heritage is available for everybody who is anxious to learn how he sounded.

Rein De Graaff, Leo de Ruyter, Tony Van Hal, Bon Byas, Nedly Elstak and Ferdinand Povel. ( photo archive Rein De Graaff).
Nedly Elstak was born in Semarang, on the isle of Java, part of the former Dutch Indies, now Indonesia January 1931. He left the Far East (seen with European eyes) in 1936 to settle in The Netherlands. He started to play the trumpet, when he was a young adult. He also learned to play the piano. He became active in the Amsterdam Jazz scene early 1950s, becoming a member of the Trio McAllen, which brought him even into Turkey for a tour. Later he founded his own quartet and played in the Theo Loevendie Workshop Quartet. Perdido is the oldest track available on the album, played by a tentette in Eindhoven (in the south of The Netherlands) May 1953. In the early 1960s he performed with the Rico Fernando South American Orchestra.

From the early 1960s you can find two tracks featuring Rein De Graaff, still active with his trio. ( On the 2nd of November he'll perform with his trio + Pete Christlieb and Ferdinand Povel at the Porgy en Bess Jazz Club - Terneuzen.) During the 1960s Nedly performed with Ornette Coleman and with the Theo Loevendie Consort. I remember that I heard this Theo Loevendie Consort several times at concerts of Nieuwe Muziek in the Stadsschouwburg of Middelburg, and in Goes in De Veste, both situated in the southwest part of The Netherlands, but I don't remember anymore if Nedly Elstak was present during these performances. During the 1970s he had a club in Amsterdam named De Masjien (= The Machine) and an octet formed with members of the Willem Breuker Kollektief. Later he stopped playing the trumpet and concentrated almost entirely to the piano. On the NJA record, simply labelled Nedly Elstak - Trumpeter he plays the piano on three tracks. I found a fragment around the Dutch vocalist Soesja Citroen who sings and is interviewed ( in Dutch) in a 1982 fragment. Nedly Elstak accompanies her at the piano; a historic document. Enjoy the tune: Where Flamingos Fly.

Nedly Elstak found work at the Meertens Instituut, part of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (= The Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences). If you are a Dutchman (or Flemish) you might have enjoyed the books by J. J. Voskuil, who recently passed away (May 2008), titled Het Bureau. These book are a description of the daily life at the Meertens Instituut, simply labelled as Het Bureau (= the office). In the books Nedly Elstak is called Stanley Graanschuur.
Nedly Elstak (on the right) with Theo Loevendie (on the left) (photo Pieter Boersma)
Nedly Elstak received the highest award in Dutch Jazz, the Boy Edgar Award in 1983. During the 1980s he made some short tours with the Paradise Regained Orchestra. He passed away in 1989. This great document is to be obtained at the Dutch Jazz Archive, among dozens other great recording from the rich Dutch Jazz heritage. Get these small treasures in Jazz !

Hans Koert - keepswinging@live.nl
LORRAINE GELLER !!
Today, the 11th of September 2008, Lorraine Geller should have celebrate her 80th birthday if she didn't pass away on the young age of 30, October 1958. She was born as Lorraine Walsh in Porland OR (USA) on the 11th of September 1928, learned to play the piano, was part of the Sweethearts of Rhythm and married Herb Geller in 1951. She played in her husband's quartets for four years and together they made recordings with great names like Shorty Rogers, Red Mitchell, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. One of their most known recording together is the album The Gellers, I discussed some times ago. She passed away, too young, due to heart failure.


Keep swinging

Hans Koert


keepswinging@live.nl

Nederlands ( To the English translation )
LORRAINE GELLER !!
Vandaag, 11 september 2008, zou Lorraine Geller haar 80ste verjaardag hebben moeten vieren, als ze niet zo jong, op 30-jarige leeftijd, overleden was. Ze werd geboren als Lorraine Walsh in Portland OR (USA) op 11 september 1928, leerde piano spelen en werd lid van de Sweethearts of Rhythm. In 1951 trouwde ze altsaxofonist Herb Geller. Ze speelde vier jaar lang in zijn kwartet en dit leidde tot opnamen met grootten als Shorty Rogers, Red Mitchell, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie en Charlie Parker. Eén van hun mooiste platen vind ik The Gellers, die ik eerder in deze blog besprak. Ze overleed, op dertigjarige leeftijd, aan hartklachten.

Hans Koert - keepswinging@live.nl

NEDLY ELSTAK: Trompettist
Nedly Elstak is één van die muzikanten, vroeger actief in de Nederlandse jazzscene van de jaren zestig, zeventig en tachtig, die nu bijna helemaal vergeten zijn. Vergeten ..... toch zullen heel wat Nederlandse en Vlaamse bezoekers van deze blog, de naam Stanley Graanschuur kennen, één van de figuren uit de romancyclus Het Bureau van J. J. Voskuil. Dankzij een verzamelplaat van het Nederlands Jazz Archief is zijn muzikale nalatenschap voor het nageslacht bewaard. Lees er alles over in: Nedly Elstak: Trompettist.

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Thursday, October 25, 2007

The Gellers

( Naar de Nederlandse vertaling.)
Five years ago, October 2002, I joined a concert with Herb Geller as guest of the Rein de Graaff Trio at the Porgy en Bess Jazz Club in Terneuzen (southwest part of The Netherlands). The Rein De Graaff Trio was enlarged and featured Jarmo Hoogendijk trumpet, Herb Geller on alto saxophone, John Ruocco tenor saxophone, and the Trio: Rein de Graaff piano, Marius Beets bass and Eric Ineke drums. I remember Herb Geller as a great instrumentalist.
Herb Geller was born in November 1928 and in the 1940s he performed with Joe Venuti, Jimmy Zito, Jack Fina, Lucky Millinder, Teddy Wald and Claude Thornhill. While in Claude Thornhills band he met Lorraine Walsh and married her. During the 1950s he played with several West Coast style musicians, like Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers and Maynard Ferguson, but also had his own quartet that featured his wife Lorrraine Walsh. The other members were Red Mitchell on bass and Mel Lewis on drums. In April 1955 they recorded an album on Emarcy titled The Gellers. This album, a collectors item for years, has now been reissued on the Original Long Play Albums series of Documents ( #19 - Herb Geller Quartet).

I like Come Rain Or Come Shine, a standard, here played in a medium tempo, although it used to be played more slowly. In Arapahoe Herb Geller demonstrates what a great soloist he is, in two improvisations of 16 bars, with only some rhythm accompaniment and large solo breaks. Great !! Lorraine shows her piano playing in solo: Love ( You Magic Spell). She was a skilled instrumentalist too. Lorraine Walsh passed away 30 years old, some years after this session. Herb moved to Europe and started a great career in jazz in several, most German big bands and as a sought after soloist in European groups.

If you find this reissue # 19 (Herb Geller Quartet) or even # 20 ( Herb Geller Sextette) don't hesitate to take it along. Both are great landmarks in the Gellers careers.
I found a film fragment of Herb Geller taking a solo. Hope you like it.


The Rein De Graaff Trio, featuring Frank Morgan, will perform at Porgy en Bess Jazz Club in Terneuzen on Sunday 4th of November 2007.
If you have a subject that should be discussed here and you love to share it with the visitors of this blog please contact me ( keepswinging@live.nl ). Maybe you're the next guest contributor.


Time exposure for the 25th of October:
1927:
  • goose pimples / since my best girl turned me down / sorry = bix beiderbecke gang
  • my mammy's blues = reb spikes majors and minors
  • crying all day / good man is hard to find = frank trumbauer o

1937:

  • sing your sinners = fletcher henderson o

1977:

  • apple core / blues for gerry / flight of the bumble / gerry meets hamp / limelight / line for lyons / song for johnny hodges / walking shoes = gerry mulligan-lionel hampton quintet

Keep swinging

Hans Koert


keepswinging@live.nl


PLAYLIST
sweet hollywaiians/hula girl = jazz/new orleans (2) = herb geller quartet/the gellers #19 = deo rian conjunto noites cariocas/ineditos de jacob do bandolim = raymond fol big band-pierre michelot o/paris swings the 60's

Nederlands ( To the English translation )
Vijf jaar geleden, oktober 2002, was ik bij een concert van Herb Geller als gast bij het Rein de Graaff Trio in de Porgy en Bess Jazzclub in Terneuzen. Het Rein De Graaff Trio was voor die gelegenheid omgevormd tot een sextet en bevatte, behalve Herb Geller op altsax, ook Jarmo Hoogendijk op trompet, John Ruocco op tenorsax en het Trio: Rein de Graaff piano, Marius Beets bas en Eric Ineke slagwerk. Ik herinner me vooral Herb Geller als een groot muzikant.

Herb Geller werd geboren in november 1928 en speelde halverwege de jaren veertig met musici als Joe Venuti, Jimmy Zito, Jack Fina, Lucky Millinder, Teddy Wald en Claude Thornhill. Terwijl hij bij laatstgenoemde speelde ontmoetrte hij tijdens een tour naar New York zijn latere vrouw Lorraine Walsh; hij trouwde met haar. In de jaren vijftig speelde hij met verschillende West Coast muzikanten als Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers en Maynard Ferguson, maar hij had ook zijn eigen kwartet, samen met zijn vrouw Lorraine, die piano speelde, Red Mitchell op bas en Mel Lewis op drums. Ze maakten in april 1955 opnamen voor Emarcy, getiteld The Gellers. Deze plaat, nu een collectors item, is opnieuw uitgebracht in de serie The Original Long Play Albums van Documents ( #19 - Herb Geller Quartet ).

Ik vind Come Rain Or Come Shine, een veel gespeeld, meestal langzaam uitgevoerd nummer, hier op een bijzondere manier, in medium tempo, gespeeld. In Arapahoe laat Herb Geller horen dat hij een geweldige solospeler is op de alt, door maten lang, alleen met de ritmesectie een solo neer te zetten. Fantastisch ! Lorraine laat horen dat ze een ervaren pianiste is in een solouitvoering van Love ( You Magic Spell). Lorraine Walsh overleed op 30 jarige leeftijd, een paar jaar na deze opnamen. Herb Geller verliet Amerika en vestigde zich in Europa, waar hij vooral carriere maakte in grote big bands in Duitsland, maar ook een veelgevraagd solist werd in andere Europese landen.

Als je deze heruitgave, # 19 - Herb Geller Quartet, ergens tegenkomt, en dat geldt ook voor # 20 - Herb Geller Sextette , aarzel dan niet om ze beide aan te schaffen, want het zijn zeldzaam mooie voorbeelden uit de korte carriere van The Gellers. Ik vond een stukje film waarin je Herb Geller kunt zien en horen zoals hij op dit moment op podia te zien is.
Het Rein de Graaff Trio zal op zondag 4 november 2007 op treden in de Porgy en Bess Jazz Club in Terneuzen met speciale gast Frank Morgan.
Als je zelf een onderwerp hebt bestudeerd, dat, volgens jou, prima past in het concept van deze weblog en je wilt het delen met anderen zoek dan contact: keepswinging@live.nl

Tijdopname voor 25 oktober:
1927:

  • goose pimples / since my best girl turned me down / sorry = bix beiderbecke gang
  • my mammy's blues = reb spikes majors and minors
  • crying all day / good man is hard to find = frank trumbauer o

1937:

  • sing your sinners = fletcher henderson o

1977:

  • apple core / blues for gerry / flight of the bumble / gerry meets hamp / limelight / line for lyons / song for johnny hodges / walking shoes = gerry mulligan-lionel hampton quintet
Keep swinging

Hans Koert


keepswinging@live.nl

SPEELLIJST
sweet hollywaiians/hula girl = jazz/new orleans (2) = herb geller quartet/the gellers #19 = deo rian conjunto noites cariocas/ineditos de jacob do bandolim = raymond fol big band-pierre michelot o/paris swings the 60's

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