French Music: "Vesoul" by Jacques Brel
Brel and Azzola's pairing on this track define's the unique "Brel style"
Jacques Brel was a pivotal figure in 20th-century French music, although originally from Belgium, recorded "Vesoul" in 1968. Brel performed mostly in the chanson française genre, or lyric-driven French language singing. It’s a genre that covers a tremendous variety of singers, although Brel was unique.
“Vesoul” is definitive "Brel style" chanson, with a steady acceleration in rhythm, intensity, and singing. The song peaks with the Azzola’s accordion solo, marked by the energetic command "Chauffe, Marcel!" (“Warm it up, Marcel!”, a phrase that became iconic in its own right.
This song has been recorded more than 150 times in various languages by both nationally and internationally renowned artists. It shows up in an exhaustive list of movies, musicals and short films.
The hero of this track is the accordionist, Marcel Azzola, putting the instrument through its paces. Azzola performed with many French legends, including Edif Piaf, but worked with Brel for many years and helped to define the “Brel style”.
Accordionist Marcel Azzola was well appreciated as an artist in his own right. He was still tearing it up at 90 years old, although he has since passed.