The (complex) process that led to the organisation of the 1949 International Jazz Festival in Paris was drawn up with the help of Franck Bauer's archives, which the latter entrusted to his friend Michel Pfau, a collector and member of the Hot Club de France[•] The archives contain Bauer's correspondence with promoters and artists, and also exchanges with Charles Delaunay. Bauer's archives are now preserved by Anne Legrand, the Treasurer of the Hot Club de France, whose role consists in bringing public attention to their value and finding an institution that can maintain their protection
All the correspondence we have was used to establish the chronology of these exchanges. Missing exchanges concern, in particular, the Lyon concert (the second attempt), as well as the Bordeaux concerts and, above all, the Roubaix concert. The carbon copies of Franck Bauer's responses that we possess are numbered from Jazz Week JW1 to JW83; aside from a few duplicates and missing numbers, they reveal two missing sequences, between JW14–25 and another one between JW59–69.
Frank Bauer biographical elements.
Franck Adolphe Édouard Bauer was born on 2 July, 1918 in Troyes, in the Aube department of France.[•] His family was known for its interest in the arts, and Bauer’s parents enrolled him at an early age in the town’s Conservatory of Music, run by Amable Massis.[•] Bauer’s talent for drawing manifested itself right from the beginning, and it won him the Second Prize in February 1930.[•]
In the summer of 1933, while on a school language-trip to Nazi Germany, Franck Bauer realised that war was inevitable:[•] “We are going to have a war (that) we will lose; and as for me I shall go away,”[•] he confided to his parents on his return to Troyes. His stay in Germany later earned him the publication of one of his drawings in the revue of the German Studies League, “Deutsche Blätter,” thanks to M. Lepetit, the rowing teacher at the Lycée Buffon.[•]
In 1934[•] he founded the Troyes Hot Club, and in November[•] the same year he went to Paris to meet Louis Armstrong.[•] After Ray Ventura and his “Collégiens”[•]
gave a concert in Troyes he decided to become a drummer, and on the advice of Charles Delaunay and Hugues Panassié he turned to Max Elloy[•] to learn the rudiments of percussion. He founded a band known as the “Shoe Shine Boys.”[•]
After the summer break in 1936 he went to boarding school in Provins, in the Seine-et-Marne département,[•] and also began corresponding with Delaunay and Panassié.[•] He escaped regularly to Paris, especially Montparnasse, with its cabaret Le Collège Inn, and most often the club Jimmy’s Bar where he used to “jam” with the Salvador brothers.[•]
He decided to end his academic studies to become an ornamental plasterer, enrolling in the school of Paul Colin;[•] his secondary subject was set-design for the cinema, and he became Claude Bouxin's assistant.
On 16 March 1938, his composition “Prélude, Fugue & Variation”
was performed by Alexander Plotnikoff at the International Conservatory.[•] [•] He put together a small amateur dance-group [•] and from then on he played piano,[•] relying on earnings from his evening concerts to finance appearances there by such notable names as Arthur Briggs and Stéphane Grappelli. On one evening he played drums accompanying Django Reinhardt.[•]
War broke out, and on 22 June 1940 Franck left Paris to go to England.[•] On July 2 he volunteered for the military and joined the Free French Forces.[•] His duties included information missions, and he didn't miss the opportunity to meet up with his musician friends, like Stéphane Grappelli, then a resident at Hatchett’s,[•] and Jean-Pierre Sasson before the latter volunteered for the Royal Air Force.[•]
On 17 November 1940,[•] he received an order to embark on a mission to the USA via Canada; he discovered New York,[•] New Orleans, where he met Bunk Johnson,[•] and returned to New York. During his mission he visited clubs where he met Aaron Bridgers and Billy Strayhorn, who, like himself, had come in one night to hear Art Tatum.[•] He reported back to London on 5 March 1941[•] and by March 13[•] he was playing piano at Chez Yvonne and had also met the BBC's Jean Oberlé.[•] On the 21st of March[•] he signed a contract with the BBC and began working full-time on the station's French programmes.[•] One evening he crossed paths again with Al Romans, who was with Free France's Social Services at the time.[•]
It was on 2 July 1941 that he announced for the first time his famous phrase, “Ici Londres, les Français parlent aux Français.”[•]
(“This is London, the French are speaking to the French.”)
On May 27, 1943, he was appointed “Information Attaché to the Governor of Madagascar, responsible for Radio Antananarivo”.[•] On 10 May 1944, he received an order to rejoin London and make himself available to the Section Head of Administrative Liaison at the Military Mission (MMLA).[•] On 25 July 1945 he was officially incorporated into the Army.[•]
In August,[•] Franck Bauer and his team embarked with their kit on an LST (Landing Ship Tank) and crossed to Arromanches.[•] He was taken to General Patton's Third United States Army, and he became a member of the ABSIE (American Broadcasting System in Europe). Under Guy Della Cioppa, he took charge of three mobile-broadcast units that were ordered to accompany the troops' advance and maintain contact with local populations.[•] Jazz played an essentiel role in that mission and helped to build an audience; “In the Mood”
would become the programme's signature tune. On 14 September 1944, Franck Bauer arrived at 97 boulevard Malesherbes in Paris, the address of his own childhood.[•]
Early in 1945,[•] tired of the power struggle in broadcasting, Bauer accepted an offer from Jean Marin [Yves Morvan] and departed for the Far East to set up his (short-lived) news show called “Les Nouvelles du matin.” [•]
Still in 1945, Bauer attempted to produce concerts, as shown in a letter from Jack Hylton dated 16 July that year.[•]
In early 1946 he became International War Correspondant for the Agence France Presse (A.F.P.) After spending 18 months in the Pacific (Java, the Philippines, China, Japan), he landed in Vancouver for a flight to Chicago and Paris, where he arrived in October '46. His return saw him contribute articles to Jazz Hot, sharing his experiences of nights of music[•]
in New York,[•] and his encounters with “Re-Bop” and Duke Ellington.
Returning to Paris, he continued his work with an enthusiastic portrait of the orchestra led by Tony Proteau,[•]
and from time to time he contributed to Jazz Hot. Between January and February 1947, Franck Bauer was appointed Chef de Cabinet for Pierre Bourdan (Pierre Maillaud), the French Minister for Culture, Youth and Information.[•]
After Pierre Bourdan's departure from the government on 22 October 1947, and before joining the Cabinet of Eugène Claudius-Petit[•]
when he was appointed to the Ministry for Reconstruction and Urbanism on 11 September 1948,[•] in early March,[•] Bauer was appointed General Secretary of the “Grande Semaine du Jazz”
to be held at the Théâtre Marigny. This event, financed by Simonne Voltera and produced artistically by Charles Delaunay and the Hot Club de Paris, was staged from May 10-17 in 1948. To set up its production, Franck Bauer was in close contact with Billy Shaw, Executive Vice President of the Gayle Agency in New York. He had earlier assisted Charles Delaunay for the concerts given by Dizzy Gillespie at Salle Pleyel (February 20 and 22).[•]
Confident after his previous experiences, Franck Bauer contacted three figures in the jazz world on September 2, 1948 to let them know of a new project he had: Carlo Krahmer, Willy de Cort and Ernest R. Berner.
1) Carlo Krahmer was a drummer and producer for the Esquire label in London. This letter is representative and describes both the project and potential difficulties it might encounter. In addition, it informs us that Nicole Barclay had already signed a provisional agreement with Charlie Parker and Lester Young during her first stay in New York, and that the Barclays were involved in this adventure.
September 2, 1948. CC (JW 03).
Franck Bauer, 97 Boulevard Malesherbes, Paris, 8 ème.
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Carlo Kramer 76, Bedford Court Mansions, Bedford Avenue, London W.C.1.
My dear Carlo, Carlo Krahmer shows a prudent attitude given his concerns regarding the Ministry of Labour. October 13, 1948. Dear Franck, 2) Willy de Cort, President and founder of the Hot Club of Belgium. Another representative letter. This does not mention Franck Bauer’s partners, but shows a certain distance maintained between himself and Charles Delaunay. Charlie Parker and Lester Young are the artists envisaged, and the project plans for seven concert venues. September 2, 1948. CC (JC 01). Mon cher Willy, My dear Willy, The experience of Gillespie and especially that of Marigny, which was undertaken with maximum guarantees, has proven that such an endeavor is only viable on a European level and not solely in France. The cost of air transport across the Atlantic is far too high for jazz concerts in France alone to be profitable. Therefore, it is necessary, in my opinion, to form a sort of very close association among those who can organize jazz concerts in Belgium, Holland, France, England, Scandinavia, and and Switzerland. I am currently in discussions, through my friends, with the following groups:> Charlie Parker, including: Tadd Dameron
As you know the fashion is on European cooperation, so I have been meditating about extending that to jazz business and especially concerts.
As I explained to you after the Marigny show, it near impossible to make money with a jazz show in France only. The only way to spreed the enormous cost of transportation is by having the musicians tour Europe instead of France.
But this is not easy as you know. Financial and economical barriers, and musicians unions veto are difficult to override especially in your country, although I do not see what harm could do the British musicians a concert by Lester Young for instances.
Any way, Nicole Barclay has come back from the states with a lot of informations concerning the musicians, and she has made provisory agreement with some of them, so we are thinking of setting up a serious organisation for jazz tours in Europe.
I have already written to correspondants in Swiss and Belgian and I would like to ask you if something identical could be done in England. We would make priority contacts and contracts is the states where we might have permanent representative, and every two months we would have a different outfit touring Europe. This would be a sort of exclusively Jazz European Agency.
What do you thing of it for England? Is it possible to organise concerts there? Would you like to do it? Or would you know someone? We need someone in whom we can have entire confidence and be able to organise quickly and well, travels and so on...
Nicole Barclay has made agreement with two top men which name I ask you to keep for yourself: Parker and Lester Young. Each one has its outfit. I also thinking myself of Count Basie who just abandoned his big band to stars a small Be Bop outfit with Miles Davis, Max Roach etc...
Kindest regards to you and Greta; hope to hear from you soon.
Franck Bauer
Carlo Krahmer
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Franck Bauer
Further to your letter regarding making some sort of cooperation for bringing American jazz musicians to Europe, I have made enquiries and at the moment have one person interested in such a venture but before committing himself he wishes to know many more details, for instance, the capital involved for England, length of stay and number of concerts required here for each artist or contingent of artists, always presuming that the union will be agreeable, although it is not only the unions, the real trouble here is the Ministry of Labour who in most cases will not grant permits for foreign artists to work here, for instance it might be possible to obtain permits for key men, leaders or outstanding soloists, in this case it is proposed I assemble a suitable outfit to support the artist or artists while appearing here, therefore perhaps you can let me have full details of how you propose this thing should work.
As regards Ken Flandrake,[•] he called upon you with the money, but apparently you had all gone away for the weekend, so he phoned me to see what he should do, and I arranged for him to take it straight to Nicole & Eddie Barclay; this has been done, so there is no need for you to worry now.
Please let us have an early reply with as much information regarding the American-European deal as you can.
All the best,
Carlo Krahmer
P.S. is Sass back in town yet?
Franck Bauer, 97 Boulevard Malesherbes, Paris, 8 ème.
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Willy de Cort, Hot Club de Belgique, 34, rue d’Arenberg, Bruxelles.
Ce petit mot pour t’informer que je songe sérieusement, avec ou sans le concours d’un de mes amis qui n’est d’ailleurs pas Charles Delaunay, à faire venir en Europe l’hiver prochain un certain nombre de musiciens américains.
L’expérience de Gillespie et surtout celle de Marigny, pourtant entreprise avec le maximum de garantie, ont prouvé qu’une telle entreprise n’était viable que sur un plan européen et non sur le plan français seulement.
Le prix des transports aériens à travers l’Atlantique est beaucoup trop élevé pour que des concerts de jazz en France soient rentables. Il est donc nécessaire, à mon avis, de former une sorte d’association très étroite entre les personnes pouvant, en Belgique, aux Pays-Bas, en France, en Angleterre, en Scandinavie et en Suisse, organiser des concerts de jazz.
Je suis en ce moment en pourparlers, par l’intermédiaire de mes amis, avec les formations suivantes :
Charlie Parker, including : Tadd Dameron,
Kenny Clarke
Slam Stewart etc…
Lester Young et quatre musiciens,
Count Basie et sa nouvelle petite formation Be-Bop.
Je suppose que tout cela est susceptible de t’intéresser grandement, mais encore convient-il de préciser les conditions matérielles. Ne connaissant pas bien l’étendue et la capacité du public belge, je m’en remets à toi, mais je dois te prévenir que ces formations sont assez coûteuses du fait que tu dois payer, en sus du cachet, les frais de voyage Paris-Bruxelles aller et retour ainsi qu’un septième des frais de voyage New York-Paris, cette dernière condition pouvant être discutée.
En tous cas, réfléchis sérieusement à ma proposition d’association et donne-moi les noms de ceux que tu pourrais connaître dans d’autres pays et qui pourraient être intéressés. Surtout pas de margoulins.
Bien à toi,
Franck Bauer
This little note is to inform you that I am seriously considering, with or without the assistance of one of my friends who is not Charles Delaunay, bringing a number of American musicians to Europe next winter.
Kenny Clarke
Slam Stewarts, etc…
Lester Young and four musicians
Count Basie and his new little Be-Bop.
I assume all of this will greatly interest you, but it is also important to clarify the material conditions. Not knowing well the extent and capacity of the Belgian audience, I am relying on you, but I must warn you that these formations are quite expensive because you must pay, in addition to the fees, the travel expenses from Paris to Brussels round trip, as well as one-seventh of the travel costs from New York to Paris, although this last condition may be discussed.
In any case, please seriously consider my proposal for an association and let me know the names of those you may know in other countries who might be interested. And please, no shady.
Best regards
Franck Bauer
