Bernard Vitet (26 May 1934 – 3 July 2013) was a French trumpeter, multi-instrumentistFrancis Marmande, Le Monde 07_06_2013 and composer, co-founder of the first free jazz band in France (1964)François Tusques Free Jazz, Mouloudji, 1965 (reissue In situ 139, 1991) together with François Tusques,François Tusques 1992, Le jardin des délices, in situ 165, 1993 - Octaèdre, Axolotl AXO101, 1994 - Blue Phèdre, Axolotl AXO103, 1996 Michel Portal Unit (1972)Michel Portal Unit, No, no but it may be, Le Chant du Monde LDX 74526, 1972 (reissue Universal 038 352, 2003) and Un Drame Musical Instantané with Jean-Jacques Birgé and Francis Gorgé in 1976.
Early life and career Born in Paris, France, Vitet was involved in the early fusion of jazz and contemporary music with Bernard Parmegiani and Jean-Louis Chautemps.Bernard Parmegiani, Pop'eclectic incl. Jazzex (rec.1966), Plate Lunch PL08, 1998 In the 1960s, he accompanied singers such as Serge Gainsbourg,Serge Gainsbourg En relisant ta lettre Barbara,Barbara Ni belle ni bonne, Madame Yves Montand,Yves Montand Il n'y a plus d'après, Quand tu dors près de moi Claude François, Brigitte Bardot,Brigitte Bardot Un jour comme un autre, À la fin de l'été Marianne Faithfull, Colette Magny,Colette Magny Répression, Scalen' CMPCD 03, 1972 (reissue 1990) and Brigitte Fontaine. He played with jazz musicians such as Lester Young, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, the Art Ensemble of Chicago,Art Ensemble of Chicago, Go home, Galloway 600502, 1970 Steve Lacy, Gato Barbieri, Jean-Luc Ponty,Jean-Luc Ponty The beginning of..., LP Palm 19 and Martial Solal. In his early years, he performed with Django Reinhardt, Gus Viseur, Eric Dolphy, and Albert Ayler.
Under his own name he recorded Surprise-partie avec Bernard Vitet (on trombone!),Bernard Vitet Surprise-Partie "D", GEM52/D, 1954 La Guêpe on texts by Francis Ponge,Bernard Vitet La guêpe, Futura Son 05, 1971 (reissue 2005) Mehr Licht!,Bernard Vitet Mehr Licht!, GRRR 1003, 1979 and about 200 other records with the aforementioned, plus Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, Georges Arvanitas,Georges Arvanitas, Soul Jazz, Columbia FPX 193, 1960 Sunny Murray,Sunny Murray, Shandar 10.008, 1968 - Big Chief, Pathé Marconi 1727561, 1969 Michel Pascal,Michel Pascal Puzzle, Ina 275 742, 2000 Alan Silva,Alan Silva Luna Surface, Byg 529.312, 1969 - Seasons, Byg 529.342-43-44, 1970 - Celestrial Communication Orchestra My country (rec. 1971), Leo LR 302, 1989 Alexander von Schlippenbach,Globe Unity 67 & 70, Atavistic/Unheard Music Series, 1970 Hubert Rostaing, Alix Combelle, Ivan Jullien,Ivan Jullien Paris point zéro, Barclay, 1965 Christian Chevalier, Jef Gilson,Jef Gilson Enfin, cd FD 151922, 1962-63 Jack Diéval,Jack Diéval Sastanak u Studiju II, Cosmic Sounds CS26, 1961 Jac Berrocal,Jac Berrocal Parallèles, Davantage 01, 1976 Hélène SageHélène Sage Comme une image, GRRR 2014, 1989 - Les araignées, GRRR 2022, 1997 and 17 albums with Un drame musical instantané. In 1995, he co-signs the songs of CartonBirgé Vitet Carton, CD audio/rom GRRR 2021, 1997 with Birgé, with whom he collaborates on music for films, exhibitions,Il était une fois la Fête Foraine, Grande Halle de La Villette (cd Auvidis), 1995 - Jours de cirque, Grimaldi Forum, Monaco, 2002 and CD-Roms.At the Circus with Seurat, Réunion des Musées Nationaux / Gallimard / Hyptique), 1996 - Mr Men, 2001 (Hyptique-Emme)
Vitet invented instruments such as a reed trumpet, a multiphonic French horn, a variable tension double-bass, the dragoon which is a giant balafon with frying pans and flower pots keyboard, a clever system of modal clocks, and astonishing musical objects for Georges Aperghis, Tamia, and Françoise Achard. Besides trumpet, he sang and played flugelhorn, piano and violin.
He composed theatre music for Jean-Marie Serrault, and for the films (Les coeurs verts by Édouard Luntz, L'ombre de la pomme by Robert Lapoujade with Jean-Louis Chautemps, Bof by Claude Faraldo in collaboration with Jean Guérin,Jean Guérin Tacet, Futura Son 14, 1971 and La femme-bourreau by Jean-Denis Bonan.
From 1976 to 2008, he devoted himself primarily to Un Drame Musical Instantané with Jean-Jacques Birgé, improvising and composing hundreds of pieces together, experimental essays as well as symphonic pieces, songs as well as music for films. Un D.M.I., as a trio or with their 15-piece orchestra, presented multimedia shows involving cinema, video, literature, dance and new technologies.
Site drame.org offers hundreds of unissued pieces free to listen and download.
Notes
Sources Philippe Carles and Jean-Louis Comolli, Free Jazz Black Power, Ed. Champ Libre, coll.10-18, 1971, p. 418-419 Philippe Carles, André Clergeat and Jean-Louis Comolli, Dictionnaire du jazz, Ed. Robert Laffont, Coll. Bouquins, Paris, 1994, p. 1220-1221.
External links
Site of Un drame musical instantané Mémoires d'un dilettante in Les Allumés du Jazz n°5, 2001