Sacha Distel
Sacha Distel -Alexandre ( born January 29, 1933, Paris, † 22 July 2004 in Rayol- Canadel- sur -Mer, France ) was a French singer, guitarist and composer.
Life and work
Thistle has already received at the age of five years of piano lessons; His first piano teacher was his uncle, Ray Ventura. At fifteen he switched to guitar; as a guitar teacher he had Henri Salvador. The musical career began at the age of 16 years. He studied philosophy, but established himself in the home as a jazz guitarist and changed under the impact of a concert by Dizzy Gillespie in 1948 to modern jazz. With Mimi Perrin, Jean -Marie Ingrand and Jean -Louis Vialle, he founded a first band. Then he worked in the Parisian jazz clubs mt Art Simmons and Pierre Michelot. In a New York stay, he took lessons from Jimmy Raney, and then worked in Paris with Barney Wilen and Bobby Jaspar. In 1953 he was honored as the best guitarist of France. In 1954 he accompanied Billie Holiday, Clifford Brown and Kenny Clarke. In the next few years he took with Lionel Hampton ( Crazy Rhythm, 1955 ), Jean -Pierre Sasson ( Two Guitar Blues, 1956) and John Lewis ( Afternoon in Paris, 1958) on. He also collaborated with Henri Renaud, Stan Getz, Tony Bennett and the Modern Jazz Quartet. He was also a musical companion of chansonniere Juliette Greco.
From 1958 he concentrated on the chanson. A wider audience, he was with successes like Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head ( Toute la pluie tombe sur moi ) and scoubidou (Les scoubidous, 1958 ) are known. Also popular were La belle vie and Le soleil de ma vie, which he sang in a duet with Brigitte Bardot, with whom he had a one-year relationship. Also in Germany, he won several times the gold record as a French-language of a few singers. Starting in 1962, conquered songs like Adios Amigo, The seat next to me, The woman with the lonely heart, women and roses, A woman friend and Misunderstood top places in the various charts of radio stations.
1968 Thistle returned to jazz and recorded an album with Slide Hampton ( Bird). Also in the early 1970s had Sacha Distel some big hits with titles such as Bonjour Barbara, what you love keeps you firmly, sun and love, you will stay with us the old lady or The Fair at Paris. Overall, the smart singer played with his smoky voice around two hundred titles in several languages of the world, since he released records except in his native language, also in English, Italian, Spanish and German versions. Composed by him pieces were, inter alia, sung by Frank Sinatra, Petula Clark, and Dionne Warwick. His title Le Sifflet ( " The Whistle ") was to be published translated into German by Hans Bradtke like a tiger and Peggy March on her 1970 album My song for Peggy.
His album My Own Blues he published in 1983. His memoirs he published in 1985 under the title Les pendules à l' heure. In 1993 he brought together a large orchestra to record a tribute to the Collégiens his uncle Ray Ventura, two years later Swinguer la vie followed. In 2001, he appeared in the role of lawyer Billy Flynn in the London production of the musical Chicago.
In addition to his musical career, he joined in the 1960s and 1970s in several films and was from 1962 to 1972 hosted a variety show broadcast on French television. Thistle was married to the skier Francine Bréaud since 1963.
The British rock singer Morrissey related to his Ringleader - Of-The- Tormentor - Tour 2006 in the UK, a photo of Sacha Distel stage.