Fud Candrix
Jazz music, which originated around 1900 in the United States, blew after World to Europe. In the story of the European jazz Belgium plays a central role. One of the biggest Belgian jazz musicians of all time was Fud Candrix (1908-1974).
Alphonse Marie Alexis - Fud - Candrix was born on July 17, 1908 Tongeren, Born into a musical family. He began his musical studies in his hometown. After his compulsory education his parents sent him to the Liège Conservatory, for music theory and violin. After his studies, he followed his brother Jef to Brussels, where he immersed himself in jazz. He was a very talented tenor saxophonist and be asked to perform in Belgium and abroad (Algeria, Germany, France, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands).
After he had fulfilled his military service in 1934-1935, he founded his first band. In that period also began a long collaboration with the German label Telefunken. During the mobilization he was leader of the orchestra of the Werk Koningin Elisabeth, for musical entertainment for the Belgian soldiers. In 1940 he founded a big band, which became the most successful band he ever led. They played at home and abroad.
After the war was the band broke up He remained, however, active and with orchestras. He died on April 12, 1974 in Brussels. Fud Candrix was a brilliant bandleader and a very talented tenor saxophonist whose style recalled those of the American jazz musician Fud Livingston - hence his nickname.
The Belgium bandleader and saxophone player Marie Alexis “Fud” Candrix was born on July 17th, 1908 in the idyllic countryside of the village Tongeren. After school, he started to study violin and music composition at the conservatory of Luik (Liège). During his studies Fud Candrix tried to start a career like his elder brother Jeff, who used to be a successful bandleader and saxophone player in Brussels during the Twenties. He followed his brother to the Belgium capital to learn clarinet and saxophone in the style like his famous idol Coleman Hawkins, whose records both brothers collected.
After a while Fud Candrix became such a virtuous player on the tenor sax that he was able to give concerts in France, Algiers and Morocco. Due to his aggressive style of blowing the saxophone he was nicknamed “Fud” after the Red Nicholls saxophonist Fud Livingston. Back in Brussels in 1930, he was hired by the bandleader Charles “Chas” Remue and toured with his band to the Netherlands. In 1932 Fud Candrix made his first attempt to found a Jazz band. He hired the black saxophone player Willie Lewis and the Belgium trumpet player Gus Deloof, with whom he continued working for many years.
In 1933 the Candrix Brothers’ Orchestra was founded. The band was inspired by the repertory and playing of the famous American Dorsey Brothers’ Orchestra. Their co-operation ended after only one year due to Fud’s military service.
After the service Fud Candrix started leading a new dance band and they had the chance to play in the “Lac aux Dames” Café in Belgium’s summer spa Oostende. Throughout the winter the young and successful orchestra performed in the “L’heure Bleue” dance club in Brussels.
Felix Faecq, a Belgium talent scout, encouraged Fud Candrix to record the jazz tune “The Oldest Swinger In Harlem” and sent it to the German record label “Telefunken”. They offered him a six year contract and started a series of American Swing tunes with the Candrix Band. They were a great supplementation to the labels exclusive Jazz dance orchestras: Heinz Wehner’s Swing band and Teddy Stauffer’s “Original Teddies”. BBC substantiates Candrix’ high standard by broadcasting “this fantastic European Swing discovery” in December 1937.
Although Fud Candrix is known as a saxophone player, in the summer of 1938 he made one single recording that is very exceptional: he played the old standard “I’ve Found A New Baby” on the violin. By using the same phrasing as he did on the saxophone his improvisation is very unique. The great jazz violin players of the Swing era Stéphane Grappelly and Joe Venuti used their own techniques so that Fud Candrix created a personal handwriting even by playing on strings.
Another non-typical recording is “Teasing The Piano” by “Coco”: Colignon on piano and just the Orchestra’s rhythm section. Colignon plays in a single note style like Count Basie who inspired many other Swing pianists with his own minimalistic style.
In the summer of 1938 the Candrix Band was reorganized to perform at the Blankenberge spa: the singer Tony “Young” Jongenelen replaced Wally Sluyzer, Gaston Backaert took over the guitar. Until World War II normally the band played in this casting of a ten musicians orchestra. In the spring of 1939 the band’s soloists formed a Swing Septet to make one recording with the Belgium jazz singer Anny Xhofleer, “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” .
With the beginning of the war in the fall of 1939, the Candrix Band broke up. For a few months Fud Candrix lead an entertainment orchestra for the troops’ special services.
In 1940, during the German occupation in Belgium, Fud Candrix was allowed to establish a new band. Apart from some of the former musicians like Gus Deloof on solo trumpet, Lou Logist on sax and Louis Melon on second trombone joined the band. Maurice Giegas and Lucien Devroye were added to the brass section, Jeff de Boek, himself a bandleader, took over the drums in the new Candrix Orchestra. Tony Jongenelen sang a little German, and the Japanese singer Jane Miller, who sang solely in English, joined the band.
In the summer of 1942 the Candrix Big band performed in Berlin’s “Delphi-Palast” for two months. The orchestra showed all its know-how by not only playing German songs in hot arrangements, but also Swing compositions written by members of the Candrix band. Original titles were translated to harmless German names: “Harlem Swing” became “Moderner Rhythmus” (“Modern Rhythm”) and “Metro Stomp” became
“U-Bahn Fox” (“Subway Fox”).
Fud Candrix suffered from Nazi censorship. His recording of “U-Bahn Fox” from May of 1942 was forbidden, his singer Jane Miller was sent back to Belgium and the whole orchestra was forced to play just “good German dance music”. In June of 1942 a few German “Schlager” (pop songs) were recorded, featuring the retired singer Paul Dorn. This seemed to be a kind of “excuse” to the political system, but this was the lowest Swing Music level the Fud Candrix Orchestra ever recorded.
After the war, Fud Candrix continued playing with several combos and tried a comeback during the Dixieland revival in the Fifties. He was finally respected as one of the biggest Belgium Jazz musicians shortly before his death on April 11th, 1974 in Brussels.
Interestingly, I could barely find any biographical information on Candrix.....and certainly nearly nothing in English. Sad, because personally his bands have to rank in my list of the most swinging of the period. So swinging that I think they leave most of the comparable American bands in the dust.....an arguable opinion, I'm sure....but I dare you to listen to them and not think HOT DAMN THEY'RE GOOD!! so there....lol....gauntlet down.....Fud Candrix KICKED ASS. :)
Here's part 1............
ABC (w/ Django Reinhardt)
After all these years
All you want to do is dance
Always
Am Potsdamer Platz (AKA) Place De Brouckere
Amapola
American Patrol
Anticipate that rhythm
At a Dixie roadside diner
At the woodchopper's ball
Aubade
Back room
Bei dir war es immer so schön
Belleville (w/ Django)
Blankenberge
Blaue Küste
Bluebird in the moonlight
Broadway shuffle
Corrine Corrina
Cotton pickers congregation
Could be
Cross country hop
Dein ser mund de kleine Frau
Dixieland detour
Doggin' around
Du hast mir gerade noch gefelt
Eine kleine uhr in meinem herzen
Eisbrecher
The Donkey serenade
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