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Bobby Jaspar

{{Short description|Belgian jazz saxophonist, flautist and composer}}

{{More citations needed|date=January 2020}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Bobby Jaspar

| image = Bobby Jaspar.jpg

| image_size =

| alt = Bobby Jaspar

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1926|2|20}}

| birth_place = Liège, Belgium

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1963|2|28|1926|2|20}}

| death_place = New York City, New York, United States

| genre = Jazz

| spouse = {{marriage|Blossom Dearie|1954|1957|end=divorce}}

| occupation = Musician

| instrument = Flute, tenor saxophone

| years_active = 1954–1963

| label = Prestige

}}

Bobby Jaspar (20 February 1926 – 28 February 1963){{cite book|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|editor=Colin Larkin|publisher=Guinness Publishing|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|pages=1269/70}} was a Belgian cool jazz and hard bop saxophonist, flautist and composer.

Early life

Born in Liège, Belgium, Jaspar learned to play piano and clarinet at a young age. Later, he took up the tenor saxophone and flute.

Career

With the "Bop Shots" band, he took his first steps in the jazz world. In 1950, Jaspar moved to Paris, playing and recording with the best musicians of the era. Here he met singer Blossom Dearie; the two were married in 1954, but divorced in 1957.{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/blossom-dearie-jazz-songwriter-singer-and-pianist-who-worked-with-johnny-mercer-and-woody-herman-1608180.html|title=Blossom Dearie: Jazz songwriter, singer and pianist who worked with Johnny Mercer and Woody Herman|date=13 February 2009|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=26 January 2020}}

In 1956, Jaspar was persuaded to try his luck in the United States, where his reputation in jazz circles had preceded him. He played and recorded with the quintet of J. J. Johnson, with Kenny Burrell, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Donald Byrd and many others.

In 1961/1962, Jaspar returned to Europe for a year for a series of concerts and a number of recordings, and formed a successful quintet with Belgian guitarist René Thomas. In some sessions, this was expanded to a powerful sextet with American trumpeter Chet Baker. One of those sessions, recorded in 1962, was released on record as Chet Is Back!.

Death

Bobby Jaspar died from a heart attack in New York City, on 28 February 1963 at age 37.

Discography

= As leader/co-leader =

With Chet Baker

  • Chet Baker and His Quintet with Bobby Jaspar (Barclay, 1956)
  • Chet Is Back! (RCA, 1962)

With Donald Byrd

  • Byrd in Paris (Brunswick, 1958)
  • Parisian Thoroughfare (Brunswick, 1958)
  • Cannes '58 (Sam, 1958 [2022])
  • Paris '58 (Sam, 1958 [2023])

With Chris Connor

  • Chris Craft (Atlantic, 1958)
  • Sings Ballads of the Sad Cafe (Atlantic, 1959)

With Blossom Dearie

With J. J. Johnson

With others

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Portal|Biography}}

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20110723014532/http://antiek.telenet.be/bobbyjaspardiscography.htm Bobby Jaspar Discography]
  • {{Find a Grave|22430}}
  • [http://www.jazzinbelgium.com/musician/bobby.jaspar Page on jazzinbelgium.com]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaspar, Bobby}}

Category:1926 births

Category:1963 deaths

Category:Cool jazz saxophonists

Category:Cool jazz flautists

Category:Hard bop saxophonists

Category:Hard bop flautists

Category:Belgian jazz saxophonists

Category:Belgian jazz flautists

Category:Musicians from Liège

Category:20th-century Belgian saxophonists

Category:20th-century flautists