The Paris Reunion Band, a living tribute to Kenny Clarke and the Paris jazz scene in the 1950’s and 1960’s, is a living and breathing tribute. Clarke was the first American expatriate to arrive in Paris to make music and settled. He became the spiritual leader for all the Paris jazz musicians at the time. During that decade, a remarkable number of jazz musicians lived and played in Paris. This created a “golden era” that included Miles Davis, Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson. Although it was founded in 1951, this was its peak. PRB was founded in 1984 by Mike Hennessey, a British writer and Billboard staffer. Ina Ditke, the band’s manager, and Gaby Kleinschmidt (its booking agent), were two determined women who took care of all the necessary gears. Clarke, who was to become the PRB drummer, hails it as a guru of 1960’s Paris jazzmen. Clarke, who had suffered a heart attack just before PRB’s first tour, died on the day. However, PRB’s tour continued as planned, with Norway starting in June 1985. Woody Shaw and Nathan Davis are still members of the band, as is Kenny Drew, Jimmy Woode, Jimmy Woode, and Jimmy Woode. Joe Henderson and Idris Mohammed joined the band for a U.S. Tour in 1986. Curtis Fuller joined the band in 1987, as did Nat Adderley. Kenny Drew was unable to attend this concert so Walter Bishop, Jr. took his place. This is the band that was videotaped in Stuttgart in 1988. It’s still paying tribute to Kenny Clarke and making great music in the spirit of the Paris years. from http://www.steveweissmusic.com
