Raymond Fol was born in Paris, on April 28, 1928. His older brother was alto saxophonist Hubert Fol. Both were raised in a musical household, and Raymond began playing piano at five years of age. After the World War II, both brothers played in Claude Abadie’s octet (1945-1947), which also featured trumpeter Boris Vian. In 1948, the Fol brothers were part of the “Be-bop Minstrels” and both were among of the group of the musicians who enriched the history of jazz in France in the post-war years.

Raymond’s first musical idol was Duke Ellington, whose influence was ever present throughout his career. From the age of twenty, attracted by modern jazz, he was inspired in particular by John Lewis and Bud Powell, and his style acquired an undeniable personality, soon appreciated by his peers. His playing was not spectacular, but it was full of finesse and precision.

In October 1949, the Frisco club, which had opened its doors on rue Notre-Dame-de-Lorette a few months earlier, changed its policy and became Bop City, where Kenny Clarke’s orchestra played, albeit due to unknown circumstances it had to close very soon after. “The opening of the Bopera House was truly an event in the world of American musicians in Europe,” said Kenny Clarke in Jazz Hot.

“We were finally the ambassadors of this new trend in jazz music. Unfortunately, our efforts have been halted due to circumstances beyond our control. Nevertheless, the French public, loyal and knowledgeable, was there to encourage us. This favorable attitude of the French should not go unnoticed. The opening of the Bopera House proves that they are 100 percent for this movement and we must strive to make our music more known, as we continue to do. We have chosen the most capable and qualified French musicians, such as Hubert Fol, Jean-Paul Mengeon, Henri Aspar, Pierre Michelot, Raymond Fol, Raphael Schecroun, Jean Bouchety, André Hodeir. Albert Ferreri, Toni Proteau, and many others to help us make this music known to the French public and to those of many other countries in Europe.”

In 1950, Raymond recorded with groups led by French musicians vibraphonist Geo Daly, clarinetist Maurice Meunier, altoist Hubert Fol, and bassist Pierre Michelot. He was also the most sought after French pianist by visiting American musicians who recorded in Paris during that year. Raymond’s competence as accompanist and soloist was heard on recordings with the group led by John Lewis and combos led by Ernie Royal, Johnny Hodges, Don Byas, Josh White and Roy Eldridge. Worth listening to with James Moody Bop-tet, his solo on In the Anna (Indianna) is an excellent example of the talent he possessed.

Raymond Fol was also a gifted arranger and composer. This quality was documented when he assembled an excellent 10-piece orchestra to record three of his own compositions: “Lonely Moments,” “Death of an Octopus,” and “Ivory Black.”

During February 1951, Raymond was part of the orchestra conducted by tenor saxophonist Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, who accompanied the trumpeter Roy Eldridge in his concerts in Brussels, Lille, Nancy, Strasbourg, and the last one at the Roxy in Paris, on February 27.

Then he joined the quintet led by his brother Hubert, who accompanied Django Reinhardt at the Saint-Germain Club (13, rue Saint-Benoît). The club had been closed since January 1, 1951, and reopened its doors, March 2, after work that transformed its general appearance.

It was Django’s return to the scene, after two years of voluntary retirement, apart from a month's engagement in Rome with André Ekyan, in the spring of 1950. Along with Raymond, the rhythm section was made up of the best, Pierre Michelot (b) and Pierre Lemarchand (d). A month later trumpeter Bernard Hullin also joined the quintet. With the accompaniment of the Hubert Fol’s group, a renewed and cheerful Django was seen when playing with young passionate musicians who explored new harmonic concepts.

In July 1951 Raymond recorded again in two excellent James Moody albums, with strings and quintet for Vogue. “La Nuit du Jazz 1951” was presented at the Coliseum on December 15 in which Raymond was part of an All Stars group with Roger Guérin, Michel de Villers, Hubert Fol, Bernard Planchenault, and Alix Brent.

At the beginning of 1952 Raymond interrupted his Parisian activities for a few weeks to join the group (Bill Tamper, Hubert Fol, Don Byas, Pierre Michelot and Humberto Canto) that accompanied Dizzy Gillespie on his European tour. Back to Paris he would work for a year with the Claude Luter band that accompanied Sidney Bechet, at the Vieux Colombier club and also on tour. “I went out with out transition from a tour with Gillespie, and I had to familiarize myself overnight with his repertoire,” explained Raymond. Luter’s band included trumpeter Guy Lognon, trombonist Bernard Zacharias, bassist Roland Bianchini, and drummer François “Moustache” Galépidès, and was featured in the short movie La route du bonheur.

In April Raymond recorded in a Vogue session lead by trumpeter Nelson Williams. Late in May 1953, “Moustache” left Claude Luter’s group and created his own ensemble Moustache’s Seven, which Raymond and Guy Lognon joined to go to the Côte d’Azur, where they would play at the Palm Beach in Cannes, and recording an album for the Pathé label.

After summer, the Moustache Seven returned to Paris, being hired as the house band at the Club Saint-Germain. The group, which by then included Raymond, Longnon, Hubert Fol, and trombonist Benny Vasseur, became so popular, that they were invited to record another album for Pathé in the spring of 1954. That year, Raymond also recorded with the Guy Lafitte Sextet for Columbia.

At the end of spring the Moustache band disbanded at the Club Saint-Germain, and was replaced by a new quintet lead by the clarinetist Maurice Meunier, which had Raymond on piano, Geo Daly on vibes, Emmanuel Soudieux on bass, and “Mac Kac” Reilles on drums. A group that every night, practiced a mainstream and affordable jazz, quite influenced by the playing of modern musicians, but which remained very danceable. Between group performances, Raymond played piano solos. After summer, trumpeter Bernard Hulin replaced Geo Daly. Every week, on Saturday and Sunday afternoons (4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) the Bobby Jaspar All Stars (Sacha Distel, René Urtreger, Benoit Quersin and Jean-Louis Viale) also performed, for lovers of modern jazz.

Among Raymond’s activities in 1955, two recording sessions for the Barclay label must be highlighted. The first in March with Lionel Hampton, and in autumn, with Chet Baker, who was in Paris, during the course of his European tour.

The tragic death of Chet’s pianist, Dick Twardzik, a few weeks after arriving in Paris, meant that Chet, in order to continue his performances and fulfill his record contract with Barclay, had to resort to local pianists to play in his sessions. After he used two of the best, Gerard Gustin and René Urtreger, on November 28, it was Raymond Fol’s turn to accompany Chet at the Pathé-Magellan Studio. That day together with Benoît Quersin on bass and Jean-Louis Viale on drums they formed the rhythm section that accompanied Chet on the session. They recorded five tunes, four were well known standards: “Alone Together,” “Once in a While,” “All the Things You Are,” and “Everything Happens to Me.” The fifth tune was “Exitus,” a composition written by one of Baker’s friends, Phil Urso.

From January 1956, at the Club Saint-Germain, Maurice Meunier’s ensemble included Raymond, Pierre Michelot and Mac Kac, and had as guests Stéphane Grappelli and the singer and actress Claude Borelli. That month Raymond Fol recorded on a Maurice Meunier 10-inch for Barclay.

Finally, after having been one of the pianists who had recorded the most with American jazzmen visiting Paris, on April 13 for Columbia, Raymond Fol recorded his first session as leader of his trio with bassist Michel Finet (formerly with Bobby Jaspar) and drummer “Mac Kac” Reilles. It was an EP with Miles Davis’ “Tune Up,” and three Fol’s originals “John’s Groove” (dedicated to John Lewis), “Ro-ma-no” (dedicated to Marcel Romano), and “Lazy Lady Daisy.”

About Raymond, producer Marcel Romano wrote in the liner notes: “The opportunity to demonstrate his qualities as a soloist had never been offered to him. We are therefore happy to present to you for the first time this distinctive musician in front of his keyboard as he recently appeared at Club Saint-Germain, of which he is one of the main pillars.”

On its review for Jazz Magazine, Pierre Fallan wrote: “This excellent disc for a French musician, makes me realize how little Raymond Fol is valued with in the orchestra of Club Saint-Germain.”

Raymond performed from July 15 to August 15 in a small group with Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, and Moustache. The Maurice Meunier quartet including Grappelli started the season again in September.

In January 1957, he went to Brussels as accompanist of singer Jacqueline François. During his stay in the city, he was heard at many jam sessions with tenor saxophonist Jack Sels and the best Belgian jazz musicians.

Back in Paris, he returned at Club Saint-Germain in a quartet with Maurice Meunier, Pierre Michelot, Mac Kac, playing until end of winter 1957. After three years in a row, that was his last job at the club.

From early spring 1957, together with the pianist Jack Dieval, they were the prominent names of a new broadcast, “Sur votre piano,” performed live at the Salle Gaveau. In July, as pianist and arranger he recorded with Stéphane Grappelli.

He had also become musical director and pianist of the young French pop singer Annie Fratellini. She was the granddaughter of a famous clown and a member of the Fratellini circus family, and continued the tradition by being a circus artist herself as of the age of fourteen. Later she became the first female circus clown in France. In addition she played several reed instruments, and was also a singer. She liked to interpret popular melodies with a lot of feeling, and she was passionate about jazz. Annie had taste and an honest and sensitive voice, and here she will surprise you by singing, in a 1958 session, a couple of standards in a laid-back jazz setting and caressing style, backed by her pianist /arranger Raymond Fol with an all-star group that includes Roger Guérin, Sacha Distel, Pierre Michelot and Kenny Clarke.

A fact to remember it happened in February 1958 during the recording session of the album Paris Session, which had gathered Milt Jackson, on the piano, Kenny Clarke, Percy Heath and Barney Wilen. When the musicians arrived at the studio, the session supervisor, Marcel Romano, asked them to record some songs by Django and Charles Trenet. The musicians did not know them, and Romano called on Raymond Fol who quickly deciphered the melodies and taught them to the musicians. They also recorded a version of Raymond composition, “John’s Groove.”

The year 1958 saw him working for awhile with a rhythm section, with Bibi Rovère on bass, and Moustache on drums. In February 1959, Raymond performed at the club Au Chat qui Pêche alongside bassist Dan Jordan, and Jimmy Pratt, the Californian drummer, who had come a year earlier, with Bob Cooper, Bud Shank. Claude Williamson and June Christy, and who had returned to Paris for a month’s stay.

In March 1959, Raymond and Bibi Rovère traveled to Rome, where for three months they played on a series of Italian radio broadcasts as members of Italian trumpeter Nunzio Rotondo's quintet, along with tenor saxophonist Enzo Scoppa and drummer Gilberto Cuppini. The quintet recorded an EP for the Italian Music label.

Also in 1959, Raymond recorded on an excellent Clark Terry album for Decca, on which he was the only French musician in a quintet that included Paul Gonsalves (ts), Jimmy Woode (b) and G.T.Hogan (d). In 1960 he re-recorded a Guy Lafitte quartet session, with Paul Rovère (b), and Christian Garros (d), issued on a Columbia 10-inch.

Starting in January 1961, Raymond Fol with Gilbert “Bibi” Rovère and the young drummer Charles Bellonzi, formed a trio,which performed daily in the relaxed and intimate atmosphere of the Mars Club (6, rue Robert-Etienne), who’s stage also supported performances by Californian singer Billie Poole, who was living in Paris.

Charles Bellonzi arrived in Paris from his native Nice, in September 1960.— “As soon as I arrived, I worked at the Tabou, replacing Pierre Favre. Then I went occasionally to Club Saint Germain. I met the pianist Bart Taylor who hired me, along with Gilbert Rovère, to play at the Mars Club. Bart was then replaced by Joe Castro accompanied by Leroy Vinnegar on bass. I stayed two months with them. Still at the Mars Club, I had the chance to find myself with Raymond Fol and Gilbert on bass. It was the first orchestra that brought me something good; Raymond Fol helped me a lot, he notably made me discover Duke Ellington: I think that made me glimpse a more musical conception of drums.”

In the fall of 1960, Jean-Christophe Averty invited the Raymond trio to his television show, in which Bellonzi was replaced by a more experienced drummer like Christian Garros. All four pieces performed, “Circeo,” “Oh My Lord,” “Out of Art,” and “Lady, Lady, Daisy,” were by Fol and show his ability to draw something melodically different from a familiar-sounding base and reinforces the impression of him as a composer.

The trio Fol-Bibi-Bellonzi, remained at the Mars Club until September 1961. Subsequently, Raymond joined as musical director and pianist the new sextet of Guy Lafitte, with his brother Hubert, Bernard Vitet, Bibi Rovère, and Charles Saudrais, participating in numerous tours for the Jeunesses Musicales de France.

From June to October 1962, Raymond appeared again at Club Saint-Germain with Luigi Trussardi (b), Mac Kac Reilles (d). Later, he formed a new trio with Alby Cullaz and Charles Bellonzi, which remained together, only for occasional performances during most of 1963 and 1965. Bellonzi during this period was also part of the René Thomas quintet and the Martial Solal trio.

On November 7, 1962, in the Salle Gaveau, within the framework of the “Semaines Musicales Internationales de Paris,” groupsmade up of some of the most outstanding French jazz players performed. Among them, Raymond Fol stood out in his role as Stéphane Grappelli’s accompanist.

In July and August of 1963 Raymond temporarily replaced René Urtreger in Kenny Clarke’s quintet at the Club Saint-Germain, with Nathan Davis (ts/ss), Michel Gaudry (b) and Jimmy Gourley (g). Two months later the mythical Parisian club would close its doors.

On December 7, 1964, bassist Michel Gaudry provisionally took Cullaz's place in Raymond's trio, for the “Jazz Partout” concert, held at the Théâtre des Capucines. After the trio's performance, Art Taylor took Bellonzi’s seat, while Donald Byrd and Hubert Fol entered the scene for the final part.

In July 1965, following a trend in France to interpret the “classic in jazz” Raymond conceived his most ambitious project by writing the arrangements of the complete “Four seasons” after Antonio Vivaldi for a large orchestra and small group, which he conducted, and recorded for Philips. Besides the quality of the orchestrations of Raymond Fol it is, in fact, an excellent jazzistic work. Note the presence of some leading soloists, such as Johnny Griffin, Jimmy Woode, Fats Sadi, Art Taylor, Roger Guérin, and Ivan Jullien. A record that shows a lot of imagination, projecting a variety of moods, even within the individual sections, in which Raymond alternates arrangements in the styles of Ellington or John Lewis depending on whether he uses the big orchestra or a quintet or quartet. His inspiration from the two masters is not surprising, as Raymond had always expressed his admiration for Duke Ellington and John Lewis and had more than a hint of themin his past.

In this period of his life, Raymond gave up club performances almost entirely and projected his musical thoughts primarily into writing, both composition and arrangement.

With that in mind, he put together a septet that included Raymond, Roger Guérin, Ivan Jullien, and Maurice Thomas, trumpets; Jean Charles Capon, cello; Luigi Trussardi, bass; and René Nan, drums. With this unusual line-up, Raymond presented some of his original compositions, such as “Circonference,” the beautiful “Aquarious Mood,” “Tristan,” and “Out of Art,” all handled with authority by the leader, and with bravura by his adventurous septet, during a concert held on April 22, 1967, in room 105 of the Maison de l’O.R.T.F. This is a signifiant document of his expanding role in the contemporary jazz as arranger, composer, and both instrumental virtuoso and imaginative improviser.

Also in 1967 Raymond composed a great piece ofmusic, “Salomé,” for Duke Ellington, whose orchestra himself had conducted during a stay in New York in 1970. The mutual admiration and friendship between Duke and Raymond was evident over the years, and whenever Duke came to Europe, he would often invite Raymond to performas a guest at his concerts whenever he could. The last time was during the European tour produced by George Wein as part of the ‘Newport Presents’ concerts, which the Ellington Orchestra performed in the fall of 1973, a few months before the great Maestro’s death.

From the late ‘60s until 1979, he was in the recording studios fairly regularly, appearing as a sideman on albums by Stéphane Grappelli, Guy Lafitte, Paul Gonsalves, Gerard Badini, Lionel Hampton, Cootie Williams, Mitchell “Booty” Wood, Harold Ashby, and Norris Turney. In the same period he also recorded albums under his name on piano solo, trio, and duet.

In the fall of 1978 he participated in a “Tribute to Duke Ellington” tour with Cat Anderson (tp), “Booty” Wood (tb), Harold Ashby (ts), Norris Turney (as), Aaron Bell (b), and Sam Woodyard (dm). It was Raymond’s last tribute to his forever idol. Six months later Raymond Fol died in Paris, on May 1, 1979.

Looking back, almost 44 years after his passing, it is hard to understand why neither in life nor after his death he was recognized as he deserved. It is only possible to think that perhaps itwas because of his modesty and discretion that Raymond never became as famous as other French pianists of his generation.

Compared to the many excellent recordings of his as a sideman during the 1950s —the golden age of jazz in France— his discography as a leader was reduced to a single EP, which evidently did not help him achieve the same status as pianists such as Martial Solal, René Urtreger, Maurice Vander, or Henri Renaud, to name a few. Despite everything, we can say that Raymond Fol was a respected musician, both by critics and fans, but little valued by the record companies of those years. His melodic yet swinging style meshed equally with traditional, mainstream, and modern jazz, always with exquisite elegance and good taste. As Michel Laverdure wrote in Jazz Magazine: “It is important that those who love jazz never forget Raymond Fol.”

—Jordi Pujol (From the inside liner notes of FSRCD 1124)