Art Van Damme

Art Van Damme

Art Van Damme (April 9, 1920[1] – February 15, 2010[2]) was an American jazz accordionist.

Biography

Born in Norway, Michigan, 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 once said he did so many performances on a continual basis he never needed to practice.

Van Damme toured Europe and was popular with jazz listeners in Japan[3] and regularly won the domestic Down Beat reader's poll for his instrument.

Van Damme was married, and had three children. After he retired to Roseville, California 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.[2]

Discography

As leader

  • 1950: Cocktail Capers (Capitol, CC-105 [78rpm 3-disc album set]/H-178 [10" LP]/T-178 [12" LP])
  • 1952: More Cocktail Capers (Capitol, H-300 [10" LP]/T-300 [12" LP])
  • 1953: Martini Time (Columbia, CL-6265 [10" LP]/CL-630 [12" LP])
  • 1954: The Van Damme Sound (Columbia, CL-544 [12" LP])
  • 1956: House Party (Columbia, CL-2585 [10" LP])
  • 1956: Manhattan Time (Columbia, CL-801)
  • 1956: The Beguiling Miss Frances Bergen (w/Art Van Damme Quintet) (Columbia, CL-873)
  • 1956: The Art Of Van Damme (Columbia, CL-876) (Philips, B-07189-L)
  • 1957: Once Over Lightly (w/Jo Stafford) (Columbia, CL-968) (Philips, B-07241-L)
  • 1958: They're Playing Our Song: Fifty Years Of Hit Songs (Columbia, C2L-7) 2LP
  • 1959: Everything's Coming Up Music (Columbia, CL-1382/CS-8177)
  • 1961: Accordion à la Mode (Columbia, CL-1563/CS-8363)
  • 1962: Art Van Damme Swings Sweetly (Columbia, CL-1794/CS 8594)
  • 1963: A Perfect Match (w/Johnny Smith) (Columbia, CL-2013/CS-8813)
  • 1964: Septet: The New Sound Of Art Van Damme (Columbia, CL-2192/CS-8992)
  • 1965: Lover Man! (Pickwick, SPC-3009) compilation
  • 1967: Music For Lovers (Harmony, HL-7439/HS-11239) compilation
  • 1966: With Art Van Damme In San Francisco (MPS, MPS 15073) (SABA, SB 15073 ST)
  • 1967: The Gentle Art Of Art (MPS, MPS 15114) (SABA, SB 15114 ST)
  • 1967: Ecstasy (MPS, MPS 15115) (SABA, SB 15115 ST)
  • 1968: Lullaby In Rhythm (MPS, MPS 15171)
  • 1968: Art In The Black Forest (MPS, MPS 15172)
  • 1969: On The Road (MPS, MPS 15235)
  • 1969: Art And Four Brothers (MPS, MPS 15236)
  • 1970: Blue World (MPS, MPS 15277) (Pausa, PR-7027)
  • 1970: Keep Going (MPS, MPS 15278) (Pausa, PR-7104)
  • 1972: The Many Moods Of Art (MPS/BASF, MC 25113) 2LP
  • 1973: Star Spangled Rhythm (MPS/BASF, MC 25157) 2LP
  • 1973: Squeezing Art & Tender Flutes (MPS, MPS 15372) (Pausa, PR-7126)
  • 1973: Art Van Damme with Strings (MPS, MPS 15412) - note: quintet recorded in 1973; strings added in 1979 (MPS, MPS 0068.239)
  • 1974: Invitation (w/The Singers Unlimited) (MPS, MPS 15411) (Pausa, PR-7066)
  • 1978: By Request (Sonic Arts, LS-12)
  • 1979: Art In Sweden (Great Music Production, GLP-7915)
  • 1980: Live In Finland (Finlandia, NEA-LP-44)
  • 1981: Art & Liza (w/Liza Matson) (Svenska Media AB, SMTE-5003)
  • 1982: Art Van Damme * In Norway (CBS, 85586)
  • 1983: Pa Kungliga Djurgarden (Pi, PLP-005)
  • 1983: Art Van Damme And Friends (Pausa, PR-7151)
  • 1986: Art (Intersound, ISST-201)
  • 1995: Two Originals: Keep Going/Blue World (MPS, MPS 529093 CD) - reissues
  • 1998: The Van Damme Sound/Martini Time (Collectables, 5870 CD) - reissues
  • 1999: Once Over Lightly/Manhattan Time (Collectors Choice Music, CCM-482 CD) - reissues
  • 2000: Accordion à la Mode/A Perfect Match (Collectables, 6633 CD) - reissues
  • 2000: State Of Art (MPS, MPS 841413 CD)
  • 2006: Swinging The Accordion On MPS (MPS, MPS 06024 98165812 CD) 5-CD box set
  • 2010: So Nice! (MPS, MPS 06025 27528595 CD) - note: reissue of Art Van Damme with Strings
  • 2016: A Perfect Match/Martini Time (Cheesecake, CD) - reissues

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic biography
  2. 1 2 Accordion news weekly
  3. ↑ 1960 Japanese Downbeat Readers Poll Archived 2006-11-22 at the Wayback Machine.
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