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It is a variety show on television that is at the origin of the compositions of "crossover music" by Claude Bolling.

For the program Age Tendre et Tête de Bois on December 11, 1963, Albert Raisner, the producer and host, had invited Claude and the classical pianist Jean-Bernard Pommier. He wanted them to play together. By mutual agreement, they chose

Bach to Swing , a composition by Claude Bolling already performed in a program by Jean-Christophe Averty in 1961.

Jean-Bernard Pommier, enthusiastic about this experience, asks Claude to transform the essay and compose a piece for their two pianos.

The adventure is so motivating that Claude embarks on the writing of several movements in the form of a sonata, adding a double bass and a drums ... the Sonata for two Pianists and Jazz Piano Trio is born!

Note: two pianists and not two pianos, to clearly mark the difference in style of the two musicians.

In May 1968, Irène, Claude's wife, a journalist, met Jean-Pierre Rampal during a report. A few months later, the Rampal couple were invited to the Bolling house and the two musicians immediately became accomplices.

The flautist knows that Claude wrote for Jean-Bernard Pommier and asks him, in turn, for a piece to play his classical flute with a jazz trio. Jean-Pierre Rampal will regularly inquire about the evolution of this piece which will become the Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio . But the agendas of the two artists will allow them to record this work only five years later.

By a happy coincidence, the vinyl record pressed and distributed in France, reaches the ears of the management of CBS Masterworks in New York, the record company of Jean-Pierre Rampal in the United States. Immediately, the disc was put on the American market and found itself, two weeks later, at the top of the classic Billboard ranking. There will be 533 weeks, a record of attendance in all categories.

Alexandre Lagoya, met at the National Summer Academy in Nice, said to Claude: "After what you did with my friend Rampal, I would like you to write me a concerto, but can you make sure that your piano does not cover my guitar "... and here is the Concerto for Classical Guitar and Jazz Piano Trio.

Jean-Pierre Rampal will also be at the origin of the meeting between Claude and Pinchas Zukerman, giving birth to the Suite for Violin .

In the spring of 1978, Hollywood asked Claude to compose the music for the film California Suite because they had been enthusiastic about the Suite for Flute . It will be recorded with flautist Hubert Laws.

Then it is the Picnic Suite which will emerge, to allow Rampal and Lagoya to play together.

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

Claude suggested one day to Maurice André to record a Toot Suite to marry the jazz trio to his trumpet. Maurice André challenges him to write a movement by instrument: cornet, bugle, trumpet in C, in D, in B flat, in E flat and piccolo trumpet.

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

For the anniversary of the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Jean-Pierre Wallez contacted Claude to compose a Suite for Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Piano Trio for him .

The piece will be performed at Salle Gaveau and broadcast on television, but will be recorded on disc by the English Chamber Orchestra ,

under the direction of Jean-Pierre Rampal.

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

Rampal will still be at the origin of the

Suite for Cello . One day he said to Claude "you should write for Rostropovich" ... it's Yo-yo Ma

who will register the piece.

In addition to this, you need to know more about it.

Finally, to expand his repertoire, Jean-Pierre Rampal will order Claude a Suite for Flute n ° 2 ... which will provoke in Claude the desire to write a

Sonata for two Pianists n ° 2 .

In 1993, tours across the United States alongside Jean-Pierre Rampal, Alexandre Lagoya, Hubert Laws, Pamela Sklar and Eric Franceries inspired Claude with the idea of adapting songs that evoke songs into "crossover music". American cities or states (New Orleans, New York, Santa Fe, Alabama, Vermont ...). The disc will be recorded by Jean-Pierre Rampal,

Eric Franceries, Marielle Nordman, Guy Touvron and the brothers Patrice and Renaud Fontanarosa. The recording will be crowned with a Victoire de la Musique.

What originally was a gamble and a challenge between musicians has turned into a musical whirlwind that has taken Claude to stages around the world, including the most prestigious such as Carnegie Hall, giving him the status of an international composer. Today, this repertoire is played with enthusiasm by the younger generations.

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