Maxim Saury (born February 27, 1928, Enghien-les-Bains - November 15, 2012, Boulogne-Billancourt) was a French jazz clarinetist, bandleader and arranger, he is one of the symbols of the " revival " (the "resurrection") of New Orleans jazz in Saint-Germain-des-Prés , for the 1950s and 1960s .
Though Saury's father played violin professionally, he did not take to the instrument as a young child, and only began playing when he was twelve years old. He switched to clarinet because he admired the playing of Hubert Rostaing. Shortly after World War II he began playing with Christian Azzi and Claude Bolling, and briefly led a trio in 1949. In the 1950s he founded his own large ensemble called the New Orleans Sound; this band included Jean-Claude Naude and went on several tours worldwide. Between 1955 and 1968, he played almost tirelessly at the Caveau de la Huchette , in Paris and participated in all major French jazz festivals (including Cannes , Antibes , Nice or Juan-les-Pins ).
Here's "September Song" from above E.P.
A representative of the French traditional jazz scene, he has appeared on many TV shows and also appeared in several films shot in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Since the late 1960s,
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Maxim Saury performed regularly in France and throughout the world. He played with Barney Bigard in the US in the late 1960s and returned to play in the US twice in the 1970s. Once being with Louis Armstrong on his 70th anniversary concert.
As a representative figure in French traditional jazz, he was frequently invited to play music, or the role of a musician, in film and television, including in Bonjour Tristesse, Les Tricheurs, Mon oncle, and Adieu Philippine.
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| Maxim with Louis Armstrong 1970 |
In 2007, he was one of the few performers selected for the compilation in four volumes The 100 Greatest Successes of Saint-Germain-des-Pres , alongside Yves Montand , Boris Vian , Juliette Greco , The Brothers Jacques , Catherine Sauvage , Sidney Bechet , Marcel Mouloudji and Stéphane Grappelli .
In 2008, Maxim Saury remarried at the age of 80. And, in 2009, he still performed in various galas and concerts, celebrating his "career of sixty years.”He died at the age of eighty-four on November 15, 2012 at Ambroise-Paré Hospital in Boulogne-Billancourt, following heart problems.
Maxim Saury’s daughter is the jazz drummer Julie Saury .