Het is vandaag al 25 jaar geleden dat de Brusselse drummer Freddy Rottier is overleden. Het enige biootje dat ik over hem heb gevonden, is afkomstig van Les Lundis d’Hortense en toch is het in het Engels. Dat vind ik nu een spijtige evolutie, zie.
Freddy Rottier was of the busiest drummers on the Belgian jazz scene during several decades in the second half of the 20th century. He was an all-around player and a highly respected professional, able to perform in different styles, such as jazz, pop, funk, fusion, etc…
In 1958, he appears on the legendary LP “Jazz in Little Belgium” (Decca 123.259) with Willy Albimoor, Etienne Verschueren and Jean Warland.
He toured worldwide with singer Caterina Valente in the sixties and he played with several big bands : Sadi, Jack Sels, Francis Bay, etc…
He appears on Philip Catherine’s first album as a leader, “Stream” (with Jiggs Whigham, Marc Moulin and Freddie Deronde).
He played and recorded several albums with Sadi, in quartet and big band: “Swing a Little”, now reissued on CD (September 05125) (1971); “Belgian Big Band” (LP Alpha 7008), with Jean Blaton (1972); “Sadi quartet” (Rush RLP 7611), with Tony Bauwens (p), Roger Vanhaverbeke (b), 1976 the “Sadi nonet”, of which a CD released by Igloo includes recordings from 1988.
He was involved in Marc Moulin’s Placebo (several albums, some of them reissued on CD). In deze hoedanigheid heb ik hem zelf eens bezig gezien op een concert in Gent.
He appeared at the Montreux festival in 1970 with the Etienne Verschueren Sextet and in a rare film produced by RTB television around 1970 : “Three days in April”, with the Sadi quartet and Placebo.
He was a member of the Johnny Hot Trio and of the “Bop Friends”, a quintet with Etienne Verschueren, Nic Fissette, Tony Bauwens and Roger Vanhaverbeke. Two LPs on the Vogel label “Live at the Mozart” in 1977 and “Live at the Brussels Jazz Club” in 1979.
In 1975, he records the album “Piano vibrations” (KPM records), in quartet with pianist Francis Coppieters, Sadi (vibes) and Roger Vanhaverbeke (bass).
He recorded the album “Early Spring” with Etienne Verschueren (in quartet with Charles Loos), reissued on CD.
As a regular member of the Roger Vanhaverbeke trio, he had the opportunity to play with numerous famous jazz soloists and singers (Clark Terry, Stella Marrs, etc…) and appears on several albums: The New Look Trio’s Atmosphere (Saxofoon SA 9201) with pianist Pascal Michaux; Belgium discovers Stella Marrs, Miss Soft Soul (A.J.C. 001); The New Look Trio + guests “Remember Adolphe Sax” (with Gianni Basso & Bill Skeat on Sauter Transport, 1994).
(Met dank aan Marc Hooftman, Raymond Thielens en Jean-Pierre Verstraete)
dagelijks iets degelijks 