The theatre

Despite having celebrated his 71st birthday earlier this year, Claude Nougaro is still an indefatigable showman. Following the success of his latest album, Embarquement immédiat (released on EMI), Nougaro hit the road in September 2000 and has already played almost 70 concerts scheduled in his 100-date tour! Nougaro's verve and energy are all the more amazing when you consider that back in 1995 the singer almost succumbed to heart problems (brought on by his hectic schedule!) However, taking to the stage at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées on Tuesday night, the southern French singer looked solid as a rock as he launched into his set, fired by a passion that has never left him.

The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, a venue where audiences are more accustomed to sitting through performances of Monteverdi or Wagner, is a fitting venue for Nougaro. After all, his father was an operetta singer and his mother a classical pianist. Built in 1913 (and listed as one of Paris’s historic monuments in 1957), the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées is a cozy, intimate venue, which could not make a more striking contrast with the vast, anonymous amphitheatre of the Palais des Congrès where Nougaro performed a series of shows last October.

The theatre’s cozy interior was transformed into a smouldering inferno when Nougaro played his first date on June 26th. With the outside temperature in Paris running in excess of 30°C, the numerous fans whirring round the room made little impact on the warm, stuffy air. Perhaps the muggy atmosphere in the theatre’s interior accounted for Nougaro's uncustomary lethargy towards the beginning of the show and explained why the concert got off to such a slow start.

Nougaro, the man
Nougaro lumbered on stage with a heavy, animal-like gait, his electric blue shirt flashing under the spotlights as he broke into a broad grin. His eight musicians had preceded him on stage, taking up their positions under the watchful eye of Yvan Cassar at the piano. Cassar, whom Nougaro describes as "my travelling companion for the last three years", is a talented young composer, conductor and musical arranger whose services have recently been employed by everyone from Johnny Hallyday and Pascal Obispo to Mylène Farmer, Lynda Lemay and Charles Aznavour. Following in the hallowed footsteps of Michel Legrand, Maurice Vander and Eddy Louiss, Cassar now has full responsibility for the orchestration of Nougaro’s repertoire.

"Nijinsky once bounded across this stage in le Sacre du Printemps," Nougaro reminded the audience at the start of his show, “and now I’m about to give my performance of le Sacre de l’Eté!” (the sacred rites of summer). Nougaro followed this witty pun with a series of comments on his personal life, recounting anecdotes about his birth, his early childhood and his parents, that segued neatly into his opening song Mademoiselle Maman (Miss Mum).

After performing a number of recent hits including Anna and la Chienne, Nougaro launched into le Coq et la pendule, one of the many classics from his famous back catalogue. Recognising the opening chords of le Coq...., the audience burst into rapturous applause and appeared to appreciate the 60s-oriented feel of Nougaro’s concert. Things still took a little while to hot up on stage, however, despite the fact that temperatures continued to rise inside the theatre. The nervosity and sparky energy one usually associates with Nougaro - after all, the singer is not nicknamed the 'little bull' for nothing - seemed to be lacking in the early half of the show.

What’s more, Cassar’s beautifully crafted orchestrations did not always appear to suit Nougaro’s classics and at times the arrangements actually came close to swamping the songs rather than showing them off to their best advantage. The new African reworking of Bidonville was especially jarring for fans who have known and loved the song in its original Brazilian version for many years. However, having said that, Cassar’s innovative reworking of other classics such as Un été (Brazilian-style), l’Ile d’Hélène (featuring tango rhythms and Celtic influences) and Langue de bois and Déjeuner sur l‘herbe (more African-style influences, but no surprises here as these versions already feature on Nougaro’s latest album).

Nougaro, the musician

Nougaro is an artist who has always been fascinated by melodies, rhythms and emotions from distant climes. And his live shows are guaranteed to take audiences on a musical voyage of discovery. The common denominator weaving through most of Nougaro’s concert this time round was jazz. Nougaro’s backing band - made up of Eric Chevalier on keyboards and Hammond organ; Daniel Zimmerman on trombone; Nicolas Giraud on trumpet; Stéphane Guillaume on sax, Denis Benarrosh on drums; Nicolas Montazaud on percussion and, last but not least, Rémi Vignolo on double bass - proved more than up to the task of switching from 50s-style jazz to Dixieland arrangements at the drop of a hat. In fact, the musicians faded in and out of the picture, dropping out or stepping forward to play solos which received enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Belting their way through 50s-style arrangements on Ascenseur pour l’Echafaud (le Cinéma), Hollywood-style swing on Jet Set and 30s influences on Armstrong, Nougaro’s musicians proved they were capable of an impressively jaunty pace (Sing Sing, Quatre boules de cuir, Anna) or softer, sensual backing on romantic classics such as Dansez sur moi. The only point where Nougaro appeared to have a little trouble keeping up with his band was on A bout de souffle (Blue Rondo à la Turk), a track based on a famous Dave Brubeck theme. Given his weak heart and the ambient temperature of 30°C, the 71-year-old singer was forced to abandon his first attempt at the song and re-attack it at a more leisurely pace!

Nougaro, the poet

But, of course, the thing that defines a Nougaro show more than stirring arrangements or skilled jazz solos is the undefinable poetry of his performance. Nougaro claims that poetry “is a rather embarrassing word to use when you’re talking of variété”, but the word has stuck with him throughout his career, nevertheless, as he has avoided embarrassing attempt to modernise his repertoire for younger audiences and remained true to his lyrical ‘chanson’ style. Nougaro’s poetry reached new heights on Tuesday night, thanks to a stunning performance of his southern French classic Toulouse. What’s more, Cassar’s wonderfully dramatic arrangements added a new intensity to the perennial favourite.

By the time he reached the end of his set, Nougaro was dripping with sweat and his electric blue stage shirt was wet through. But the 71-year-old star still leapt back on stage for an eagerly-awaited encore, performing a further four songs. The indefatigable showman ended the show by reading a short text about the story of Adam and Eve. Enunciating every syllable of every word with impressive clarity, Nougaro’s incredible voice echoed round the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, proving that - if there is any justice in this world - his next show should be an a cappella performance, featuring just him and his totally amazing voice.