Charlie Biddle
Encyclopedia
Charlie Biddle, otherwise known as Charles Reed Biddle (July 28, 1926 – February 4, 2003) was a Canadian
jazz
bassist
.
, USA
, Biddle lived most of his life in Montreal
, Quebec
, however he did not become a Canadian citizen until his last years. After completing military duties in the US Armed Forces during World War II
, serving in China, India and Burma, he went on to study music at Temple University
in Philadelphia, where he started playing bass. In 1948, he arrived in Montreal while touring with Vernon Isaac's Three Jacks and a Jill. Biddle was fascinated by the fact that in Canada, particularly Quebec, you would see black jazz musicians playing alongside white jazz musicians as the best of friends. Impressed with the opened-mindedness of the people of Canada in matters of race, he decided to settle down in Montreal, and fell in love with a French-Canadian woman. The two eventually married and raised three daughters Sonya, Stephanie and Tracy and a son, Charles Biddle Jr.
Biddle was employed as a car salesman from 1954 to 1972, while performing with pianists Charlie Ramsey, Milt Sealey, Alfie Wade, Sadik Hakim
, and Stan Patrick
in local Montreal nightclubs. As a promoter, he booked musicians Johnny Hodges
, John Coltrane
, Pepper Adams
, Bill Evans
, Art Farmer
, Tommy Flanagan
and Thad Jones
to perform in Montreal. He performed off and on with guitarist Nelson Symonds
between 1959 and 1978. Between 1961 and 1963 they performed together under Biddle's leadership at Dunn's, La Tête de l'Art, etc.; and under Symonds' leadership at the Black Bottom from 1964 to 1968. As a duo they performed at several resort communities in the Laurentians between 1974 and 1978.
He was an important supporter and promoter of Jazz music in Montreal. He frequently organized outdoor festivals of local jazz musicians, particularly Jazz Chez Nous, a 3-day Jazz Festival in 1979 and another in 1983 which laid the foundation for the Montreal International Jazz Festival, now the world's largest jazz festival.
In 1981 he lent his name to a Jazz club in downtown Montreal on Aylmer Street (corner President Kennedy), which became known as Biddle's (now known as House of Jazz) and was featured in the Bruce Willis
film The Whole Nine Yards
with his daughter Stephanie Biddle
on vocals. Biddle's club remained at the heart of jazz culture in Montreal during his lifetime. When performing at the club he would use the title, 'Charlie Biddle on the fiddle', and led trios at the club on a regular basis, along with pianists Oliver Jones, Steve Holt
, Wray Downes, and Jon Ballantyne
. He played at the club weekly up until the last months before his death, on February 4, 2003, in his Montreal home surrounded by his family. He did not become a Canadian citizen until the year 2000.
Biddle recorded LPs with Milt Sealey, Ted Curson
, and Oliver Jones. He also performed on the big-screen in such feature films as The Whole Nine Yards, 2000; The Moderns, 1988; and the French-Canadian film Les Portes Tournantes, 1988.
in 2003, and was honored with the Prix Calixa-Lavallée
in 2003. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
stated that: "Without him, Québecers might not have developed their love for jazz that has made Montreal
a host of one of the greatest jazz festivals in the world."
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bassist
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
.
Biography
Born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Biddle lived most of his life in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, however he did not become a Canadian citizen until his last years. After completing military duties in the US Armed Forces during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, serving in China, India and Burma, he went on to study music at Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in Philadelphia, where he started playing bass. In 1948, he arrived in Montreal while touring with Vernon Isaac's Three Jacks and a Jill. Biddle was fascinated by the fact that in Canada, particularly Quebec, you would see black jazz musicians playing alongside white jazz musicians as the best of friends. Impressed with the opened-mindedness of the people of Canada in matters of race, he decided to settle down in Montreal, and fell in love with a French-Canadian woman. The two eventually married and raised three daughters Sonya, Stephanie and Tracy and a son, Charles Biddle Jr.
Biddle was employed as a car salesman from 1954 to 1972, while performing with pianists Charlie Ramsey, Milt Sealey, Alfie Wade, Sadik Hakim
Sadik Hakim
Sadik Hakim was an American jazz pianist and composer....
, and Stan Patrick
Stan Patrick
Stanley A. "Stan" Patrick was an American National Basketball Association player. He played with the Waterloo Hawks and Sheboygan Red Skins during the 1949-50 NBA season. Patrick had also played in the National Basketball League.-References:...
in local Montreal nightclubs. As a promoter, he booked musicians Johnny Hodges
Johnny Hodges
John Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges was an American alto saxophonist, best known for his solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years, except the period between 1932–1946 when Otto Hardwick generally played first chair...
, John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, Pepper Adams
Pepper Adams
Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III was a jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 43 pieces, was the leader on twenty albums, and participated in 600 sessions as a sideman.-Biography:...
, Bill Evans
Bill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
, Art Farmer
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
, Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan
Thomas Lee Flanagan was an American jazz pianist born in Detroit, Michigan, particularly remembered for his work with Ella Fitzgerald...
and Thad Jones
Thad Jones
Thaddeus Joseph Jones was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader.-Biography:Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan to a musical family of ten . Thad Jones was a self taught musician, performing professionally by the age of sixteen...
to perform in Montreal. He performed off and on with guitarist Nelson Symonds
Nelson Symonds
Nelson Symonds was a jazz guitarist from Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia.-Biography:After pursuing the banjo at a young age, Symonds switched to the guitar...
between 1959 and 1978. Between 1961 and 1963 they performed together under Biddle's leadership at Dunn's, La Tête de l'Art, etc.; and under Symonds' leadership at the Black Bottom from 1964 to 1968. As a duo they performed at several resort communities in the Laurentians between 1974 and 1978.
He was an important supporter and promoter of Jazz music in Montreal. He frequently organized outdoor festivals of local jazz musicians, particularly Jazz Chez Nous, a 3-day Jazz Festival in 1979 and another in 1983 which laid the foundation for the Montreal International Jazz Festival, now the world's largest jazz festival.
In 1981 he lent his name to a Jazz club in downtown Montreal on Aylmer Street (corner President Kennedy), which became known as Biddle's (now known as House of Jazz) and was featured in the Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
film The Whole Nine Yards
The Whole Nine Yards
The phrase the whole nine yards means completely, the whole thing, everything, e.g. I was mugged. They took my wallet, my keys, my shoes, – the whole nine yards! The origin of the phrase has been described as, "the most prominent etymological riddle of our time." The earliest known examples of...
with his daughter Stephanie Biddle
Stephanie Biddle
Stephanie Biddle is a Canadian jazz musician. She spent her early childhood in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec. Her father was Charlie Biddle, a Montreal-based jazz musician.- Career :...
on vocals. Biddle's club remained at the heart of jazz culture in Montreal during his lifetime. When performing at the club he would use the title, 'Charlie Biddle on the fiddle', and led trios at the club on a regular basis, along with pianists Oliver Jones, Steve Holt
Steve Holt (Canadian musician)
Steve Holt is a Canadian musician.Steve Holt exhibited musical ability in early childhood, playing piano at the age of four. In 1960 his family moved to Cote St. Luc and during these formative years he spent long hours at the piano. By the time he was a teenager, Holt was a regular on the Montreal...
, Wray Downes, and Jon Ballantyne
Jon Ballantyne
Jon Ballantyne is a Jazz musician, composer, artist, and piano player who now resides in New York City, USA.-Biography:...
. He played at the club weekly up until the last months before his death, on February 4, 2003, in his Montreal home surrounded by his family. He did not become a Canadian citizen until the year 2000.
Biddle recorded LPs with Milt Sealey, Ted Curson
Ted Curson
Theodore "Ted" Curson is a jazz trumpeter. He is perhaps best-known for recording and performing with Charles Mingus....
, and Oliver Jones. He also performed on the big-screen in such feature films as The Whole Nine Yards, 2000; The Moderns, 1988; and the French-Canadian film Les Portes Tournantes, 1988.
Awards
Biddle received the Oscar Peterson Prize in 2000, was made a Member of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 2003, and was honored with the Prix Calixa-Lavallée
Calixa-Lavallée Award
The Calixa-Lavallée Award is a music award created in 1959. It is granted by the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society of Montreal to a Quebecer having distinguished himself or herself in the field of music...
in 2003. The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste Society is an institution in Quebec dedicated to the protection of Quebec francophone interests and to the promotion of Quebec Sovereignism. Its current President is Mario Beaulieu....
stated that: "Without him, Québecers might not have developed their love for jazz that has made Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
a host of one of the greatest jazz festivals in the world."
Albums and CDs
- Live at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, 1983.
- Live at Biddle's jazz and ribs. Oliver Jones trio, 1983.
- In good company, Downes, Jones, O'Neal piano, Muhammad Drums, Ring guitar, 1996.
See also
- Montreal music scene
- List of Montreal musicians
External links
- Justin Time Records profile
- The Last Post obituary
- Vocalist Stephanie Biddle's website
- McGill Tribune interview
- Charlie Biddle at The Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian EncyclopediaThe Canadian Encyclopedia is a source of information on Canada. It is available online, at no cost. The Canadian Encyclopedia is available in both English and French and includes some 14,000 articles in each language on a wide variety of subjects including history, popular culture, events, people,...
- Holt Remembers - Charlie Biddle