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Roger ASSELBERGHS Clarinet


Born in Antwerp, May 13 1925, to a family well acquainted with the musical scene, members of the Hot Club of Belgium, he starts playing the flute, harmonica and try his hand at the piano.
His first contact with jazz are through listening to records of Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Artie Shaw. He decided to aqeuire a clarinet which he learns to play as autodidact.

In 1944 he has his 1st engagement with the, then, well known orchestra of guitar player Marcel Bossu.
After few months with the orchestra, follows another engagement in the B. Goodman style quartet of Coco Colignon.
He befriends Jack Sels, who was not yet a musician at that time, and 'infects' him with his passion for music.

Together, in 1945, they meet Mickey Bumer who hired them to form his famous octet which also included, a.o., Jean Fanis, Rudi Frankel.
The octet has done a tour for the American army.

Back in Belgium he meets Sadi, Toots, Herman Sandi, Francis Copieters, Christian Kellens, Benoît Quersin and other fames of that period.

In 1946 -47 he plays a lot in Liège with René Thomas, Bobby Jaspar and Jacques Pelzer.

Thereafter, he is doing his military service, '48-'49, where he meets Fernand Terby, Nicolas Fissette, Jean Carnin and Jean Blaton, his first experience of big orchestra.

At that same period, Jack Sels brings up his grand orchestra " BOP-AFRO-CUBAIN" similar to that of Dizzy Gillespie, where he plays the barytone sax.

End 1949 he is hired to play with the "Jump College" orchestra.
Later on he accompanied American celebrities such as Sydney Bechet, Roy Eldridge, James Moody, Kenny Clarke, Bud Clayton... as well as all the known Europeans of the time.

In 1952 he tours with Dizzy Gillespie following with a tour with Jacques Brel and Sacha Distel.

Member of the "Chamber Music Orchestra" of Jack Sels, as barytone sax player, he meets Alex Scorier, Paul Dubois, Jhonny Dover, Roger Vanhaverbeke.
Also, during many years he is a member of the Antwerp orchestra, of his friend, pianist Paul Vanhecke, playing the clarinet.

Between 1952 1954 he tours around Europe with Jack Sels orchestra, plays at the Madrid Ritz with Léo Souris.

1957 he joins the R.T.B (Flemish radio) orchestra under the direction of L.Souris, followed by a tour of "Les jeunesses Musicales" around Africa, accompanied by L.Souris, B.Quersin, J.Pelzer, H.Sandi and J.Peret.

Meanwhile, he became interested in photography and undertakes studies in Germany and the US, and as consequence reduces his musical activities. Nevertheless, he becomes a backbone of the "Rose Noire" during the world expo of '58 and meets Philip Catherine, J.l.Vial, Daniel Humer and many others.

"haunted' by jazz, in 1979 he decided to start from scratch and inscribes to the musical academy, where he spent 4 years, concentrating on his favourite instrument - the clarinet.

Thereafter, he likes to be surrounded by young musicians with whom he performed (Charles Loos, Bert Joris, Paolo Radoni, Philippe Aerts, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Tony Ghyselinck...).

His favourite clarinet players remain Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Buddy de France.

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