This week's Sunday Spotlight is Jean Michel Andre Jarre, a French composer and producer. He is the son of famous movie score composer Maurice Jarre (who is responsible for Doctor Zhivago soundtrack) and France Pejot. He is known as an electronic music pioneer and inventor, but also as someone who throws spectacular concerts in which music is connected to the environment through laser lights and fireworks.
Up until now, he has sold over 80 million albums, which makes him 64th best selling artist of all time. He was considered a wunderkind and he started playing piano in Paris conservatorium when he was only 5 years old. Later on, he joined Pierre Schaeffer's Group for Music Research through which he made his first professional creation, a soundtrack for Des Garcons et Des Filles. He joined the group so that he could experiment with synths and sounds. Signing a deal with EMI's Pathe label and releasing his debut La Cage - Erosmachine represented the onset of his career in 1969. Two years later, he performs in Paris Opera, and then becomes the youngest performer who ever graced the stage of Garnier Palace. In the next five years, he will compose for numerous TV jingles, movies and ballet shows including Desert Palace and soundtrack for Les Granges Brulees Jean Capote in 1973.
In 1976, he signs a record deal with Disques Dreyfus and starts working on his sophomore material. The first single taken from it Oxygene Volume IV peaks at #4 on UK Album Chart and becomes a popular instrumental for TV shows. The album OXYGENE seduced the world with is multi-layer instrumentals, reached #2 on UK Album Chart and went on to sell 10 million copies worldwide. Jarre's unique orchestral sound finally reached a general audience. The successor Equinoxe will follow the successful path of Oxygene and sell 7 million copies worldwide, cementing Jarre's status as the best European solo instrumentalist.
On Bastille Day, a million people visited his concert back in 1979. He presented a complete set of synths, lasers and fireworks that were operated by a primitive computer, leaving audience in a state of absolute trance. Such a spectacle will later on become his trademark, and the first one was long noted in Guinness book as the most visited concert. In 1982, he becomes the first Western-European artist who ever performed in China. Andrew Piddington recorded the whole show in China. There were 400000 people attending it. Wow!
In 1983, he presents new album Music for Supermarkets in a super innovative and sharp fashion. Revealing his detest for the whole commercial music business, he released only one copy of the album and organized an auction in hotel Drouot in Paris. The buyer remained anonymous.
Now that I have introduced you into magical cognitive and music abilities of Jean Michel Jarre, I am going to fast forward to my favorite album by this artist. Metamorphoses is his stylistically most eclectic album since Zoolook and I love it because of contributions by great artists such as Laurie Anderson, Natacha Atlas, Sharon Corr and Dierdre Dubois. Also, the single C'est la Vie is probably one of my favorite songs by Jarre.
There you have it, folks. A Sunday Spotlight teaser of Jean Michel Jarre. In case you ever have a chance to see him live, don't miss it. Until then, rush to your streaming services and listen to as much music as possible from the most influential electronic artist of all times.
