Claude Nougaro was a man who loved words and gestures, a man who made language leap and fly off the page. He turned his song lyrics into corporal expression, instinctively finding the dance patterns hidden within. The Toulousan singer's ultra-physical performances live on stage were as much a part of his act as the unique linguistic feats he showed off, juggling elements of Harlem, the Garonne and the literary French of the Pléiade. Meanwhile, Nougaro operated his alchemist's touch, transforming legendary jazz standards into French 'chanson' classics and turning French 'chanson' into rhythm science.

As Nougaro constantly reminded us in his songs and via his wonderfully gravelly accent, he was born in Toulouse, on 9 September 1929. Raised by a father who was a professional baritone and a mother who worked as a pianist and a teacher, the young Claude was surrounded by music from an early age. He went on to try his hand at journalism in his teens, writing poetry in his spare time. The turning-point in Claude's early career was when he met his 'second father', the poet, playwright and novelist Jacques Audiberti who guided him as he penned his first songs, writing material for the likes of Marcel Amont, Philippe Clay, Odette Laure and Lucette Raillat.

Nougaro eventually began performing on the cabaret circuit himself and recorded a debut album - which proved to be a complete flop! Nougaro eventually crossed the path of another influential figure, however, who finally helped his career take off. Michel Legrand, the multi-talented pianist, composer and arranger discovered that he and Nougaro shared a mutual passion for jazz. Whilst everyone around them was tapping into the vogue for 'yéyé' (60s French pop), Nougaro and Legrand teamed up in the studio and recorded Une petite fille, Le Jazz et la Java, Les Don Juan and Le Cinéma. The following year, 1963, Nougaro scored his first commercial hit with a song dedicated to his daughter, Cécile ma fille.

In 1967, Nougaro put himself on the musical map recording a personal anthem to his native city, Toulouse. The singer went on to prove that he had a golden touch when it came to adapting American jazz hits into French. The "Little Bull" from Toulouse successfully transformed Dave Brubeck's Blue Rondo à la Turk into A bout de souffle, Sonny Rollins' Saint Thomas into A tes Seins, Nat Adderley's Work Song into the wonderfully alliterative Sing Sing Song and Wayne Shorter's Beauty and the Beast into Comme une Piaf. Nougaro was also one of the first French musicians to explore Brazil. In 1964,  he recorded a French cover of Baden Powell's Berimbau (turning it into Bidonville) and in 1978 he adapted Chico Buarque's O que sera into French as the famous Tu verras.

Meanwhile, Nougaro performed a series of sell-out tours and regularly packed out leading Paris venues such as L’Olympia and Bobino. As a result, he got to work with the 'crème de la créme' of the French jazz scene, playing with everyone from Maurice Vander, Eddy Louiss and Richard Galliano to Aldo Romano, Pierre Michelot and Bernard Lubat. Despite his new-found popularity, Nougaro found himself faced with a personal crisis. In the late 1980s his record label, Barclay, announced that his album sales had not lived up to expectations and his contract was promptly terminated.

Nougaro bounced back from defeat, flying off to New York where he recorded a new album at his own expense. Nougayork, a vibrant fusion of rock and funk, turned out to be the best-selling album of his career. And it gave Nougaro a whole new lease of life, attracting a generation of young music fans who were impressed by the late fifty-something singer's phenomenal energy. Thanks to Nougayork, Nougaro walked off with two prestigious 'Victoires de la musique' awards for "Best Male Artist" and "Best Album of the Year" in 1998 and brought the house down when he performed at Le Zénith, in Paris.

Following the success of Nougayork, Nougaro returned to the simple musical arrangements of his early days, teaming up as a duo with his old pianist friend Maurice Vander on the album Une voix dix doigts. Respected by his peers and loved by his fans, the Little Bull lowered his head and charged again and again, recording albums at an impressive rhythm. In 2002, Nougaro branched out in a radical new direction, taking to the stage at Les Bouffes du Nord, in Paris, to present Les Fables de ma fontaine. This ambitious solo show involved him giving a spoken presentation of his work. Meanwhile, Nougaro had already started recording a new album, due out on the legendary jazz label Blue Note in the spring of 2004. Following his death on 4 March 2004, La Note bleue was released posthumously.

Half a decade on from Nougaro's death, very few artists on the contemporary French scene have stepped up to fill Nougaro's shoes, few on the 'chanson' scene being capable of challenging the French language as audaciously as the Little Bull did in his time.

If there are worthy heirs to the Toulousan legend we must look further afield - to the new rap sensation Abd Al Malik, for instance, who has won three "Victoires de la musique" awards to date thanks to his albums Gibraltar and Dante (which, incidentally, includes a brilliant reworking of Nougaro's Paris mai). Nougaro's linguistic prowess is also echoed in the work of the confirmed French slam artist Grand Corps Malade and rising young slam stars such as Luciole or the work of the innovative 'chanteuse' Camille who weaves her own ingenious mix of French and English. Perhaps none of these artists would be doing what they are today if it had not been for the late great Nougaro whose greatest achievement in life was to prove that the French language could swing!