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The New Female Faces of Jazz
Anne Ducros, Elisabeth Kontomanou & co
Paris
03/07/2006 -
The "Victoires de Jazz" Awards – significantly, the only programme on French television exclusively devoted to jazz – recently confirmed the unstoppable rise of France's jazz 'chanteuses.' This year, the annual award ceremony was based on a female theme, highlighting the talent of women musicians and singers who are not only breaking sales records, but also smashing the hitherto macho image of the jazz world.
Elisabeth Kontomanou
The road to recognition has been long and arduous, however. And no-one can have been more aware of that than Elisabeth Kontomanou as she stepped up to receive her award for Best Jazz Vocal Artist of the Year. Finally, after two years (2004/2005) of success with her album Midnight Sun and her latest release Waitin' For Spring – her fifth album to date, currently outselling all other competition in the jazz category – Ms. Kontomanou got the laurels that should have been hers long ago.
Born in France to a Greek mother and a Guinean father, Elisabeth says she always wanted to be a singer, her ambition confirmed when, at the tender age of four, she was blown away by a televised performance by Maria Callas. Elisabeth is justifiably proud of the fact that she is an entirely self-taught artist, citing her musical mentors as Ella Fitzgerald and Charlie Mingus. And perhaps this is where the secret of the new generation of French jazz 'chanteuses' lies: across the Atlantic! Because, interestingly enough, they all passed through the Big Apple at some point in their career. Elisabeth claims, "I just wouldn't be singing the music I am today if I hadn't met New York musicians and experienced New York clubs."
Mina Agossi
Mina Agossi, another hot new female property on the French jazz scene, points her finger in the same direction, saying, "New York is definitely where it's all at. I'll be heading back there in the fall - and playing in Philadelphia and Chicago after that." Mina, who traces her roots back to Benin and Brittany, is certainly the most original vocalist of the current crop of 'chanteuses.' Not only a singer, but also a talented songwriter and composer, the committed globe-trotter - catapulted onto the international live circuit by no less a figure than Archie Shepp - finally chose to settle in Paris. "Jazz is a democratic music that gives everyone the chance to express themselves," she says, "even someone like me who comes from a rock background. My vocal influences range from Sheela Jordan to Jimi Hendrix via Youn Sun Nah, who's got one of the most interesting voices in France right now."
Mina's latest album, Well You Needn't, breaks with the traditional glamour formula of piano-vocals and finds her fixing her ultra-contemporary groove over drums and bass. The cheeky vocal style of this music rebel, who has always insisted on making her own way in the small, clan-ridden, French jazz world, is refreshingly different and wildly energising. And this was enough to attract the attention of the English label Candid Records who signed Mina up on the spot alongside its two leading stars, Stacy Kent and Jamie Cullum.Anne Ducros
Female jazz talents are not only a wise artistic choice, but also a clever marketing strategy. There's no denying that ever since the interplanetary success of Diana Krall, jazz labels have all been looking to sign up the next velvet-voiced piano-accompanied blonde. Rising French jazz star Anne Ducros has successfully reinvented the traditional piano-vocals formula, putting her own inimitable twist on things. Recognised as the most gifted musician and technical maestro amongst her peers, Anne has forged her own Piano-piano formula (on her latest album of the same name), collaborating with major stars such as Chick Corea, Jacky Terrasson, Enrico Pieranunzi, René Utreger and Benoît de Mesmay.
Over the past few years, French jazz labels have all jumped on the female bandwagon, each signing what they hope will be the Next Big Thing. Dreyfus/Sony has Anne Ducros, Nocturne snapped up Elisabeth Kontomanou and Candid Records wooed Mina Agossi from across the Channel. Meanwhile, Sara Lazarus – the most French of American singers – moved to Paris in the mid-80s and recently brought out her eagerly-awaited debut album on Dreyfus.
Acting as veritable locomotives for their respective labels – and outstripping sales of their purely instrumentalist peers – this new breed of French 'chanteuses' have established themselves as a major force to be reckoned with. All that remains to be seen is whether any of them dare to break the final taboo and sing in English. (Elisabeth Kontomanou and Mina Agossi have proved they're ready to take up that challenge, adding this trump card to their other skills of eclecticism and creativity). The French "jazz ladies" remain as glamorous as ever, but they have proved there's much more to them than meets the eye. Elisabeth, Mina and their peers have established themselves as major new artists in their own right - and the sisters aren't just doing it for themselves. The jazz world is very much in need of these new female stars for future revival and ultimate survival. So here's three cheers for the girls!
Elisabeth Kontomanou Waitin' For Spring (Nocturne) 2005
Mina Agossi Well You Needn't (Candid Records) 2005 Until July 6th: the 13th "Voix D'Ailleurs" Festival at Le Sunset in Paris featuring performances by Mina Agossi (June 30th and July 1st).
Valérie Nivelon
Translation : Julie Street
27/04/2010 -
15/03/2006 -
