Jean Claude Vannier et son orchestre de mandolines Jean-Claude Vannier

• 1 Moi, ma mandoline (Me, my mandolin) 03:48
• 2 Comme les enfants savent aimer (How children know to love) 03:39
• 3 La 2CV disparaît au coin de la rue (The 2CV disappears around the corner) 03:12
• 4 Perdue dans la cité (Lost in the city) 03:15
• 5 Il y avait des éléphants (There were elephants) 03:03
• 6 À cause de mes problèmes (Because of my troubles) 02:36
• 7 Une séance photo sous les arcades (A photoshoot under the arcades) 03:28
• 8 Belle à pleurer (Beautiful enough to cry over) 03:56
• 9 Danse des maillots de bain (Swimsuit dance) 03:45
• 10 Nos regards se sont croisés (Our eyes crossed) 03:57
• 11 La 2CV rouillée (The rusty 2CV) 03:22
• 12 Un petit bout de verre cassé (A small piece of broken glass) 03:40
• 13 Les feux arrière de l'ambulance (Ambulance taillights) 01:33
• Total Runtime 43:14

Info for Jean Claude Vannier et son orchestre de mandolines

Legendary musician, composer and arranger, Jean Claude Vannier, has created an album that is both poetic and out of step. The album features Vincent Beer-Demander, whose mandolin is multiplied by an orchestra to form a singular sound palette, mingled with Grégory Daltin's accordion’s soufflet.

A pinch of strings, a hint of childhood, melodies that touch the heart, orchestration that is always unexpected... these are just some of the elements to emerge from this album.

Mike Patton, who collaborated with Vannier on the 2019 release, Corpse Flower, has this to say about getting to put out his new album on Ipecac, ”Jean Claude is a dear friend, mentor and a wonderfully gifted and decorated composer. Read: LEGEND. To have worked with him is an unmitigated honour. His writing and arrangements have influenced an ocean of artists and I call myself one of the lucky ones who have crossed his path. He was writing ground-breaking stuff before I was born. He has affected me deeply and I’m forever grateful and in AWE.”

A playful album with beautiful-sounding reveries, composed for mandolin and accordion, poetic and irrepressible at the same time. It is the first time that the ever-creative composer has written specifically for the mandolin. The album also features Vincent Beer-Demander, whose mandolin is multiplied into an orchestra to create a unique sound palette that is carefully combined with Grégory Daltin's accordion.

Mike Patton, who worked with Vannier on the 2019 album ‘Corpse Flower’, says about the release of his new album on Ipecac: ‘Jean Claude is a good friend, mentor and a wonderfully talented and excellent composer. A legend. It is a great honour to have worked with him. His lyrics and arrangements have influenced a multitude of artists and I can count myself among the lucky ones to have crossed his path. He was writing groundbreaking stuff before I was even born. He influenced me deeply and I am forever grateful and in awe of him.’

Jean Claude Vannier, dubbed ‘the rare bird’ by the press, has worked with Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin as well as artists such as Beck and Sean Lennon over the past 60 years. He has contributed to countless soundtracks, released six solo albums and is an icon of French pop culture who has composed for the Eurovision Song Contest, made videos, exhibited paintings, hosted radio programmes and published short stories.

Jean Claude Vannier, whom the press refer to as “the rare bird”, has worked over the past 60 years most famously with Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, as well as artists such as Beck and Sean Lennon. He’s worked on countless soundtracks, solo albums and is a French pop-culture icon who’s composed for Eurovision, directed videos, exhibited paintings, hosted radio shows and published short stories.

“... Though he has used the mandolin from time to time for recordings and arrangements, this is the first time that Jean Claude Vannier has written specifically for the instrument. And it’s all thanks to another mandolin enthusiast from childhood, Vincent Beer-Demander, mandolinist, composer and teacher at Marseille’s Pierre Barbizet Conservatory. The tremolo technique of mandolins, glissando effects using a steel or glass bottleneck-cylinder, harmonic colours reminiscent of voices, attacks on the strings that are like percussion... Jean Claude Vannier explores all the possibilities of the instrument and its alliance with the accordion. His compositions, each lasting just a few minutes, are melodic delights... an air of Italy, a moment of graceful reverie, at times intriguing, all to the credit of Jean Claude Vannier’s musical creativity... “ - SYLVAIN SICLIER, LE MONDE

Vincent Beer-Demander, mandolin
Grégory Daltin, accordion
French National Orchestra
Czeske Philharmonic
Mid-Atlantic Symphonic Orchestra
Jean Claude Vannier, conductor

Jean-Claude Vannier
was born in 1943 during an air raid alarm in Bécon-les-Bruyères.

Self-taught, he began playing the piano at the age of 18, then arranging for Michel Magne and Alice Dona, his first notions of orchestration taken from the books of the "Que sais-je ?" collection.

He soon became arranger for numerous french artists : Barbara ("Madame"), Gilbert Bécaud ("M. Winter"), Jane Birkin (the album "Di Doo Dah"), Julien Clerc (the album "Terre de France"), Serge Gainsbourg ("La décadanse", the album "Melody Nelson"), Johnny Hallyday ("Que je t'aime"), Michel Legrand ("Un été 42, "Le messager"), Claude Nougaro ("Dansez sur moi", "Sœur Ame"), Michel Polnareff ("Nous irons tous au paradis", "Tous les bateaux"), Véronique Sanson ("Je les hais", "St Lazare"), Sylvie Vartan ("La Maritza") as well as Bashung, Mike Brandt, Carlos, Dalida, Yves Duteil, Carole Laure, Enrico Macias, Astor Piazzola, Elis Régina, Mort Shuman, Martial Solal, Maurane « Juste une petite fille » « Fais moi l’Homme » , Pascal Obispo...

He has composed successful songs for many of them, including "Super nana" for Michel Jonasz, "Branche cassée" for Françoise Hardy, "Melody Nelson" for Serge Gainsbourg, "C'est la vie qui veut ça" for Jane Birkin, "La drague" for Guy Bedos, "Insomnie", "Plume d'ange" for Claude Nougaro, and ballets for Roland Petit...

He has been invited to conduct orchestras in various countries (Brazil, Japan, Algeria, Zaire, Yugoslavia, Poland, Italy, Spain, Canada, England...)

He has worked for the cinema, collaborating in several movie soundtracks including : "Les guichets du Louvre" by Michel Mitrani, "La horse" by Pierre Granier Deferre , "Paris nous appartient" by Robert Benayoun, "Slogan" by Pierre Grimblat and composing those for "Projection privée" by François Leterrier, "L'amour propre" by Martin Veyron, "La nuit tous les chats sont gris" by Gérard Zingg, "Comédie d'été" by Daniel Vigne, several movie musics for the Philippe Garrel...

Other than music, he has successively tried his hand at water colour painting (Windsor and Newton Award 1984) exhibiting at the Paris Autumn Salon, journalism (writer for Les Nouvelles Littéraires, Glamour and Le Journal Littéraire), the radio (about funny art fakes, gardening and cooking shows for France Culture) and directed a video for Maruschka Detmers.

In December 1989 he took part in the conception of Véronique Sanson’s show with the Prague Symphonic Orchestra, at Paris Châtelet Theatre.

In 1990 he published his first collection of short stories "Le club des inconsolables (The Club of the Inconsolable)" (Published by Fixot), wrote the soundtrack for Jean-Louis Leconte’s film "Bienvenue à bord" and the lyrics for five songs in Julien Clerc’s penultimate album "Petits pois lardons", "Gare à la casse" etc.

On his own Jean-Claude Vannier has recorded six albums of songs; each release has been played live : Campagne Première (1978), Ranelagh (1979), Théâtre de la Ville (1981-1986), Theatre Dejazet (1987), Trottoirs de Buenos Aires (1988), Auditorium des Halles (1992). Theatre des Abbesses (1999) Maroquinerie, 2001

-In 2001 Universal re-release of instrumental album “JC Vannier interprète Georges Brassens” .The original LP was a gift to Georges for his 50th birthday.

-In 2003 CD release by Night & Day of “L’enfant assassin des mouches”, instrumental album recorded in 1973, which inspired Serge Gainsbourg to write a crual tale (UK release on february sortie 2005 on the Finders Keepers record label with oustanding quotes from Jarvis Cocker, Jim O’Rourke, David Holmes, Tim Gane, Andy Votel) .

-In 2005, release on Night & Day of double albuum « En public » (CD release of

« Dejazet » live performance recorded in 1987) « & Fait Maison » (new songs recorded at home).

In October 2006, on the stage of London’s Barbican Center, “l’Enfant Assassin des Mouches and “Melody Nelson” with the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Crouch Festival Choir, legendary musicians, like Herbie Flowers, Big Jim Sullivan, Vic Flick, Dougie Wright, and famous soloists, as Jarvis Cocker, Brigitte Fontaine, Michel Musseau, Mick Harvey, and others.

2007: “Martial Solal play Michel Magne”, an adventurous jazz orchestral CD, arranged by JC Vannier when he was 23.

“L’Orchestre d’Enfants”, a musical story on CD wrote by Jean Claude, played and told by children orchestra and actors from Parisians schools and conservatories.

In October 2008, “l’Enfant assassin des Mouches and “Melody Nelson” show was played again at Paris’s Cité de la Musique, with l’Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, le Jeune Choeur de Paris, prestigious French and English soloists.

Film “Leur morale et la notre”, directed by Florence Quentin, music by Jean Claude

Film “La Frontière de l’aube”, directed by Philippe Garrel, music by Jean Claude

2009, show written and conducted at Sao Paulo, with the “Imperial Orkestra”, won the “best show of the year in Brazil” price.

2010 solo show “Alone with my toys”, in Lausanne (Schwitzerland), at piano, toy piano, recorders, percussions, guitar dobro, accordion, Fisher-Price-deck and a lot of other toys.

This album contains no booklet.