Pork Pie -

Pork Pie was a multinational jazz-rock supergroup led by Dutch keyboardist Jasper van’t Hof with Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine and American saxophonist Charlie Mariano. They followed their 1974 debut Transitory with the 1976 album The Door Is Open, both on the German MPS label.

Members: Jasper van’t Hof (piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizer, keyboards, celesta, kalimba), Philip Catherine (guitar, banjo, guitar synthesizer), Charlie Mariano (alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, bamboo flute, nagaswaram), J.F. Jenny Clark (bass), Bo Stief (bass), Aldo Romano (drums), John Marshall (drums), Don Alias (drums, percussion)

Background

Pork Pie formed in December 1973 in Paris when Jasper van ’t Hof and Philip Catherine invited Charlie Mariano into a new group with drummer Aldo Romano, who brought French bassist Henri Texier into the initial rhythm section; soon replaced by bassist Jean-François Jenny-Clark.

In 1973, van ’t Hof left Association P.C., the electric jazz group he co-founded with drummer Pierre Courbois. He also played under Jean-Luc Ponty and led dates with bassist Peter Trunk in Munich, where he met Mariano. Catherine joined Ponty in 1970 and attended a 1972 Berklee summer course in Boston. He took a 1973 SFB engagement with Paul Kuhn’s orchestra in West Berlin. Romano met Catherine in Ponty’s group in 1971 and shared a Paris club history with Jenny-Clark dating to Le Chat qui Pêche. At a 1972 NDR session in Hamburg, Ponty assembled van ’t Hof, Catherine, Romano, bassist Peter Trunk, and percussionist Nana Vasconcelos.

Mariano settled in Europe in 1971 and spent four months of 1973 in South India, where he studied the nagaswaram, which he juggled with reeds on a collaboration with Embryo. Jenny-Clark came from the Paris modern-jazz circuit and played with Romano from the start of the 1960s. His early recordings included sessions with Don Cherry and Gato Barbieri, while a 1972 Montreux appearance placed him in a Jean-Luc Ponty group.

Pork Pie played an extended Paris run at Riverbop and further concerts in France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Van ’t Hof later recalled roughly six months of Paris dates with Romano and bassists Texier or Jenny-Clark. On May 17–18, 1974, Pork Pie entered Conny Plank’s studio near Neunkirchen with MPS producer Achim Hebgen to record Transitory.

Discography:

Transitory (1974)
The Door Is Open (1976)

Sources

Frank Jochemsen / 678 Records — Pork Pie: Berlin 1974. Best formation source: Paris in December 1973, van ’t Hof/Catherine approach to Mariano, early concerts across three countries, and the May 1974 recording. (678 Records: Pork Pie)
Jasper van ’t Hof interview, JARO Medien. Firsthand account of Association P.C., Catherine, Ponty, Romano, Peter Trunk, Munich, and the meeting with Mariano. (Jasper van ’t Hof interview)
Le Monde — Charlie Mariano obituary. Contains van ’t Hof’s recollection of six months in Paris with Catherine, Romano, and Texier/Jenny-Clark, plus Mariano’s return from India. (Le Monde: Charlie Mariano)
International Archives for the Jazz Organ — Jasper van ’t Hof. Provides session data for the 1972 Ponty ensemble and the May 1974 Transitory lineup. (IAJO: Jasper van ’t Hof)
Igloo Records — Philip Catherine. Gives Catherine’s chronology from Lou Bennett through Ponty, Berklee, Paul Kuhn, and Pork Pie. (Igloo Records: Philip Catherine)
Jean-François Jenny-Clark official site. Covers the early Romano connection, Don Cherry/Gato Barbieri activity, Ponty at Montreux, and 1973 work with Anthony Braxton. (Jean-François Jenny-Clark — biographical chronology)
All About Jazz — Aldo Romano. Covers Total Issue, the Ponty/Catherine connection, Pork Pie formation, Henri Texier, and Jenny-Clark’s replacement. (Aldo Romano biography)
MPS Records — Transitory. Confirms the debut lineup and MPS release. (MPS: Transitory)
Album/session credits. Gives May 17–18 recording dates, Conny Plank, Achim Hebgen, and the Transitory personnel. (Different Perspectives In My Room)