Art Van Damme
Encyclopedia
Art Van Damme was a jazz accordion
ist.
, he began playing the accordion at age nine and started classical study when his family moved to Chicago
in 1934. In 1941 he joined Ben Bernie
's band as an accordionist. He adapted Benny Goodman
's music to the accordion. From 1945 to 1960 he worked for NBC
, performing on The Dinah Shore Show
, Tonight
, The Dave Garroway Show
and other radio and TV shows with Garroway. He recorded 130 episodes of the 15-minute The Art Van Damme Show for NBC Radio. He was no relation to Jean-Claude Van Damme
.
Van Damme toured Europe and was popular with jazz listeners in Japan and regularly won the domestic Down Beat
reader's poll for his instrument in the same period.
Van Damme was married, had three children and six grandchildren. Although he retired to Florida, he continued to perform almost to the end of his life. He had been ill with pneumonia
for several weeks when he died on February 15, 2010 at the age of 89.
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
ist.
Biography
Born in Norway, MichiganNorway, Michigan
Norway is a city in Dickinson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,959 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Iron Mountain, MI–WI Micropolitan Statistical Area....
, he began playing the accordion at age nine and started classical study when his family moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1934. In 1941 he joined Ben Bernie
Ben Bernie
Ben Bernie , born Bernard Anzelevitz, was an American jazz violinist and radio personality, often introduced as The Old Maestro. He was noted for his showmanship and memorable bits of snappy dialogue....
's band as an accordionist. He adapted Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
's music to the accordion. From 1945 to 1960 he worked for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, performing on The Dinah Shore Show
The Dinah Shore Show
The Dinah Shore Show is an American variety show which was broadcast by NBC from November 1951 to January 1956, sponsored by General Motors' Chevrolet division...
, Tonight
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
, The Dave Garroway Show
Dave Garroway
David Cunningham "Dave" Garroway was the founding host of NBC's Today from 1952 to 1961. His easygoing, relaxed, and relaxing style belied a battle with depression that may have contributed to the end of his days as a leading television personality—and, eventually, his life...
and other radio and TV shows with Garroway. He recorded 130 episodes of the 15-minute The Art Van Damme Show for NBC Radio. He was no relation to Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...
.
Van Damme toured Europe and was popular with jazz listeners in Japan and regularly won the domestic Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
reader's poll for his instrument in the same period.
Van Damme was married, had three children and six grandchildren. Although he retired to Florida, he continued to perform almost to the end of his life. He had been ill with pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
for several weeks when he died on February 15, 2010 at the age of 89.
Discography
- The Art Of Van Damme (Phillips, B 07189)
- Pa Kungliga Djurgarden (Pi, PLP 005)
- Lover Man (Pickwick, SPC 3009)
- By Request (Sonic Arts Digital, LS12)
- Art & Liza (Svenska Media AB, SMTE 5003)
- Cocktail Capers (Capitol, H178)
- More Cocktail Capers (Capitol, T300)
- More Cocktail Capers (Capitol, H30) 0 (10")
- The Van Damme Sound (Columbia, CL-544)
- They're Playing Our Song (Columbia, CL-1227)
- Everything's Coming Up Music (Columbia, CL-1382/CS-8177)
- House Party (Columbia, CL-2585)
- Music For Lovers Harmony (Columbia, HS 11239)
- Many Mood Of Art (BASF, MC 25113)
- Star Spangled Rhythm (BASF, MC 25157) (Doppelset)
- State Of Art (MPS, 841 413 2)
- 1953 Martini Time (Columbia, CL-630)
- 1956 Manhattan Time (Columbia, CL-801)
- 1956 Art Van Damme & Miss Frances Bergen (Columbia, CL873
- 1956 The Art Of Van Damme (Columbia, CL-876)
- 1960 Accordion a la Mode (Columbia, CL-1563/CS-8363)
- 1961 Art Van Damme Swings Sweetly (Columbia, CL-1794/CS 8594)
- 1962 A Perfect Match (Columbia, CL-2013/CS-8813)
- 1964 Septet (Columbia, CS-8992)
- 1966 With Art Van Damme in San Francisco (MPS 15073)(SABA SB 15073 ST)
- 1967 The Gentle Art of Art (MPS 15114)
- 1967 Ecstasy (MPS 15115)(SABA, SB 15115 ST)
- 1968 Art In The Black Forest (MPS, MPS 15172)
- 1968 Lullaby In Rhythm (MPS, MPS 15 171)
- 1969 On The Road (MPS, MPS 15235)
- 1969 Art & Four Brothers (MPS, MPS 15236)
- 1970 Blue World (MPS 15277)(Pausa, PR 7027)
- 1970 Keep Going (MPS 15278)(Pausa, PR 7104)
- 1972 Squeezin' Art & Tender Flutes (MPS 15372)(Pausa, PR 7126)
- 1972 The Many Moods of Art
- 1973 Star Spangled Rhythm
- 1973 Invitation
- 1973/1979 Art van Damme with Strings (MPS 15412)
- 1983 Art Van Damme & Friends (Pausa, PR 7151)
- 1995 Two Originals - Keep Going/Blue World
- 1998 Van Damme Sound/Martini Time (Collectables CD)
- 1999 Once Over Lightly/Manhattan Time (Collectables CD)
- 2000 State of Art (MPS 8414132)
- 2000 Accordion à la Mode/A Perfect Match
- 2006 Swinging The Accordion On MPS