ABSTRACT
A record issued during 1953-1957 by Clef Records of Beverly Hills, California. It was founded by Norman Granz as successor to his Jazz at the Philharmonic series that had been released on the Asch and Mercury labels. Granz engaged many leading artists, including Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald (after 1956), Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Krupa, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson, and Lester Young. He consolidated his several labels (Clef, Down Home, Norgran) under the label name Verve in 1956. The final Clef release was in March 1957. [Ruppli 1986.]
French tenor, born in Paris. His debut was at the Opéra-Comique on 29 Nov 1889, in Gounod’s Mireille. He then sang across Europe, and at the Metropolitan Opera from 1911 to 1913. His special role was as Des Grieux in Manon, and his record of “La rêve” (Odéon 56050; 1905, and Victor 74258; 1912 or 1913), is regarded as one of the best tenor renditions of the acoustic era. Clément recorded also for Pathé (1916-1918). There have been many reissues on LP. He died in Nice.
