Claude Bolling has found his greatest fame in the U.S. for his jazzy classical collaborations with Jean-Pierre Rampal, Maurice Andre, Elena Duran, and Yo Yo Ma, while in Europe he is best known as the leader of various swing big bands. Bolling formed his first group when he was 14 in 1944. In 1948, he recorded with Rex Stewart and accompanied blues singer Chippie Hill at a jazz festival. Bolling also recorded with Roy Eldridge (1951) and Lionel Hampton (1953 and 1956), led big bands since the 1950s, and recorded ragtime, tributes to Duke Ellington, and his own original music. Although not an innovator, Claude Bolling has been an important fixture in the French jazz scene since the 1950s. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide