BLUES
GUITAR MASTERS Vol. 2: RENE HALL
Comme beaucoup de guitaristes de studio, Rene Hall n'a
que assez peu enregistré sous son nom mais sa guitare swinguante, précise,
fluide et inventive ainsi que ses arrangements ont largement contribué à la
réussite de très nombreuses séances de blues, R&B, jazz ou Rock.
Né à la Nouvelle Orléans le 26 septembre 1912, Rene Hall
a appris dès l'enfance à lire et écrire la musique tout en pratiquant le banjo,
le trombone et la guitare. Il fait ses premières armes de musicien sur les
bateaux à roues à aube qui sillonnent le bas Mississippi. Il fait partie des
orchestres de Papa Celestin et Joseph Robicheaux, enregistrant avec ce dernier
22 morceaux en août 1933! Hall, désormais musicien réputé, est le guitariste et
tromboniste de l'orchestre de Ernie Fields puis remplace Floyd Smith à la
guitare auprès du big band de James Jeter & Hayes Pillars, avant d'être
embauché à New York par Earl Hines et d'enregistrer avec lui en 1946-47.
A New York, Rene Hall participe à l'orchestre maison de
l'Apollo Theater, accompagne Roy Milton, Louis Jordan, Billy Ward sur scène et
en studio. Il crée enfin son propre sextette qui comprend des jazzmen aussi
renommés que Reginald Jones, Buddy Tate et Bobby Donaldson avec lequel il
enregistre ses premiers titres en vedette en 1950. Mais le formidable succès
des trios à la Nat King Cole pousse Hall à former son propre Rene Hall Trio
avec le guitariste et chanteur Courtland Carter et le contrebassiste Ted
Sinclair, enregistrant dans cette formule pour Decca, RCA et Regent avec
parfois l'adjonction d'un pianiste et d'un batteur.
Mais les choses ne sont pas toujours faciles à New York
pour un musicien de jazz. Et Rene Hall est le plus souvent à Las Vegas en tant
que guitariste des Dominoes. Lassé de ce travail répétitif, en 1955, Rene Hall gagne
Los Angeles où on a besoin d'arrangeurs et de musiciens
"professionnels". Après sa rencontre avec Art Rupe, Rene Hall signe
de solides contrats avec plusieurs labels comme Combo, Specialty, Del Fi et se
consacre désormais essentiellement au travail de studio. S'entourant de
certains des meilleurs musiciens de la Côte Ouest (Earl Palmer, Roy Montrell,
Plas Johnson), Hall joue et arrange d'innombrables séances californiennes, en
R&B et de plus en plus en Rock'n'Roll où ses solos de guitare derrière Don
& Dewey, Little Richard, Bumps Blackwell, Larry Williams ou Ritchie Valens
(son solo de guitare de La Bamba est
certainement son plus célèbre) deviendront des modèles pour des centaines de
guitaristes qui les reprendront souvent note pour note! Parallèlement, Rene
enregistre aussi quelques titres sous son nom dont nous avons ici regroupé une
grande partie. Durant les années 1960, Rene Hall accompagne et dirige
l'orchestre de Sam Cooke qu'il avait contribué à découvrir et enregistrer pour
Specialty.
Merci à
Robert H. et Red Rooster pour leur aide et à Tony Watson pour son expertise, ses corrections et ses amendements.
Gérard HERZHAFT
Like so many session
musicians, Rene Hall has recorded only a limited tracks under his own name. But
his swinging, fluid and inventive guitar playing as well as his arrangements
have largely contributed to the success of numberless recordings whether in
R&B, jazz, blues, pop or Rock'n'roll.
Born
in New Orleans on 6 September 1912, Rene Hall learned as a child to read and
write music and play trombone, banjo and guitar. Still a teenager, he is
playing on the Riverboats and is hired by several New Orleans bands like Papa
Celestin's and Joel Robicheaux with whom he recorded 22 tracks in August 1933.
Now enjoying a strong reputation as a musician, Rene is then hired by the Ernie
Fields Orchestra, replaces guitar jazz pioneer Floyd Smith on the James Jeter
& Hayes Pillars Territory band before going to New York to join (and
record) with Earl Hines in 1946-47.
In
New York, Rene Hall is constantly on demand, playing in the Apollo Theater
house band, backing on stage and in studio Roy Milton, Louis Jordan, Billy Ward
among many others. He also forms his own Sextet with such luminaries as Buddy Tate,
Reginald Jones, Bobby Donaldson and records at last six jazz sides under his
own name in 1950. To catch on the great success of trios a la Nat King Cole,
Rene Hall launches his own Rene Hall Trio with singer/ guitarist Courtland
Carter and Ted Sinclair on the string-bass. The Trio records several numbers
for Decca, RCA, Regent with sometimes an extra pianist and drummer to get a
fuller sound but the sales are not very strong.
Things
being not always easy in New York, Hall earns his bread and butter playing lead
guitar with The Dominoes in Las Vegas, a well paid job but that he is not
satisfied with. In 1955, aware of many opportunities for an arranger/ musician
of his calibre and experience, Rene Hall settles in Los Angeles where, quite
quickly and after a meeting with producer Art Rupe, he becomes A&R man and
session musician for several successful labels like Specialty, Combo or Del-Fi.
Being mainly in the studio, Rene Hall brings with him some of the best West
Coast musicians (Plas Johnson, Earl Palmer, Roy Montrell...) and arranges and
plays on innumerable sessions, more and more in the teenage Rock'n'roll vein of
the era. His guitar solos behind Little Richard, Don & Dewey, Bumps
Blackwell, Larry Williams or Ritchie Valens (his famous guitar part on La Bamba) certainly play a major part in
the commercial success of many hits and will be reproduced note for note by
hundreds of guitarists in the USA and abroad (among the British Rock future
stars).
At
the same time, Rene Hall records also a handful of tracks under his name that
we have gathered here. During the early 60's, Rene is on tour with one of his
find for Specialty, the great Sam Cooke, directing his band and recording behind
him until the untimely death of Cooke.
Rene
Hall will never stop to produce and arrange sessions for a lot of artists,
mainly Marvin Gaye. Rene died in his Los Angeles home on 11 February 1988.
Thanks to Robert H. and Red Rooster for
their help.
And also thanks to Tony Watson for corrections, additions and expertise
And also thanks to Tony Watson for corrections, additions and expertise
Gérard
HERZHAFT
BLUES GUITAR MASTERS Vol. 2 RENE HALL
Rene Hall, g; Reginald Jones, tpt; Buddy
Green, t-sax; Buddy Tate, t-sax; Edwin Swanston, pno; Bill Swanston, bs; Bobby
Donaldson, dms. New York City, janvier 1950
01. Rene's boogie
02. Chitlin' switch blues
03. Blowing awhile
04. Blue creek hop
05. Downbeat
06. Jubilee stomp
Rene Hall, g; Courtland Carter, vcl/g; Ted Sinclair,
bs; Jimmy Crawford, dms. New York City, 26 avril 1951
07. My kind of rockin'
Rene Hall, g; Courtland Carter, vcl/g; Howard Biggs,
pno; Ted Sinclair, bs; Jimmy Crawford, dms. New York City, 29 mai 1952
08. Do it up right
Rene Hall, g; Courtland Carter, vcl/g; Harry Van
Walls, pno; Ted Sinclair, bs; Francisco Da Silva, dms. New York City, avril
1953
09. Two guitar boogie
10. Mind reader (wrongly credited to Rene Hall, it's sung by Tommy Dodson and is a 1965 track)
Googie Rene
(Rafael Rene), vcl/pno; Rene Hall, g;
Plas Johnson, t-sax; Ted Brinson, bs; Earl Palmer, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 1957
11. Break it up
12. Big time
13. Rock a boogie
14. Sidetrack
Rene Hall, g; Jewell Grant, b-sax; Plas Johnson, t-sax;
pno; Willie Joe Duncan, g; Ted Brinson, bs; Earl Palmer, dms. Los Angeles, Ca.
1957
15. Twitchy
16. Flippin'
17. Thunderbird
Rene Hall, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1958
18. Frankie and Johnny
19. Cleo
Rene Hall, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1959
20. Adalene
21. South gate
22. 0 sole mio rock
23. A Smitty's toy piano
Rene Hall, g; Babette Bain (Riselle Bain), vcl; band.
Los Angeles, Ca. 1959
24. That's it
Rene Hall, g; Plas Johnson, t-sax; band. Los Angeles,
Ca. 1960
25. La Cubalibra
26. Night fright
27. Turf
