JACQUES HIGELIN

JACQUES HIGELIN
PART 3

Struggles
The success of "Tombé du ciel", which quickly reached platinum sales (350.000) preceded the release of a compilation "Au coeur d'Higelin". Higelin had estazblished himself as one of the masters of French music. His success and notoriety came in useful in his militant activities he actively supported, particularly Droit au Logement, a charity that found homes for people in need. Ever ready to demonstrate for the needy and causes he deemed important, he supported the student demonstrations in 1986.
At fifty, Jacques Higelin's became father of a third child . His daughter Izia was born on September 24th 1990, and the extremely sober album he released a year later bears strong marks of this. The lyrics are about life's essential moments, birth, love, death, whilst the music, with session guests including Youssou N'Dour and percussionist Dudu N'diaye Rose, was a new Afro-dominated fusion which they performed live at the Grand Rex for three weeks from January 17th 1992, backed by Belgo-Zairian vocal group Zap Mama, before leaving on a French and then international tour.
In 1993, Higelin played in a TV film, "Un homme à la mer", directed by Jacques Doillon, with whom he shot "L'An 01" in 1973.
But above all in 93, he worked on the "Aux Héros de la voltige" album which came out in 1994. The singer's eleventh album, it marked a return to a relatively more rocking sound, but which allowed full expression for the tenderness of his feelings and the gravity of his anxieties. From October 25th to November 20th, he performed at the Cirque d'Hiver, a venue with a sublime circus decor which the Higelin tribe had played twelve years earlier. Boosted by the success of the autumn show, he returned to the Cirque d'Hiver in March and April 95. Then, at the Printemps de Bourges festival, he sponsored the Decouvertes, offering the first sets of his shows to a host of young artists. Apart than Bourges, Jacques Higelin was also one of the pillars of the Francofolies festival in la Rochelle, which he attends each year in July. Even when not performing at the Festival, he is often seen in jam sessions there.
Higelin devoted the whole of 1996 to his solo tour and then went on to sign a recording deal with Warner's new label Tôt ou Tard.
A highly creative, whimsical and endearing artist, Higelin has written some of the most illuminating and moving songs in French music. Whether performing live on stage or demonstration in the street for needy people, his sincerity is incontestable. On October 8th 1997, he invited many of his friends to give a concert in aid of "Les Sans Papiers", immigrants without immigration papers. Compered by Claudy Siar of Radio France Internationale, the soirée featured musicians a whole variety of musicians, ranging from Brigitte Fontaine, to Areski, to Dudu N'diaye Rose and the Algerian Rai star Cheb Mami.

1997: "Paradis Païen"
In 1997 Higelin returned to the studio to begin work on his new album, entitled "Paradis Païen" (Pagan Paradise). Higelin wrote all the tracks on his new album himself, apart from the song "Rififi", which was co-written by the singer's old friends Areski Belkacem and Brigitte Fontaine. Areski, and his son Ali, were also responsible for the production work on "Paradis Païen". Higelin's new album was released on September 22nd 1998 to general critical acclaim, and "Une Tranche de vie", the first single release, also went down well with fans.
In October of this year Higelin turned his attention to his live career once again, kicking off an extensive tour with a series of concerts at the Casino de Paris (October 6th - 18th). This time round, Higelin went for a pared-down intimate-style of show, performing practically solo on stage and playing a whole range of acoustic instruments (from accordion and guitar to the piano). The audience certainly appreciated this new approach, and Fugain held his fans enthralled for nearly three hours.
In December 98, Higelin returned to the live scene, performing in concert at the Cité de la Musique in Paris. Fans were treated to a real musical extravaganza as Higelin was joined on stage by a host of famous guest stars including Sally Nyolo, Brigitte Fontaine and his wife Aziza.
Higelin hit the road again in the autumn of '99, rounding his new tour off with a special one-off concert at the Olympia on 15 December. The popular French star went on to bring the house down when he performed in Lyon on New Year's Eve.

America & Indian Ocean
Without taking a break at the beginning of 2000, Higelin started out on tour to faraway destinations. From the 12th of April to the 7th of May, "Jack au banjo" and Mahut gave a series of concerts throughout the US. "Jack" had a great time in America and so did his audience. Americans awarded him with an enthusiastic welcome even though they could not help being surprised by this unconventional character, who bears so little resemblance to the usual French chanson stars such as Aznavour or Julien Clerc. "Jack au banjo" was also very well spoken of in such prestigious newspapers as the New York Times or the Washington Post.
Back to France where he had just enough time for a few gigs, Higelin and his crew took off again to East Africa (Djibouti and Kenya) and, then in June, to the Indian Ocean. Very successful with the French expats, the tour also enabled the French singer to meet up with local musicians and sometimes to invite them for a jam session. On the evening of the Fete de la Musique (June, 21st) in Madagascar, he opened his stage to many Madagascan artists.
Back to France, Higelin hit the road once more, and at the end of October he was in Beirut. Early in November, he released a live album recorded with his three accomplices, Mahut, Frederic Deville and Gerard Tempia Bonda, with whom he had been touring the whole year long.
Higelin continued his extensive tour of France throughout the early part of 2001, then in May the singer headed off across the Indian Ocean once again to perform a series of concerts in Oceania. Higelin went on to perform two dates in a small bar in downtown Sydney (Australia), following this with three dates at the Tjibaou Centre in Noumea (17 - 20 May).
Maintaining his commitment to his fund-raising work, Higelin took part in a concert in the Roman amphitheatre in Vienne (a town in central France) in the summer of 2001, donating profits from ticket sales to an association looking after refugees. Then in August the singer headed down to the Uzeste Festival in the south-west of France, bringing the house down when he performed in concert with his son Arthur H.
Higelin spent most of the early part of 2002 writing songs for an album he had already started work on the previous year. Spring also found him hitting the road again for a mini concert tour.
In October 2002 he performed at the Festival du Vent in Calvi and in May 2003 on the Republique Square in Paris, protesting against the double penalty.

Trenet
He accumulated enough material for a new album but decided instead to try something different and explore the repertoire of Charles Trenet. Jacques Higelin had always been a major fan of the late, great performer and he now staged a show called "Higelin enchante Trenet" in which he sung around 20 of Trenet's classics, working with his long-time collaborator, the percussionist Didier Mahut. The show kicked off in July 2004 at the Francofolies festival at La Rochelle. Higelin then took the show on the road across France. In November, he accompanied the young French singer Jeanne Cherhal for a few songs at the Cigale in Paris; he had already recorded a duet with her entitled "Je voudrais dormir" (I want to sleep).
From 23 March 2005 to 3 April 2005, the singer performed his show for two weeks running at the Trianon in Paris, while at the same time he released his box set "Entre deux gares", retracing 33 years of success and an overall career of almost 40 years.
A live album, "Higelin enchante Trenet", was released in September 2005. This Trenet tribute was recorded live at Le Trianon, a Paris venue Higelin returned to for five further dates in October. After this, Higelin embarked upon an extensive tour of France, remaining on the road until January 2006.

2006: "Amor doloroso"
Eight years after his last studio album, "Paradis païen", Higelin finally turned his attention to composing once again. Much to the delight of fans, a new Higelin album, "Amor doloroso", hit record stores in November 2006. The Trenet experience had given Higelin a certain distance from his own work and encouraged him to sort through dozens of songs he had written over the years.
Eleven songs were finally selected to appear on his new album, which revolved around the central theme of love. "Amor doloroso" was produced by Rodolphe Burger (former lead singer of the group Kat Onoma) who invited Higelin and his musicians – including his loyal collaborator Dominique Mahut – to record at his farm in Sainte-Marie aux Mines, in the Alsace region. This bucolic universe appeared to revitalise Higelin, injecting new energy and inspiration into his work.

ILLICITE (1991)
320 KBPS
1. We Are The Show Man
2. Ce Qui Est Dit Doit Etre Fait
3. Illicite
4. Ballade Pour Izia
5. L'homme Oiseau
6. Il N'y A Pas De Nom (Pour Le Repos De Son Ame)
7. Criez Priez
8. Les Ailes Du Silence

AUX HEROS DE LA VOLTIGE (1994)
320 KBPS
1. Le Berceau De La Vie
2. Electrocardiogramme Plat
3. Sur La Grande Roue
4. Hot Chaud
5. Le Dragon, Le Tigre Et La Geisha
6. Trou Noir
7. Adolescent
8. Le Naif Haitien
9. Aux Heros De La Voltige

PARADIS PAÏEN (1998)
320 KBPS
1. Chambre Sous Les Toits
2. Une Tranche De Vie
3. Broyer Du Noir
4. L'accordeon Desaccorde
5. La Vie Est Folle
6. Rififi
7. Luxe, Calme Et Volupte
8. L'heritiere De Crao
9. Y'a Pas De Mot
10. Paradis Paien

HIGELIN ENCHANTE TRENET (2005)
320 KBPS
1. Un Rien Me Fait Chanter
2. Il Pleut Dans Ma Chambre
3. Coin De Rue
4. Vous Etes Jolie
5. Je Chante
6. Pauvre Georges André
7. Débit De L'Eau...Débit De Lait
8. Le Jardin Extraordinaire
9. Le Soleil Et La Lune
10. Verlaine
11. J'Ai Ta Main
12. Boum

AMOR DOLOROSO (2006)
320 KBPS
1. Queue De Paon
2. Prise De Bec
3. Ice Dream
4. L'Hiver Au Lit A Liverpool
5. Se Revoir Et S'Emouvoir
6. Halloween
7. Crocodaïl
8. Ici, C'Est L'Enfer
9. Amor Doloroso
10. J'T'Aime Telle
11. J'Aime

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