News

Saturday 19th April, 17:00 – House of Hard Bop. Doug Raney (1956-2016), son of Jimmy, becomes interested in rock guitarists in his teenage years – Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix. But by the age of 18 he has taken the right path, and plays guitar with the established bop pianist Al Haig. After that things move quickly. He is 20 when he makes a concert tour through Europe with his father Jimmy as a guitar duo. He gets stuck in Copenhagen. There, at the age of 21, he makes his recording debut: Introducing Doug Raney. Twenty years later he is in a studio in New York: Back in New York. Introducing Doug Raney was made for SteepleChase Records, a relatively young Danish label. Raney and SteepleChase would remain faithful to each other. In the quartet line-up we hear the Americans Duke Jordan (piano), Billy Hart (drums) and the Danish bassist Hugo Rasmussen. Pianist Jordan had the most experience at a high level; in the 1940s he played with Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Like Raney, Jordan settled in Copenhagen, and he also made many records for SteepleChase. There is no evidence that Raney is a debutant here as a leader in a recording studio. The almost complete absence of chord playing on the guitar is striking. Actually, that is not noticeable, because his soft, rich, golden melody lines leave nothing to be desired. Pianist Jordan provides the vertical harmonies, although he unfortunately has to make do with an out-of-tune grand piano. Mr. P.C. (John Coltrane) Someone to Watch over Me (George Gershwin) The End of a Love Affair (Edward Redding) Doug Raney remained in Copenhagen until his death, and only made the crossing to the States a few times. In 1996, SteepleChase organised a recording session in New York. The occasional line-up was put together on the spot: pianist Michael Weiss, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Washington. The four are not attuned to each other, but you can’t tell. Appropriate title of the album: Back in New York. I’m Old Fashioned (Jerome Kern) For Heaven’s Sake (Elise Bretton) The Touch of Your Lips (Ray Noble) All or Nothing or Nothing at All (Arthur Altman) Get Out of Town (Cole Porter) House of Hard Bop – Eric Ineke Click for the 1st broadcast of this triptych Click for the accompanying News item Programme maker & drummer Eric Ineke made an extensive, international tour with both Raneys in 1977. A fascinating written account of that tour can be read in Ineke’s book: “The Ultimate Sideman” (Pincio Uitgeverij). Available from the Dutch Jazz Archive (NJA).

Saturday April 5th, 2025, 8:00 PM – Behind the Dikes. Boy’s Big Band, founded in the early 1960s, was a controversial and completely unique jazz orchestra. The musicians came from various directions on the Dutch jazz scene, and the music covered a wide range of styles, from traditional big band idiom to free jazz. All of this under the leadership of an extremely passionate, charismatic, often chaotic Boy Edgar (1915-1980). In the approximately ten years of its existence, the orchestra produced several records. BBB collaborated with American soloists, including Eric Dolphy, Nina Simone and Oliver Nelson. In 1964, Boy Edgar received the Wessel Ilcken Prize, a recognition for his great services to Dutch jazz. When Edgar died in 1980, the prize was renamed the Boy Edgar Prize, which tells you a lot. In the autumn of 1960, trumpeter Ado Broodboom was approached by the newspaper Het Vrije Volk. The newspaper had existed for fifteen years and wanted to celebrate this extensively in the Concertgebouw, with a jazz orchestra on stage. In a short time, a big band was put together, consisting of bebop-oriented jazz musicians and professional musicians from the radio studios. The latter were a guarantee of the necessary discipline. Boy Edgar was asked to be the bandleader. The – in principle one-off – performance was a great success. Omroep VARA offered a contract. Boy’s Big Band was a fact. For ten years, the orchestra achieved great success: in radio and TV studios, live performances, and at international jazz festivals. The lasting legacy consists of several records/CDs. In 1965, the LP Now’s the Time! was released. A year later, Finch Eye (title derived from the name Simon Vinkenoog) was released, which won an Edison. And in 2015 the Dutch Jazz Archive (NJA) produced Return – Boy’s Big Band, live recordings 1965-1966. For more information and a playlist, please read the Guide. Behind the Dikes – Hajé Nordbeck “Boy Edgar: the double life of an all-rounder”, written by Marie-Claire Melzer & Marieke Klomp, is an excellent biography in which the many aspects of Edgar’s life – he was also a general practitioner, a PhD scientist, and much more – are described in a fascinating way.