Pierre Michelot
Widely considered the premier European jazz bassist of his generation, Pierre Michelot collaborated with a veritable who's who of postwar giants, including Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk. Born in St-Denis, France, on March 3, 1928, Michelot studied piano as a child but moved to classical bass at age 16 -- in the years following World War II, he regularly performed for American troops stationed in France, and word of his natural, clear tone and impeccable rhythmic sense traveled fast through the ranks of American jazz musicians. By the late '40s his recording credits included Paris studio sessions in support of Coleman Hawkins, Sidney Bechet, and Rex Stewart. Collaborations with bop titans including Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, and Zoot Sims followed, and in 1953 Michelot played on the final date ever recorded by the pioneering guitarist Django Reinhardt.
Throughout the 1950s he was also a fixture at Parisian clubs, enjoying long residencies at the Club St. Germain, the Ringside, and the Blue Note and often playing alongside the American drummer Kenny Clarke. In late 1957 Miles Davis handpicked Michelot to work on his improvised soundtrack to director Louis Malle's feature debut, Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud, and two years later he teamed with pianist Jacques Loussier for Play Bach, a surprise commercial hit that yielded a pair of sequels as well as a tour with drummer Christian Garros that extended off and on for some 15 years. With pianist René Urtreger and drummer Daniel Humair, Michelot in 1960 formed the long-lived trio HUM; three years later, he was awarded the Academie du Jazz's Prix Django Reinhardt in honor of his contributions to French jazz.
Michelot maintained a relentless studio and touring schedule for the next quarter century, in 1986 appearing alongside star Dexter Gordon in the film Round Midnight, director Bertrand Tavernier's affectionate portrait of the Paris jazz culture of the 1950s; he later toured with Gordon as well. After a 1990 stay at New York's Village Vanguard in tandem with guitarist Christian Escoudé, Michelot curtailed his schedule somewhat, although he continued working with HUM at decade's end. After battling Alzheimer's disease, he died in Paris on July 3, 2005.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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Play Bach No. 2 (Stereo Version)
Jacques Loussier, Pierre Michelot, Christian Garros
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Play Bach No. 1 (Arranged By Jacques Loussier, Mono Version)
Jacques Loussier, Pierre Michelot, Christian Garros
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Round About A Bass
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 jan. 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Trio Loussier • Play Bach
Pierre Michelot, Christian Garros, Jacques Loussier
Klassiek - Released by Ermitage Records on 25 mei 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Play Bach - Trio Loussier
Jacques Loussier, Christian Garros, Pierre Michelot
Klassiek - Released by Ermitage Records on 5 feb. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Play Bach No. 2 (Mono Version)
Jacques Loussier, Pierre Michelot, Christian Garros
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Live At The Village Vanguard (Live)
Pierre Michelot, Christian Escoudé
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 jan. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HUM ! (Live)
Daniel Humair, René Urtreger, Pierre Michelot
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 jan. 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pierre Michelot: Round About a Bass
Jazz - Released by Blue Velvet on 9 feb. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bass And Bosses
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 jan. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Play Bach No. 3
Pierre Michelot, Christian Garros, Jacques Lousier
Klassiek - Released by ISIS on 17 sep. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jacques Loussier joue Kurt Weill (Mono version)
Jacques Loussier, Christian Garros, Pierre Michelot
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bass And Bosses
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 jan. 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
HUM ! (Live, Mono Version)
Daniel Humair, René Utreger, Pierre Michelot
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
When (Mono Version)
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Jacques Loussier Vol 3 - The Selection
Jacques Loussier, Pierre Michelot, Christian Garros
Jazz - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 17 jun. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Salvador Plays the Blues (Mono Version)
Henri Salvador, Pierre Michelot, Mac Kac
Franse chansons - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bell Hop
Kenny Clarke, Don Byas, Lucky Thompson, Martial Solal, Pierre Michelot
Jazz - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 23 jun. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jacques Loussier Vol 4 - The Selection
Jacques Loussier, Pierre Michelot, Christian Garros
Jazz - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 17 jun. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
These Foolish Things
Franse chansons - Released by Rooster Records on 20 jun. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jacques Loussier Vol 1 - The Selection
Jacques Loussier, Pierre Michelot, Christian Garros
Pop - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 17 jun. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo