Georges Arvanitas (June 13, 1931 – September 25, 2005) was a French jazz pianist and organist.[1]

Georges Arvanitas
Born(1931-06-13)June 13, 1931
Marseille, France
DiedSeptember 25, 2005(2005-09-25) (aged 74)
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Pianist, organist
Instrument(s)Piano, organ

Life and career

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He was born in Marseille, a child of Greek immigrants from Constantinople. At the age of four he began studying piano and initially trained as a classical pianist, switching to jazz during his teens.[2] His influences included Bud Powell and Bill Evans. In the late 1950s, he featured on albums by Art Farmer and Louis Hayes, and played with Dexter Gordon and Johnny Griffin.[3] He also worked with Yusef Lateef.[4]

Discography

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  • 3 am (Pretoria, 1958)
  • Cocktail for Three (Pretoria, 1959)
  • Soul Jazz (Columbia, 1960)
  • Pianos Puzzle (Saravah, 1970)
  • In Concert (Futura, 1970)
  • Les Classiques Du Jazz (AFA, 1970)
  • Orgue Hammond (Neuilly, 1971)
  • Douce Ambiance (Neuilly, 1972)
  • Live Again (Futura, 1973)
  • Porgy and Bess (AFA, 1973)
  • Anniversary (AFA, 1975)
  • I Like It Cool (REV, 1976)
  • The Hound of Music (Psi, 1978)
  • Qu'est-Ce Qu'on Joue? with Claude Guilhot (Sign, 1986)
  • Round About Midnight (Carrere, 1986)
  • Georges Arvanitas Quartet (Carrere, 1987)
  • One Night for Three Pianos (Nothing Like Music, 1990)
  • Tea for Two with David Murray (Fresh Sound, 1991)
  • Recontre (Columbia, 1998)
  • Little Florence (Sound Hills, 2000)

As sideman

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With Cat Anderson

  • Plays at 4 a.m. (Columbia, 1958)
  • Old Folks (All Life, 1980)
  • The Ellingtonian (EMI, 2002)

With Ted Curson

With Manu Dibango

  • Dangwa & Oboso (Atlantic, 1972)
  • O Boso (Fiesta, 1972)
  • The Original Soul Makossa (Atlantic, 1972)
  • Weya & Moni (Atlantic, 1973)

With Maxime Le Forestier

  • Mon Frere (Hispavox, 1972)
  • Maxime Le Forestier (Polydor, 1973)
  • Enregistrement Public (Polydor, 1974)

With others

References

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  1. ^ Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. London: Penguin Books. p. 21. ISBN 0-141-00646-3.
  2. ^ "George Arvanitas" (obituary), Daily Telegraph, October 6, 2005.
  3. ^ Carr, Ian; Digby Fairweather and Brian Priestley, Rough Guide to Jazz, Rough Guides, 2004, ISBN 1-84353-256-5, ISBN 978-1-84353-256-9.
  4. ^ Yusef Lateef and Herb Boyd, The Gentle Giant: The autobiography of Yusef Lateef, Morton Books, 2006, p. 99.
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