WOMAD

Julien Jacob

From Benin, France

Biography by Andy Morgan, July 2003:Few are the pioneering musicians who have managed to invent a whole new style or musical language, but how many have ever invented a bona-fide new verbal language?! Composer, singer, writer, poet and spiritualist Julien Jacob seems to have done exactly that. For him, the meaning of words and the pressure to understand them sometimes encumbers the impact of music. His own imaginary language, which is inspired by the timbre and vibration of words, is intended to release the listener and allow her or him to interpret the song in their own way. Born in Benin, west Africa, Jacob came to southern France at the age of four. After discovering rock and jazz in his youth, Jacob played in a pop-rock band called Anaphase before moving to Nice and pursuing growing interests in literature, poetry and spirituality. He hit the road and hung out with musical heroes like Fela Kuti, Miles Davies and Al Jarreau and then moved to Paris to develop his music. In the mid 1990s he finally settled in the unlikely location of Hennebont, a small town in Brittany where he wrote a series of books and a huge trove of songs. After teaming up with Breton producers and musical visionaries Ghislain Baran and Thierry Nedelec, Jacob recorded his first album ‘Shanti’ in the Breton port town of Lorient and released it at the end of the 1990s. His music is palpably African but also distinctly unlike any African music you’ve ever heard, full of original nuances, twists and the off-beat musings of a very rich imagination. Jacob’s deep sonorous voice hits the G-spot too. 2002:Con cuatro años, Julien Jacob se marchó de su Benin natal para ir al sur de Francia. De sus orígenes captó la fascinación por los ritmos africanos, pero su verdadera vocación viene firmemente marcada por el descubrimiento del jazz.Tras una gira por el mundo en la que entra en contacto con músicos muy importantes para él, se instala en París en 1993, hasta que en 1995 regresa a Bretaña, donde se instalará definitivamenteSu innovador African pop-groove es una música basada en una mezcla sutil entre ritmos y culturas, con el nexo común de su profunda voz. Con Julien Jacob, la universalidad musical escapa definiciones para encontrar un sonido palpable en la honradez y la harmonía de todo un creador.Press release from WEA Music, France, 2000JULIEN JACOB1st album " SHANTI " 85738248621st single "Heilo" – radio editRelease date / Album / France : June 16th 2000 (album)Julien Jacob was born in Benin from West Indian parents ; at the age of four, he arrived in the south of France. From his origins, he has kept a fascination for African rhythms, but his vocation was also determined by him discovering jazz music (Amstrong, Coltrane, Duke Ellington…).When he was a teenager, he was listening to James Brown, the Beatles, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones and was amazed by the performance of Mick Jagger in the Sticky-Fingers tour. At this period he joined the pop-rock band ANAPHASE. But some years later it was time for him to go his own way and he left the group. He decided to live in Nice where he dabbled in composing titles. Other passions were also emerging : literature, poetry and spirituality. He was indeed looking for a harmony of life based on human relationships, but the music, HIS music, was deeply present. He then buried it in a corner of his memory when he launched into the adventure of the road tour in order to meet world wide famous artists such as Bowie, Gillepsie, Miles Davis, George Benson, Al Jarreau, Manu Katché… In the backstage, he lived some awesome moments of emotion. For instance, a fabulous evening with Fela.Fired of enthusiasm about these experiences, he left the sunny South coast in 1993 to settle in Paris. He devoted the following two years to his music and sharpened his talent for writing. He has created an imaginary language which is inspired by the vibration and the sound of words. To a certain extent you feel like released from the words hemmed in by their original meanings. Whatever your mother language, you are completely free to interpret his songs according to your own culture. "These words come from inside myself and do deeply echo with my own sensibility and my spiritual quest". However, the mystery of this language is deeply attached to the African ground.In 1995, Bretagne, Hennebont is finally his definitive adoption country (in the West of France). From then on, events stepped up : 3, 4 and now 5 books. In his songs as well as in his literary works, it deals with the wisdom and the secret of life, which reveals a rather humanist soul. That is the reason why he encountered no problem to gather other musicians around him. He successfully produced himself a 4 title CD and performed on stage to make his music live and discover his audience. When he recorded in the Studio "Revolver", in Lorient, he met Ghislain Baran and Thierry Nedelec who were fascinated by this charismatic artist and suggested him to produce his first album, Shanti. And they had good intuition : the 11 tracks of Shanti reveal a subtle and philanthropist soul and Julien opens a door to another reality where freedom and tolerance have a real meaning.His innovative "African pop-groove" music is based on a subtle blend between rhythms and cultures, but also on his deep and awesome voice. With Julien Jacob, the definition of " musical universality" can find a real harmonious meaning.WEA Music France, 2000After Kohann, Julien Jacob is the second signature by the label [SONJENN] – a division of Warner Music France.Publisher : Peer Music France – Contact : Antoine Coinde.