Baroque Jazz Trio

The Baroque Jazz Trio was a French jazz-psych combo that released a self-titled album and the single “Orientasie,” both on Saravah in 1970.

Members: Jean-Charles Capon (cello), Georges Rabol (harpsichord), Philippe Combelle (drums)

Background

Baroque Jazz Trio formed in 1969 in Paris when cellist Jean-Charles Capon teamed with harpsichordist Georges Rabol and drummer Philippe Combelle.

Capon was born July 29, 1936, in Vichy to a double-bass professor at the Nancy Conservatoire. He studied double bass from childhood and changed to cello at sixteen. Capon won three first prizes in 1956 at the Nancy Conservatoire. He continued his studies in Paris and played jazz clubs with Bill Coleman and Albert Nicholas. Capon joined Jef Gilson in 1968 on Bill Coleman Sings and Plays 12 Negro Spirituals.

Georges Raymond Rabol was born December 24, 1937, in Paris to a Martinican father who drummed in a Creole orchestra at La Cigale. Rabol grew up with Antillean music and jazz, then studied piano, harpsichord, organ, harmony, and counterpoint at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He left the conservatoire in 1959 and gave his first recital at Salle Pleyel. Rabol also played jazz in Paris with Guadeloupean trombonist Al Lirvat. The Baroque Jazz Trio records also identify him as Georges Alexandre.

Philippe-Alix-François Combelle was born July 14, 1939, in Paris, the son of swing saxophonist and bandleader Alix Combelle. He studied piano in childhood and moved to saxophone in his early teens. Combelle made his first records in 1954 for Vogue. He joined the Alix Combelle orchestra at seventeen and later studied percussion with a timpanist from the Paris Opera. The two musicians met well ahead of Baroque Jazz Trio through military service in 1961–62 at Rueil-Malmaison, where Combelle served alongside Capon. Combelle subsequently worked in Paris jazz clubs and touring ensembles; from 1964 to 1967 he toured and recorded with Jacques Brel. 

Bach Modern Quintet included the same three musicians in 1969 alongside Guy Luypaerts and Tristan Murail. The five-piece recorded Bach adaptations for Jacques Canetti on Bach in Jazz. Capon, Rabol, and Combelle then worked as Baroque Jazz Trio around cello, harpsichord, drums, and percussion. The musicians recorded the Capon composition “Orientasie” and an adaptation of Handel, “Largo de Haendel,” for Saravah as a two-track single. The trio entered Studio Saravah in Paris in 1970 to record the six-title debut Baroque Jazz Trio. 

Discography:

• Baroque Jazz Trio (1970)
• “Orientasie” / “Largo” (1970)
  

Sources:

• Discogs: Baroque Jazz Trio

References:

• Bibliothèque nationale de France — Jean-Charles Capon authority record: birth date, profession, Baroque Jazz Trio membership. BnF: Jean-Charles Capon
• Bibliothèque nationale de France — Georges Rabol authority record: pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, classical ensembles. BnF: Georges Rabol
• Bibliothèque nationale de France — Baroque Jazz Trio LP: Paris publication, Saravah, 1970, Studio Saravah recording location, six titles. BnF: Baroque Jazz Trio recording
• Jazz Hot — Philippe Combelle, 1939–2024: detailed childhood, musical training, first Vogue session, military service with Capon, club work, Brel period, Bach Modern Quintet, and Baroque Jazz Trio discography. Jazz Hot: Philippe Combelle
• AMARHISFA — Georges Rabol: full birth date, Martinican family background, father at La Cigale, conservatoire studies, 1959 Salle Pleyel recital, and work with Al Lirvat. AMARHISFA: Georges Rabol biography
• Souffle Continu — Baroque Jazz Trio: confirms the trio as three-fifths of Bach Modern Quintet and documents the 1970 Saravah LP. Souffle Continu: Baroque Jazz Trio
• Apple Music / Jacques Canetti archive release — Bach Modern Quintet: confirms the 1969 album and five musicians Capon, Combelle, Luypaerts, Murail, and Rabol. Bach Modern Quintet — Bach in Jazz
• Souffle Continu — Jean-Charles Capon: confirms Gilson work from 1968 and the early Saravah connection. Souffle Continu: Jean-Charles Capon