Aimé Barelli

Aimé Barelli (March 1, 1917 – July 13, 1995) was a French jazz trumpeter, vocalist, and bandleader. Mostly self-taught, he was considered by many at the time to be France's top jazz trumpeter of the 1940s and '50s.

Life and career

Barelli was born on March 1, 1917, in Lantosque, France.

Barelli moved to Paris, France in the early 1940s and started working with the bands of Raymond Legrand, Fred Adison, Raymond Wraskoff, Hubert Rostaing, Alix Combelle, Maceo Jefferson, and Andre Ekyan. 

He led record dates for the Swing label during 1940—43 in what must have been arduous circumstances under the German occupation. He led his own group from 1943, which performed with Dizzy Gillespie in 1948. 

In 1943-46, Barelli headed a nonet that recorded for Pathé Records and consisted of his trumpet, four (and later five) saxophones, and a rhythm section. Unfortunately, those swing-oriented sides have not yet been issued in the United States.

Barelli played informally with Sidney Bechet (1949), Charlie Parker (1949), and with Django Reinhardt in 1952. Starting in 1966, he led his own ensemble and worked as a bandleader in Monte Carlo. 

His daughter is a known French singer, Minouche Barelli.

Barelli died on July 13, 1995, in Monaco.