Claude Nougaro
Widely regarded as the singer who fused the traditions of the French chanson with the energy and verve of American jazz, Claude Nougaro was born in Toulouse on September 9, 1929. The son of an opera singer and a piano teacher, he was raised largely by his grandparents, devouring not only classical music but also the homegrown pop of Charles Trenet and Edith Piaf, and the American swing of Louis Armstrong and Glenn Miller broadcast via Radio-Toulouse. Despite his love of the arts, Nougaro never learned to read music or play an instrument, and in 1947, he briefly worked as a journalist before serving a stint in the French Foreign Legion in Morocco. After his military service wrapped he settled in Paris, dabbling in poetry and befriending the playwright Jacques Audiberti, through whom Nougaro made a number of contacts in the cabaret world. He first performed at the Montmarte club Le Lapin Agile in 1955, further raising his profile by penning lyrics for Piaf. Nougaro made his first recordings in 1958 -- although the vogue was to sing in pure French, he performed with a pronounced Toulousian accent, with thick syllables and a rhythmic depth born of his affection for American vocalists. In addition to collaborating with jazz greats including Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, and Nat Adderley, during the 1960s Nougaro studied Brazilian music, working with Baden Powell and Chico Buarque -- his best-loved songs include "Je Suis Sous" ("I Am Drunk"), "Cécile, Ma Fille" ("Cecile, My Daughter"), "Jazz and Java," and "Paris Mai," penned in the wake of May 1968's anti-government student demonstrations. Although Nougaro's commercial fortunes declined during the 1970s, during the following decade he made a comeback inspired by the success of Nougaro, an album cut in New York City -- around the same time, he also experimented with African rhythms. After years of failing health, Nougaro died March 4, 2004 at the age of 74 -- after his passing, French president Jacques Chirac said "a veritable poet has left us."
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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Nougayork Remixes
Claude Nougaro, Dimitri from Paris
French Music - Released by Parlophone (France) on 1 Mar 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
50 plus belles chansons
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 29 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best Of
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 1 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nougayork (Édition Studio Masters) (Version Remasterisée MQS 2014)
French Music - Released by Warner (France) on 1 Oct 1987
The Qobuz Essential Discography24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
BD Music Presents Claude Nougaro
French Music - Released by BDMUSIC on 29 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Embarquement Immédiat
French Music - Released by Parlophone (France) on 1 Sep 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Quand Le Jazz Est Là
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on 1 Jan 2014
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nougayork (Remasterisé 2014)
French Music - Released by Warner (France) on 1 Oct 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les 50 Plus Belles Chansons
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 1 Jan 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Il Y Avait Une Ville
French Music - Released by Rendez-Vous Digital on 15 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
La note bleue
French Music - Released by Parlophone (France) on 30 Nov 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les 50 plus belles chansons
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 29 Oct 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Piano Jazz & Co
French Music - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 29 Mar 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sa Majesté Le Jazz
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 1 Jan 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Olympia 1985 (Live à l'Olympia / 1985)
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 7 Jan 1985
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
L'Amour Sorcier
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 1 Jan 2013
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Et Java
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 1 Jan 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hitbox
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
15 titres de Claude Nougaro (Mono Version)
French Music - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Locomotive D'Or (1973)
French Music - Released by Universal Music Division Mercury Records on 1 Sep 1973
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Claude Nougaro et ses interprètes, vol. 2 : 1956-1962
French Music - Released by Fremeaux Heritage on 1 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo