{"product_id":"ray-ventura_ray-ventura-et-ses-collegiens_2017","title":"Ray Ventura et ses collégiens","description":"This name, which has become synonymous with the \"anti-misery\" potion of the crisis years (1929 - 1939), a certain caustic humor, and above all one of the jewels of French stage jazz, leaves behind a good dozen of timeless hits. It is less known that he also has an impressive discography that spans from 1928 to 1953 (excluding a final 33 RPM in the 1970s), and that nothing predisposed this son of a good family to pursue a career in the music hall. Born in Paris on April 16, 1908, to a Turkish-Israeli father and a Lorraine mother, Raymond Ventura studied at the Jeanson-de-Sailly high school, where he also practiced his scales, with a certain taste for the syncopated music that characterized the Roaring Twenties. In 1925, he was already playing the tenor banjo among other budding musicians who had escaped from the school benches. While on vacation in Biarritz, he spent his evenings at the Casino admiring Léo Poll's orchestra, one of the pioneers of French jazz. At Jeanson, Raymond played with various interchangeable classmates (like Grégoire Arslanian, known as \"Coco Adan\"), depending on the school or family obligations of each. Over the years, the group began to take shape under the name \"Collegiate five\" and performed everywhere: grandes écoles, galas, and various festivities. There was not yet a leader, and the income and roles were distributed equally among these amateurs, most of whom did not envision a career in music... Until the day Raymond managed to secure a contract with Columbia. The orchestra recorded a single record there in October 1928, under the name \"Ray Ventura and his Collegians\" (Americanism requires), as the so-called \"Collegians\" graciously accepted to support Raymond's artistic ambitions. The following records were recorded at Odéon (46 sides from February 1929 to October 1931), and from then on, everything went very quickly. The year 1929 was marked by a round trip Paris-New York, during which the young orchestra played for the passengers. This trip especially allowed Ray Ventura to admire Paul Whiteman's band, the emperor of stage jazz in the United States. The military service of their leader somewhat disrupted the activities of the Collegians' Orchestra until 1930. But the arrival of young Paul Misraki proved to be an invaluable contribution that would last more than twenty years! Composer-performer-arranger, a member of Sacem, Misraki has so many talents… In addition to being a pianist. Nothing resists his kindness, and he will produce hits with disconcerting regularity. The first of them is Fantastique, composed for the film L’amour à l'américaine, shot in 1931, where Ray Ventura's orchestra can be seen accompanying the exuberant star Spindly in a nightclub. This theme would become the orchestra's signature for its curtain-raiser and radio broadcasts. Other notable recruits include guitarist Loulou Casté, violinist Noël Chiboust, and singer and actor Pierre Mingand. Then comes a crucial date for Ventura and for French jazz: the one where he decides to form a real stage jazz band - like the American Paul Whiteman or the English Jack Hylton, who were masters and absolute references in the field. He convinces his musicians to stage the pieces they perform and to sing in French the hits of the moment.\u003cbr\u003e After a few trials in the provinces, the orchestra experiences a spectacular launch on Friday, March 13, 1931, during its first real concert at Salle Gaveau. Spectacular effects, good-natured humor, careful arrangements, brilliant musicians, and a leader who has found his place: the formula is a hit and paves the way for eight years of unwavering success. The orchestra travels to the major provincial cities, then to the Empire, to the Olympia, and takes the opportunity to change record labels. Starting in January 1932, the Collegians indeed record in London for Decca. They will remain loyal to this label for three years, during which they will record nearly 130 sides! Offers flood in from Paris, the provinces, and even abroad, as the year 1933 allows them to embark on their first major European tour. Their return leads to a prestigious engagement: accompanying the revue Vive Paris!, at the Casino of the same name, starting October 27, 1933. The star is the almost sixty-year-old Cécile Sorel, while Mistinguett - two years her junior - holds the audience at the Folies Bergère. Portraying Célimène, Sorel descends the staircase in a panier dress and declares upon reaching the bottom, the famous: \"Did I come down well?\". A few months later, tours and recording sessions resume.\u003cbr\u003e Abandoning Decca, Ray Ventura signs a new contract with Pathé and inaugurates it with éclat as the first record is Tout va très bien Madame la Marquise, which won the Grand Prix du Disque, awarded by the weekly Candie, in 1936. This year is marked by the Front Populaire, which inspired the inimitable Grève de l'orchestre. But already the threats of conflict are becoming clearer, and good humor becomes difficult to maintain. Before his exile to South America, one of the last sessions reflects the spirit of the phoney war: On ira pendre notre linge sur la ligne Siegfried…","brand":"Ray Ventura","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57951130812760,"sku":null,"price":23432673.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0898\/4943\/0360\/files\/3540139869798.jpg?v=1786574717","url":"https:\/\/vinyles.com\/en-us\/products\/ray-ventura_ray-ventura-et-ses-collegiens_2017","provider":"Vinyles.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}