The Founding of the European Jazz Federation has brought together many outstanding personalities of jazz on our continent. JAZZ FORUM would like to acquaint its Readers with some of those who have set out to build a strong jazz movement headed by the EJF. Today, we introduce Charles Delaunay, certainly the central figure in France's jazz life, chief editor of the Jazz Hot magazine, and a Vice President of the EJF.
JF: Tell us how you first became interested in jazz?
CD: Well, it all started pretty early, in the twenties, the late
twenties, actually. I had some records, mostly what we
would call pop today. I found t'lat I was getting bored
with them, while when listening to the jazz ones I had
discovered new sounds, new music. I had a Jelly Roll
Morton record, "Black Bottom Stomp", and Duke Ellington,
things like that.
JF: Were there any jazz clubs in France then?
CD: As a matter of fact in 1932 I discovered that there
were other jazz fans. When I found out that the Hot Club
de France had been formed recently, I joined immediately.
My first job was in publicity. Once I did some publicity for
a record shop. Well, I didn't get paid but I asked for
records, instead. With the help of visiting US artists I
started at the same time collecting information on records
and musicians, in the beginning on strictly personal basis.
JF: I think it was about that time that you met Django
Reinhardt...?
CD: Yes, in 1934 I got involved with the Django Reinhardt
Hot Club Quintet, and worked on most of the records he
recorded. I took him to London, for the first Decca sides,
I also named most of his pieces. Oh, I just remembered a very funny story. It was, I think, around 1937. Django's Quintet was going to Zurich for an important engagement and I was also coming. Most of us were coming from Paris, but Django was in Lyon. In Zurich we discovered that Django hadn't come. The manager of the place where Django and the Quintet were supposed to play said he would not pay if Django didn't show up. We waited, but the last train from Lyon came and there was no Django. So, one of my friends in the Quintet said: "Look, I have a spare tuxedo with me, why don't you put it on and pretend you are Django?" Well, I had never played a guitar in my life before that, so I just pretended to play on it, just hitting it with my hand like a drum. It went off fine, too. Some people in the audience even said: "Look at that one with the dark eyebrows — that's Django Reinhardt. Isn't he great?" JF: But to return to the Hot Club... CD: Ah, yes, well, as I've already told I found out about it in 1932 or 33 and I joined immediately. There were only about thirty real jazz fans in Paris at that time, but the Club got going. After some time we had American stars like Coleman Hawkins, Bill Coleman, Garnet Clark, Joe Turner, and the best French musicians. One of the founders of the Hot Club was called up into the army, and I became entirely responsible for the Club, organizing monthly concerts with top US musicians whenever there was anybody available. JF: Tell us something about the beginnings of the Jazz Hot magazine.
CD: The first issue of Jazz Hot, which actually was the first magazine in the world devoted entirely to jazz, appeared in February 1935. In the following year the "Hot Discography" was published. It was the first informational book on jazz records and the fans very quickly learned to appreciate it. In 1937 I started the first recording company concerned exclusively with jazz. I started issuing records on the "Swing" label. We started with recordings by Coleman Hawkins, Dickie Wells, Teddy Weatherford, Bill Coleman, Eddie South, Benny Carter, and a lot of other US artists. We didn't neglect the French musicians, of course. All these other activities didn't interfere with the Hot Club and magazine work. In 1938 the magazine and the Hot Club moved to 14 Rue Chaptal, and I quit my other interest — art, and devoted myself completely to jazz. In 1938 the second revised edition of "Hot Discography" was published, and one year later two books, one of them devoted to silhouettes of various jazz musicians. In 1939 I also started a radio show on an independent network called "Poste Parisien".
JF: And then the war came. Can you tell us something about your work for jazz at that difficult time?

CD: When I was discharged in 1940, I returned to my previous work: lectures, concerts, records. I was amazed to discover that before there had never been greater interest for jazz!
In 1943 I was arrested by the Germans for resistance activities.
After the war was over, I again started publishing Jazz Hot and reviewing concerts, radio shows, and recording dates. Since the record company needed new names, I went to America and did six record sessions: with the Ellington big band, Louis Armstrong, Jonah Jones, Benny Carter, and one with the boppers, including Kenny Clarke, Bud Powell, Fats Navarro, Kenny Durham and others. I also compiled very much information for the 1947 "New Hot Discography", and started preparing for the 1948 Jazz Festival. JF: What about big-name American musicians? CD: Well, early in 1948 it happened that Dizzy Gillespie big band was stuck somewhere between Scandinavia and Belgium. I went to Antwerp and brought the band to Paris. It was a real sensation, and almost started a war between traditional jazz fans and modern addicts. The band played about one month in Paris, at concert, theater, and club dates. After the 1948 Paris Jazz Festival, with Coleman Hawkins, Errol Garner, the Howard McGhee Orchestra, Slam Stewart and others, the scene livened up considerably. The following year the second Paris Festival hosted Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker with his quintet, Miles Davis with his group, and others. From then on jazz became so popular that it was possible to organize tours in France. Sidney Bechet came back in 1949, and was followed by Hawkins and Bill Coleman. Duke Ellington came in 1950, and Louis Armstrong in 1951; each of them did a month long tour of the small French cities. At that time there were already over 150 Hot Clubs all over the country. In 1949 I managed to get started a weekly concert series which had packed houses for 8 months, and in 1952 a live radio show broadcast from a concert hall which could seat 3 500 people. The show always featured bands of all kinds... In 1953 we had tours by the Count Basie and Stan Kenton big bands.
In 1950, 1952, and 1954 there were held 3 Salons du Jazz — a sort of a jazz fair, with art exhibitions, lectures, film shows, instruments and publications exhibits, and concerts... JF: And how was your "Swing" record company coming along?
CD: Well, in 1950 "Swing" merged with "Vogue", which then was a newly-founded company. By 1955 I decided to devote more time to "Vogue" and less to my various jazz activities; I owed it to my family to
settle down more, spend more time with them.
JF: And your Jazz Hot work?
CD: Several years ago I found out that the magazine was
in pretty bad shape, so I took over as editor again.
JF: I think you have a very interesting cellection of jazz
records?
CD: Well, its a pretty big one — about 20 000 disks, including
all the prewar 78s. The records cover the whole history of
jazz.
JF: What do you think about jazz now?
CD: Well, it has progressed so fast, it's all very confusing,
especially modern.
I think you can see all kinds of influence today in jazz:
practically everything from Gregorian chants to Stravinsky.
It's a great melting pot of styles. It's all very confusing, but
I like jazz. Actually, jazz has led me to classical music,
through it I became a Jan Sebastian Bach fan.
JF: What do you think about the European Jazz Federation?
Does it have a future?
CD: Of course it has a future. I only regret that it wasn't
founded thirty years ago, and there was a time then when
it was possible. It would have saved much time now. It
should end all the anarchy that there is in jazz now. It can
do a lot to help musicians in Europe, because jazz needs
a backbone, it needs decent promotion. And one thing more:
I think the Federation should be open to anybody who has
anything to do with jazz, who can do anything for it.
Interview by ANDRZEJ WIĘCKO.