André Persiani - The Real Me (The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions Bordeaux 1970) (2008)

André Persiani, also known as Persiany, was a French jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader who, "with his block-chord technique as the stylistic successor of Milt Buckner.

Persiany, from 1946 onwards, directed his own formations, a. with Joseph Reinhardt and Michel de Villers, played with the Be Bop Minstrels (1947/48) with Robert Mavounzy and Emmanuel Soudieux, as well as duo with the pianist Eddie Bernard. He was best known for his collaboration with American musicians such as Sidney Bechet, Don Byas and Bobby Jaspar (1953), Buck Clayton (1949), Lionel Hampton, Bill Coleman, Kenny Clarke (1948), Big Bill Broonzy, Albert Nicholas and Mezz Mezzrow, also under the pseudonym Jules Dupont in 1954 in the orchestras of Bernard Zacharias and Charlie Singleton, the latter also as a Celesta player. In January 1953 he accompanied Django Reinhardt with four numbers; he also wrote arrangements for Henri Salvador. In 1956, he moved to the United States for the first time, performing in the Metropole with Zutty Singleton, Charlie Shavers and Roy Eldridge, and Birdland. In 1956 he had the opportunity to record a big-band album for Columbia (Impressions in New York); he led the Big Band formation International Jazz Group, a. Seldon Powell, Taft Jordan, Lawrence Brown, Tyree Glenn and Eddie Barefield. In 1958 he accompanied Hildegard Knef (alias "Hildegarde Neff") with some of his songs by Boris Vian and Harry Warren / Al Dubin (Das Mädchen von Hamburg).

In the 1960s he worked in the quartet of trumpeter Jonah Jones; In 1970 he returned to France. There he continued his collaboration with Americans such as Charlie Shavers, Milt Buckner, Cat Anderson, Arnett Cobb / Eddie Chamblee and Budd Johnson as well as the French Christian Garros, Guy Lafitte, Gérard Pochonet and Bernard Vitet Le Furstemberg. He worked as an arranger, a. for Al Gray (Trombone by five, 1977). Among his recordings are Swinging Here and There (1958 for Pathé), The Real Me (1970, Black & Blue) and Every Night at Furstemburg (1977).