Jimmy Gourley (1926-2008) spent most of his career as a jazz guitarist in France, after moving there from the USA in 1951. This charming book is written by his French wife, with the aid of her memories and numerous retained letters and press cuttings. It benefits from a seven-page introduction by Alain Gerber, who quotes pianist Henri Renaud’s words about the significance of Gourley’s influence on French jazz: “He helped us to discover what four years of war had prevented us from realising: the importance of Lester Young and Charlie Christian in the development of modern jazz” (my translation). Christian was clearly a major influence on Gourley, particularly in the importance of the rhythmic vitality known as swing.
It’s worth noting that Madame Gourley uses a considerably smaller vocabulary than is Gerber’s custom, which means the book is very approachable for those with a fair rather than extensive command of French. A conventional chronological approach takes the reader through Gourley’s childhood, his replacing of Jimmy Raney in the band of Jay Burkhart, his work with Anita O’Day and others and his eventual decision to leave behind the Americans who were sadly following Parker into drug abuse.
For the next half century Gourley was firmly established in France while also working elsewhere in Europe. His wife’s coverage of those years blends personal reminiscence with numerous photos and preserved corespondence with friends still in the USA (such as Lou Levy) and other American exiles (such as Jimmy Woode). The sense of humour shared by herself and her husband is never far from the surface and her account is far more than a simple record. And this means that the book is very readable for someone like myself who had very little acquaintance with Gourley’s many recordings or curiosity about his life.
That situation has now changed however. Frémeaux produce CDs as well as books and they have compiled an excellent box of three CDs covering the guitarist’s recordings from 1951 to 2002, including his meetings with Clifford Brown, Lester Young, Armstrong and Ellington (Battle Royal), Roy Haynes, Stan Getz and, of course, many very able French musicians. The book and CD box complement each other admirably but either is well worth exploring on its own. I end by congratulating Frémeaux & Associés for a fitting tribute to someone who was clearly an admirable person and an admirable musician.
Jimmy Gourley, Un Americain Á Paris by Rolande Hugard-Gourley. Frémeaux & Associés, pb, 231pp. ISBN 978-2-38283-270-7 / CD box FA 5901
