Jazz pianist, conductor and composer Claude Bolling died this Wednesday in Paris.

We owed this disciple of Duke Ellington many film scores, such as "Borsalino" or "Le Magnifique".

He was also a talented arranger for Brigitte Bardot, Juliette Gréco or Henri Salvador.

Borsalino's

music

was him.

Jazz pianist, conductor and composer Claude Bolling, who wrote many film scores, has died at the age of 90, his entourage told AFP on Wednesday.

Claude Bolling, who suffered from various pathologies, died on Tuesday at Saint-Cloud hospital, west of Paris.

Follower of Duke Ellington

Born in Cannes on April 10, 1930, he left Paris for Nice during the Occupation and followed the teaching of Marie-Louise "Bob" Colin, pianist, trumpeter and drummer in one of the many popular female orchestras in between. two wars.

She encouraged him to return to Paris where he created his first orchestra at 16 and recorded his first record at 18. 

Disciple of Duke Ellington, the famous American jazz composer, he created a jazz "big band" in 1956 which would last until the mid-2010s, an exceptional longevity.

In France, he is considered a benchmark in the world of jazz.

Among those who passed in his "big band" were renowned musicians such as his alto saxophonist Claude Tissendier.

"60 years of faithful friendship, joie de vivre, funny songs and a carefree bond" with Bardot

In the 1950s, Boris Vian, who nicknamed him "Bollington", opened the doors to variety and musical direction for many stars such as Juliette Gréco, Henri Salvador or even Brigitte Bardot for whom he notably arranged "La Madrague" .

Claude Bolling, my "dubol" left taking with him my youth and 60 years of faithful friendship, joie de vivre, funny songs, and a carefree bond.

pic.twitter.com/RcEOcWG8cG

- BRIGITTE BARDOT (@brigitte_bardot) December 30, 2020

The latter reacted in a press release: "Claude Bolling, my 'dubol' left taking with him my youth and 60 years of faithful friendship, joie de vivre, funny songs and a carefree complicity", responded Brigitte Bardot in a statement sent to AFP.

"'It's a day like any other and yet you are leaving' I sing it for you today with tears in my eyes," she added. 

Composer and jack of all trades

He has also composed music for films, the most famous of which are

Borsalino

 (1970) by Jacques Deray, with Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo, but also

Le Magnifique

,

Lucky Luke

, and

Les Brigades du Tigre

.

We also owe him the formation of the group Les Parisiennes.

This jack-of-all-trades has multiplied the experiences by marrying a jazz trio with a classical soloist.

He composed and recorded in particular

Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio

with the famous French flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal, a work which broke attendance records in the Billboard charts in the United States (530 weeks) and led Claude Bolling to New York's Carnegie Hall stage.