Sidney Bechet - Premier Bal (French TV version)

Sidney Bechet plays a beautiful rendition of his own composition "Premier Bal" on a French TV show ("Jazzorama "Banc d'Essai", a Jean-Christophe Averty TV broadcast), backed by Claude Bolling and the rhythm section from his orchestra. Before the performance, Sidney gives his views on jazz in response to questions from actress Simone Alma (who died in 2000, aged 91) - in French, with Japanese subtitles! Bechet gives a rather reflective, poignant performance here - and though emotionally charged, it's noticeably gentler than the version he recorded for Vogue, which is incredibly powerful. Bechet was often considered to be aggressive and belligerent, but I rather think he ran the gamut of emotions, both as a man and as a musician, from highly aggressive to very tender. He wore his heart on his sleeve and made it felt through his soprano and clarinet. This is taken from an old Laserdisc. I have cleaned up the audio. SIDNEY BECHET AND CLAUDE BOLLING Sidney Bechet (soprano sax), Claude Bolling (piano), Alf Masselier (bass), Arthur Motta (drums) Recorded May 16th, 1958, at RTF Studio 4, Paris, France Premier Bal (Source: Laserdisc Toshiba EMI TOLW-3113)

Added 14 Jun 2026