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from the Theo Stich Film
FOUR IN TIME
1997 Switzerland
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Daniel Humair...
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Daniel Humair was born in Genva, Switzerland on May 23, 1938. Humair played clarinet and drums from the age of seven and won a competition for jazz playing in his teens.
Paris has traditionally provided a Mecca for exiled jazz musicians - by the time he was 20 Humair was accompanying these visiting heroes from the drums. Most celebrated was a season with tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson at a club called Le Chat Qui Pèche. Humair became the drummer American musicians would ask to work with (despite a gig with the Swingle Singers in the early 60s).
In 1967 he played on violinist Jean-Luc Ponty's debut Sunday Walk (also contributing the title track). When alto saxophonist Phil Woods emigrated to Paris in 1968 it was natural that Humair should be the drummer in what Woods called the European Rhythm Machine.
In 1969 he won the Downbeat critics' poll as Talent Deserving Wider Recognition. Humair was so in demand that his job-sheet for the 70s reads like a list of the pre-eminent names in jazz- Herbie Mann , Roy Eldridge , Stéphane Grappelli and Anthony Braxton all availed themselves of his graceful, incisive drums. He played with Gato Barbieri on the soundtrack to Last Tango In Paris in 1972.
Welcome on Soul Note in 1986, a record which listed all members of the quartet as leaders, was a perfect demonstration of his warmth and responsiveness as a drummer. Cited by Nat Hentoff as a European 'who long ago destroyed the notion that European drummers can't swing' and also active as a painter, Humair continued to top drum polls in France into the 90s.
In 1991 Surrounded documented a selection of his work from 1964-87, including tracks with legends such as Eric Dolphy, Gerry Mulligan and Johnny Griffin - a neat way of giving Humair centre-stage and celebrating the breadth of his involvement with jazz history.
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Source: dreyfusrecords.com
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Recorded in Paris in 1968, the live set features Ponty at the beginning of his career, before he came to the U.S., teamed up with the George Duke Trio, joined forces with Frank Zappa, became part of the second Mahavishnu Orchestra and had his long string of fusion albums for Atlantic. Not quite 26 at the time, Ponty is featured on the date mostly playing standards including "You've Changed," "Summertime" (which is taken double time), "So What," "Bag's Groove" and "Oleo." Sometimes his violin sounds a little like a saxophone and it is clear, even at this early stage, that Ponty had a great deal of potential in jazz. Louiss' organ is fairly original, breaking away from Jimmy Smith to hint at the avant-garde and modal music in spots while always swinging. Humair is excellent in support. The program, never before available in the U.S., is quite intriguing and enjoyable. Since it is very doubtful that Jean-Luc Ponty can be persuaded to play straight-ahead jazz again (his musical tastes have long been elsewhere although his musicianship is still in prime form), this two-fer is a must for jazz violin collectors.
Buy here: Volume 1
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 © Korobitsyn@hotmail.com
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performed with:
Joachim Kühn
Jean-Francois Jenny-Clark
Francois Jeanneau
Henrie Texier
Pierre Favre
Fritz Hauser
Louis Sclavis
Fredy Studer
Franco Ambrosetti
Steve Grossmann
Martial Solal
Lee Konitz
Stephane Grapelli
Dave Liebman
Jim Hall
Phil Woods
Eddy Louiss
Jean-Luc Ponty
Chet Baker
Lucky Thompson
Oscar Pettiford
Kenny Dorham
Herbie Mann
Anthony Braxton
Michel Portal
Dieter Häner
Marc Ducret
Bruno Chevillon
Dominique Pifarély
George Garzone
Hal Crook
.....and many more
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