George Duvivier

George Duvivier studied violin at the New York Conservatory of Music and Arts. In 1936, he joined the Central Manhattan Symphony Orchestra and began to develop an interest in jazz, particularly double bass. To further his musical education, he studied composition at New York University (1937-1939). He made his debut as a jazz musician in 1940, accompanying Coleman Hawkins and playing in the big band of bandleader Lucky Millinder (1942-1943). After his military service, Duvivier wrote arrangements for Jimmie Lanceford (1945-1947), and continued his work as arranger for "Sy" Oliver (1948-1949). After abandoning his instrument for a few years in favor of arranging, Duvivier took up his double bass again, accompanying singer Billy Eckstine and singer Lena Borne, with whom he toured Europe for the first time in 1950, then a second time in 1956. He played with Bud Powell (1953-1956) before Powell moved to France. In 1959, he recorded "Improvisation and Mediations" with John Lewis, pianist-director of the Modern Jazz Quartet, an album that showcased his double-bass playing. A studio musician in great demand, Duvivier recorded for film scores and television. As a sideman, he plays just as easily with classic jazz musicians such as Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Ben Webster as with modern musicians like Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and Eric Doliby. George Duvivier's double bass playing is a blend of restraint and power in the volume of sound he produces, but also of rigor and precision.