Gregor
[Kélékian, Krikor
]
- Michel Laplace
Extract
[Kélékian, Krikor ]
(b Turkey, Feb 28, 1898; d Malente, Germany, 1971). Armenian bandleader. From 1928 he led a band in France called the Gregorians, among the members of which were Philippe Brun, Edmond Cohanier, and the pianist Lucien Moraweck; in May 1929 it made a number of recordings that are important in the history of French jazz. Gregor founded the first jazz journal in France, the Revue du jazz, in 1929 and was its editor until it ceased publication in 1930. He toured South America that year with an orchestra that included such illustrious players as Léo Vauchant, Cohanier, and Stephane Grappelli, and returned the following year, when he recorded in Buenos Aires. He continued to lead orchestras of high quality, including such soloists as Alix Combelle, André Ekyan, and Michel Warlop, until 1934. Gregor initiated the French tradition of the show band, a versatile dance orchestra, the instrumentation of which was modeled on that of the big band; his work is well represented by ...
