NAMES IN THE NEWS : Jazz Bassist Louis Vola Dies

Jazz bassist Louis Vola, a founding member of the legendary Hot Club Quintet in the 1930s, has died after a long illness, friends reported today. He was 88. Born in the Riviera town of La-Seyne-Sur-Mer, Vola helped found the quintet in 1934 and played bass on the first recordings by fellow group members Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli.

Vola went on to play bass in Ray Ventura’s orchestra. He also backed up Benny Carter and Duke Ellington and the French singers Charles Trenet, Yves Montand and Georges Brassens.

Friends said Vola died last week in a Paris hospital.