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Claude Tissendier – Swingin’ Bolling 2 – Feed the Cats

A member of Claude Bolling’s Big Band since 1978, the talented saxophonist and clarinetist Claude Tissendier has been a privileged witness to the career of the pianist and bandleader. These years of collaboration and his intimate knowledge of Bolling’s repertoire give this tribute a rare authenticity. With Swingin’ Bolling, Tissendier stands out as a transmitter of memory, a guardian of the swing temple, who beautifully preserves both the spirit and the letter of the Maestro’s work.
— Augustin Bondoux / Patrick Frémeaux

Tracklist:

1. Bowling Green – 4:14

2. Let’s Swing It – 4:15

3. Trade Mark – 4:21

4. Big Golden Pipe Rhapsody – 5:51

5. The Key (lyrics by Nicole Croisille) – 3:34

6. Sax Specialties (Sax Special Tiss) – 4:30

7. Gentle Girl – 4:27

8. Feed the Cats – 5:51

9. Iron Hand in Velvet Glove – 4:13

10. The Apaches’ Lament (lyrics by Henri Djian, from Les Brigades du Tigre) – 3:17

11. Paris in a Bottle – 4:30

12. Soft Call – 5:30

13. Keep Smiling – 4:21

14. City Life – 4:30

All compositions by Claude Bolling.

Personnel:
Claude Tissendier: alto saxophone, arrangements
Éric Levrard: baritone saxophone
Philippe Milanta: piano
Pierre Maingourd: double bass
Alain Chaudron: drums
Faby Médina: vocals (tracks 5 & 10)

The talented saxophonist and clarinetist Claude Tissendier has been a member of Claude Bolling’s Big Band since 1978, and thus a close witness to the pianist and conductor’s career. This long-standing collaboration has given him deep familiarity with Bolling’s work, bringing rare authenticity to this tribute. With Swingin’ Bolling, Tissendier emerges as a true keeper of the flame, a guardian of swing, preserving the spirit and essence of “the Chief’s” music.
— Augustin Bondoux / Patrick Frémeaux

Recorded on October 2, 3, and 4, 2024 by Vincent Cordelette at Studio Cordyboy (Chérisy, France).
Mixed and mastered by Didier Périer (DIP Music).
Produced by Claude Tissendier for Frémeaux & Associés.
Photos © Jean-Baptiste Millot, Studio Falour, Jeff Ludovicus, Irène Bolling.
Manufactured and distributed by Frémeaux & Associés
www.fremeaux.com
Contact: www.claudetissendier.com

35 years in Claude Bolling’s Big Band: it all went by so fast. Hundreds of concerts, anecdotes, magical evenings… The SOUND. That captivating sound of a 17-piece big band (the symphonic orchestra of jazz), harmonies that overwhelm you, crisscrossing brass, overlapping rhythms… and the unmistakable Bolling touch.

Claude Bolling, “the Chief,” a peerless pianist, composer, arranger—we followed him step by step through tours, film scores, theaters, television, and cinema… Tireless, always on the go, never a vacation, three projects on the burner at once. His god: Duke Ellington. His recipe: marrying American jazz with French sensitivity. He carried his big band on his shoulders (and with his own finances) throughout his career, always close to his musicians.

I owe him a lot. As a saxophonist and clarinetist, it was a joy to play music that was simple, effective, melodic or fierce, but always infused with swing. Having that solid and reassuring foundation allowed me to pursue my own projects (Saxomania, Ellington Moods, Basie Vocal Celebration…) and to record over twenty albums. Thank you, Mr. Claude Bolling.

To perform this rich and precise music in a quintet requires musicians not only trained in the discipline of big bands but also excellent soloists. For the Big Band’s final concerts in 2013, the omniscient Philippe Milanta replaced an ailing Claude Bolling on piano and has carried on ever since. The solid Pierre Maingourd (20 years of service in both big band and trio formats) remains on bass, and the versatile Faby Médina (12 years of elegance and charm) continues to move us. Two new additions: Éric Levrard on baritone saxophone, who discovered jazz at one of our concerts when he was young, and Alain Chaudron on drums, who brilliantly succeeded Vincent Cordelette (29 years with Claude), now focused on his recording studio, where this album was made.

A few notes on the titles:

1. Bowling Green: a New York playground.

2. Trade Mark: the Claude Bolling style.

3. Big Golden Pipe: refers to the baritone saxophone.

4. The Key: from the film Sauf votre respect.

5. Sax Specialties (or Sax Special Tiss), dedicated to me by Claude (Tiss for Tissendier).

6. Feed the Cats: in musician slang, "cats" means jazzmen; “feed” means give them solos.

7. Iron Hand in Velvet Glove: for Johnny Hodges, Duke Ellington’s famous saxophonist.

8. The Apaches’ Lament: from the TV series Les Brigades du Tigre. The “Apaches” were criminals in the time of Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, nicknamed “the Tiger.”

9. Paris in a Bottle: a tribute to Pierre Bouteiller, radio host and jazz enthusiast.

10. City Life: from the film Lucky Luke.

Enjoy the listen,
Claude Tissendier

© Frémeaux & Associés 2025

Dear friends,
I’m sure that, wherever he is, my father is happy to know that his music is still being played, especially by the musician friends who stood by him for years and shared in the joy his Big Band brought him.

So: KEEP SWINGIN’
Warm regards,
David Bolling