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Jean-Michel Jarre was born on August 24th ( 3am - ish ) in 1948 in Perrache, Lyon. His Parents are France Pejot and the award winning hollywood composer Maurice Jarre (Famed for such music as Lawence of Arabia and Ghost). |
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Maurice Jarre leaves for the United States to pursue his carreer in film music full-time and a young Jean-Michel was at the piano playing scales, having begun musical studies. |
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Jean-Michels piano teacher changes and his new teacher brings back Jean-Michels desire for music. |
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On his 10th birthday, Jean-Michel is taken to the small club Le Chat-qui-peche and is surrounded by other musicians for the whole evening. |
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Jean Michel studied at theParis Conservatoire under Jeannine Rueff. This classical grounding was to prove very useful to the future composer of "Oxygene" and "Rendez-Vous". |
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Jean-Michel went to see "Danny Logan & The Pirates" and when he went back to school he set up his first own band "Mystere IV". They won 1st price at the Paris street festival. |
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Jean-Michel - along with his new band "The Dustbins" feature in a small party scene in the film "Des Garcon Et Des Filles". They toured through various places like those in Normandia. |
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Jean-Michel finishes his thesis on comparative literature entitled "The Faust Of Literature and Music" with main emphasis on Goethe and Berlioz. After a short while, Jean-Michel leaves the Paris Conservatoire and meets the man who was to change his perception of music and technology - Pierre Schaeffer of the G.R.M. |
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The year of the student revolution in Paris. In much of Europe, artists were trying to go beyond traditional forms. Jean-Michel was accepted for the GRM (Group de Recherches Musicales / Music Research Group) directed by Pierre Schaeffer, his first introduction to the techniques of electroacoustic music. He learnt how to work with electronic tape, and the techniques of collages and concrete music. Whilst there he records the track "Happiness is a Sad Song" for the Maison de Culture (This track has had no subsequent release - legally). |
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Jean-Michel records his first single of electroacoustic music called "La Cage". |
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Jean-Michel records the track "Erosmachine" - there is lovingly called washing machine by a lot of Jean-Michels fans. |
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The single "La Cage" is released which is following by Jean-Michel leaving the G.R.M. He then creates electronic sounds for the group "Triangle", He plays live at Paris Opera, Palais Gardnier, to celebrate the Opera?s re-opening, becoming the youngest person to ever perform live there. Jarre premieres an electronic composition called ?AOR" (?Hebrew of Light"), containing one piece for each of the seven colors of the rainbow. The performance is choreographed by Norman Schmucki. |
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Jean-Michel starting to work freelance and while he is doing this he meets Francis Dreyfus and then composes and records various musical pieces that are collected under the name "Deserted Palace". There was his first, very experimental album. In the same year he composed the soundtrack for film "Les Granges Brulees", directed by Jean Chapot and starring two great names of French cinema, Alain Delon and Simone Signoret. and it is released on LP. |
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The Deserted Palace LP is issued in the US. | ||
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1972 to 1975 was a period of intense activity. He recorded for commercials, ballet, TV, and was composer, producer and lyricist for different artists. |
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Jean-Michel meets Michel Geiss. Michel Geiss is to play a very important role in Jean-Michels future, creating such instruments as the Matri-Sequencer and the Digi-Sequencer. |
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1976 proves to be the year that success and Jean-Michel were to meet, with the launch of the now legendary "Oxygene" in France. He also receives the "Grand Prix Du Disques" award for Oxygene from the Charles Cross Academy. He also meets actress Charlotte Rampling - his future wife. |
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During 1977, Polydor license Oxygene and all future recordings for release arround the world. The American magazine "People" choose Jean-Michel as their 'Personality of the Year'. ?Daily Mirror" declares: ?... a French revolution to the rockworld". Soundtrack album - ?Paris By Night" released. |
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Jean-Michel Jarre records his second album under the name of "Equinoxe". There was storms the charts in over 35 countries. Jean-Michel marries the British film star Charlotte Rampling and allows music from Equinoxe to be used in the Peter Fleischman's film "La Maladie de Hambourg" - better known as "The Illness Of Hamburg". |
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1979 is to be the year that the "concert spectacular" is born, Jean-Michel brings his unique blend of electronic music to the outdoors at the "Place de la Concorde" for Bastille Day (at July 14th). Mick Jagger is quoted as saying - after the event - "I have never seen anything like that in my entire life!". The show was broadcast in Eurovision. An audience of more than one million people was present. Oxygene is presented for the Ballet at the Paris Opera House. Jean-Michel then receives a gold medal for musical broadcasting from the S.A.C.E.M. for contributing to French culture throughout the world. Tracks from Oxygene are used in Peter Wier's Australian film "Gallipoli". Jean-Michel then goes to Japan on a promotional visit and then goes to China to see the country. |
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During 1981, Jean-Michel released album "Magnetic Fields" and two weeks after release, it entered the top ten in every European territory. Jean-Michel becomes an honorary member of the Beijing ?Conservatory of Music".The negotiations of Francis Dreyfus Music and personal contacts made by Jean-Michel Jarre paid off with the Chinese government's authorisation for a series of concerts in Peking and Shanghai. On October 15th, a team of sixty musicians and technicians left Paris for Peking with 15 tons of stage gear in the plane's hold. He performs five concerts in China, known as "The concerts in China". Also, Jean-Michel was to be the first western musician to be invited to perform a concert in China. A little extra is that "Oxygene" and "Equinoxe" were one of the first non-Chinese albums to be played on the radio and therefore had audiences of around 500 Million. |
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During 1982, Jean-Michel goes to Switzerland on a promotional visit and also to receive various awards for record sales. This is also the year that "The Concerts in China" double album is released. A special documentary on "The Concerts in China" is also filmed. Also, this is the year that the Guinness Book of Records official recognise the one million people who attended the "Place de la Concerde" concert during 1979. |
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During 1983, Jean-Michel is asked to record some background music for an art exhibition - which was known as the "Orrimbe" show. On 6th July Jean-Michel Jarre is shocked the music world by telling the public to pirate - he auctions off "Music for Supermarkets", a record pressed in one unique copy, the master having been destroyed in the presence of a legal officer. This spectacularly provocative gesture was in aid of young artists, painters and sculptors. Before the sale at the Hotel Drouot, Paris which fetches 69000 FF, the recording was broadcast on Radio Luxembourg, just long enough to show that Jean-Michel was onto a new musical track. Jean-Michel is awarded a certificate by the French Edition of The Guinness Books Of Records for the largest amount of money a record has been sold for in France. Also, in November "The Essential" compilation album is released and he collaborates artistically on the film "Le Voyage D'Orphée". Jean-Michel also receives the Designers & Art Directors Associations Award for most outstanding record promotion. |
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"Zoolook" was released in November, an unusual title for a totally different album chosen as instrumental recording of the year in France and the U.S.A. Laurie Anderson, Adrian Belew (?King Crimson", ?Talking Heads"), Togi Horton (?Talking Heads"), Marcus Miller (?Miles Davies") all contributed to the album. |
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The premiere screening of the Zoolook video at MIDEM 1985 in France takes place. Jean-Michel also receives the "Grand Prix du Disque" award for his fantastic Zoolook album from the Charles Cross Academy and he also receives the "Victoires de la Musique" - best instrumental album award - for the Zoolook album. Jean-Michel visits Japan and Australia on promotional visits, and while he is in Australia is invited by the head of the aborigines to see Ayers Rock. |
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April 5th at 8:15pm, Downtown Houston is aflame. Jean-Michel Jarre's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Houston and Texas, and the 25th anniversary of NASA. There was one of the most spectacular concerts in the history of music. His new album "Rendez-Vous", awarded ?Album of the Year" in France, was heard by about one and a half million Texans. Jean-Michel also becomes honorary citizen of Houston city, US. October 5th, Jean-Michel performs a concert at the bottom of Fourvieres Hill to celebrate Pope John-Paul II's visit to Lyon. Around 10:30pm, after Pope John-Paul II's blessing of Lyon from the top of Fourvieres Hill, Rendez-Vous Lyon got underway, a concert given to more than 800,000 people on the banks of the Saone. The Guinness Book Of Records officially recognise the 1.3 million people that attended the Houston concert. There is a disagreement between some quarters that say there were 1.6 million people and not 1.3 million in attendance. |
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Release of the album "Cities in Concert - Houston/Lyon". A setting of the best from the Houston and Lyon concerts in a sound collage where the pope's voice blends with Kennedy's, and American television news with the sound of the TGV. Polygram celebrate ten commercial years of Jean-Michel's music by releasing a limited edition "10th anniversary" CD only box set. The Jean-Michel Jarre biography is published by Jean-Louis Remilleux in France. Jean-Michel receives the "Victoires de la Musique" award for the best instrumental album "Rendez-Vous" and he also receives the same award for "best musical spectacle" for his Houston concert. |
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During 1988, Jean-Michel releases his "Revolutions" album. Destination Docklands, Jean-Michel Jarre's concert on the London Docks in Newham, initially scheduled for September 24th, was first of all cancelled, and then, despite weather conditions, was split into two concerts on October 8th and 9th. In that apocalyptic setting of the docks, half in ruins, half restored, with graffiti, a sense of violence, and one-time storage sheds clashing with more recent architectural styles, Jarre and his musicians were acclaimed by an English public of several hundred thousand, under pouring rain. Jean-Michel has been reported as saying he had mild electric shocks during the shows. |
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Jean-Michel and Hank Marvin perform the track they co-wrote "London Kid" as part of the Champs Elysees event (The Eiffel Tower 100th anniversary celebrations). The great "Concert D'Images" celebratory book is published and the exhibition of the same name also opens in Paris. There was limited to 5020 copies, 1-20 numered and was made available only through the exhibition. Jean-Michel fails to hold a show to celebrate 200 years of the French revolution. The album "Jarre-live" is released (the recording from Docklands during 1988). Francis Dreyfus repromotes Jean-Michel's music with a special promotion entitled "Jean-Michel Jarre - The Laser Years" and a special box set is released in France. |
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During 1990, The long awaited "Waiting for Cousteau" album is released. This album is dedicated to Jacques Yves Cousteau (undersea exlorer) who made many documentaries until he sadly passed away during 1997. Jean-Michel also performs his amazing "Paris La Defense - a City in Concert" on July 14th. This concert is acclaimed by over two million spectators. There given Jean-Michel Jarre entering into The Guiness Book Of Records. "La Cite de la Reussette" conference held in La Sorbonne entitled "La qualite de l'enviroment urbain, facteur de reussiye?" and Jarre is one of the guest speakers. Jean-Michel also performs Calypso live on the show Sacrée Soirée. Jerome Monod of "Lyonnaise des Eaux-Dumez", a French water company commissions Jean-Michel to record a coporate hymn. Jean-Michel accepts to the sum of $75000,- and composes "Rémanences" from old material, which lasts 2 minutes and 50 seconds. He also travelled to Trinidad to record his music with the Amoco Renegades, a local steel-drum band. |
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Images - The Best Of Jean-Michel Jarre" compilation released. |
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In september 1992, Jarre transformed the Swiss town of Zermatt, under the Matterhorn mountain. For the first time Jarre had moved away from the urban city centres and moved into a rural arena. Jarre astonished the watching crowds by projecting images and laser animations onto a huge rock face, as well as wild beams and fireworks. On 1st and 3rd of December 1992 were Lost City concerts, commissioned by the Sun International Hotel group for the opening of the Lost City complex at Sun City in Bophuthatswana, South Africa. Each concert had 15,000 tickets available which were sold out in 2 weeks. |
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Jean Michel Jarre is once again in the limelight. In May, his new album "Chronologie", is released, and between July and October, he performes Europe in Concert, his first tour of fifteen main European towns to an enthusiastic public.This time, he transforms each place in which he stops into an imaginary city made up of music, pictures and lights. In all the towns - from Lausanne to Seville, passing through Wembley on the way - these concerts achieve an incredible success. In the same year, he is appointed as Ambassador of Tolerance and Youth to Unesco. Jarre?s first mission is to relay the declaration of the Year of Tolerance worldwide. |
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Jean-Michel Jarre sets foot on Chinese soil again, this time to give a concert in the new Hong Kong Stadium. On the 25th of May, Jean-Michel Jarre is appointe Chevalier of the Legion of Hounour. In November the double CD Hong Kong is released. |
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On the 14th July, in front of one and a half million spectators, Jean-Michel Jarre gives the first in the series of his Concerts for Tolerance at the foot of the Effel Tower in Paris, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of UNESCO. Jarre portrayed there his vision of tolerance, as well as to live worldwide television audience. Jarremix is released, featuring mixes from artists including Sunscreem and Gat Decor. |
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Jarre remains busy composing his new follow-up album to Oxygene", for release near the end of the tear, as well as planning concerts for Australia, USA, Europe and India for 1997. |
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His new album "Oxygene 7-13" is released and Jarre is doing a promotional tour around Europe fo it. Also he annouced a new indoor tour around Europe. Jarre has released in December 1997 a limited ?special edition" Oxygene album which combines the Original Oxygene and the new 7-13 album?s mixed together. There is a brand new track which will link the two albums together. The link track is entitled ?Oxygene in Moscow". Complete ?Oxygene" contains a 24-page booklet with may new Photo?s of Jarre, sleeve notes and a brief biography by Johnny Black. The album was only available for three months. It was deleted from the catalogue in February 1998. |
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Jean-Michel Jarre releases a remix album entitled "Oddyssey Through Oxygene" on 28th of April 1998. The album features many talented artists from around the globe who?ve revisted his work on ?Oxygene 7-13". Artists include DJ Cam, TK, Apollo 440 and Hani. The album will also contain a completely interactive multimedia format. The ?Randez-vous 98" single remixed by Apollo 440 released. That is the theme for Coupe du Monde France 98. The theme was unveiled in Marseille on Thursday 4th Decembem 1997 when the draw for the final stages of the tournament is made, with it being stageg at Stade Velodrome. |
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The Twelve Dreams Of The Sun |
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End Of The Concert, Start of The New Millenium |
J.M.
JARRE | CONCERT
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