Jean Vasca

Author, composer and performer Jean Stievenard, known as Jean Vasca, was born in Bressuire (Deux-Sèvres) on September 25, 1940. Influenced by singer-songwriters during his Parisian adolescence, he played guitar and performed in Paris cabarets in the twilight of the Left Bank movement. A lover of poetry, he presented a piece entitled Le Poème électronique n° 3 at the Paris Biennale, with music by André Almuro, then signed with the Polydor label to record the albums La Route (1964) and 12 Chansons Françaises (1965). After a spell as editor-in-chief of the magazine Guitare et musique, he returned to the studio and stage with the album L'Ange Exterminateur (1967), which won the Prix de l'Académie de la Chanson. This period saw the release of several 45-tours, before the album Vivre en Flèche (1970) for Festival. With the support of presenter Luc Bérimont, Jean Vasca hosts the France Inter program La Fine fleur de la chanson française, inviting his songwriting peers. He resumed his career in 1974 with the album Un Chant, which marked the beginning of his association with arranger Michel Devy. His style then took a pop-rock turn, with the use of parlé-chanté characterizing his new productions. In 1978, the album Célébrations won the Grand Prix de l'Académie du disque. This was followed by De Doute et d'Envol (1979), which was awarded a Grand Prix by the Académie Charles-Cros. Alongside his prolific recording activity, Jean Vasca continued to publish collections of poetry, notably with Editions du Cherche-Midi, and his songs were covered by artists such as Francesca Solleville, Isabelle Aubret and Christine Sèvres. His inspiration continued unabated over the years, and after the album Matinale (1981), the singer produced a dozen albums of his own, including L'Ogre (1988), Ouvert la Nuit (1990), De Révolte et d'Amour (1993), L'Atelier de l'Été (1994) and La Machine Imprévisible (1996). A contract with the EPM label led to the reissue of albums and compilations, as well as the recording of his latest discs, L'Auberge du Temps Perdu (2013) and Saluts! (2016). On December 21, 2016, Jean Vasca died in Rivières (Gard), at the age of 76.

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