Gerard Jaffrès

Gerard Jaffrès , born in 1956 with Saint-Pol.-of-Leon in the Finistere, is a Auteur-compositeur-interprète French which traverses the coasts of its native Brittany the summer, and the winter the cities and villages of Belgium, its ground of adoption where it lives there since 1973.

On a Celtic music Rock'n'roll with the accents folk, it describes the environment of Brittany with images amusing in the form of " charts postales". It tells there the stories and the legends of its area of the Leon (North-Finistere) in texts sometimes mixing the Breton one and the français.
At the same time full with humor and tradition, but also very poetic and tender, the personal compositions of the artist take us along in his area finistérienne.

Biography

Gerard Jaffrès is born in 1956 in Saint-Pol-de-Léon.
Fifteen years later, Gerard leaves to study with the college of Kérichen with Brest. He learns the Guitare in contact with the other high-school pupils by playing mainly the Breton repertory folk (Alan Stivell, Tri Yann…) and the Pop music (Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin…) in vogue in this year 72.
Its career begins then as type-setter and arranger for several artists.

At sixteen years, a group of Rock' roll, composed inter alia Burt Blanca, engages it as bass player. The group being based with Brussels, it follows them to Belgium. The adventure will last 11 years, Gerard becomes professional musician. It there côtoie all those which made the legend of a music associated with freedom and youth; Chuck Berry, Bill Halley, Vince Taylor, Johnny Hallyday, Eddy Mitchell, Dick Rivers, Little Richard, Johnny Clegg… It plays in many countries: the Benelux countries, France, Germany, Holland and even South Africa…

Beginning 1985, Burt, the Belgian star, collapses, ruined. The adventure finishes then, but Gerard remains in Belgium, unknown of the general public. He begins his " round of galères" , all alone right in the middle of the years disco music. And there, its good mood and its joviality help it, the public answers present. During this period, it tries an opening in Brittany. Success, it signs a contract of artist at Vogue and begins a career solo by forming its own group.

In 1986, it obtains the first price Tremplin France 3 Brittany with its first personal success, Belle , which opens the doors of the cabarets and piano-bars Belgian to him.

The returns to the country are profiled already, and the Breton one plays each summer in the coffees. Then, the great concerts in the open air are only being able to accommodate the fans more and more nombreux.
With its music at the endiablés rates/rhythms, twist in the rock'n'roll, Gerard conquered the heart of thousands of fans.
During this period, it records ten 45 turns and some cassettes.

In 1991, it leaves its first album entitled Capitaine Galère with two professional musicians and him like chanteur.
Its music evolves/moves gradually to be directed towards more personal compositions.

In 1993, it composes and writes to the words of its CD the soldiers of Pierre , image faithful of its life of artist. The radios diffuse its songs regularly ( Couleur Cheyenne , princes of the ocean , Amérasienne …) and the meetings with people of the soil occur throughout the summers, on the coasts at the time of meetings musicales.
Its meeting with Alan Stivell in 1994 is the true catch: Gerard finds " sa" Breton music, it hangs all the generations.

In 1995, it moves away from its recording company and " Go-with-wind ". It leaves new an album; Kérichen 72 , which is a return to its Breton roots and the music of its adolescence. The public hangs: more: 6000 albums sold for this self-production. It is from now on in front of thousands of people that he will sing the House on the dunes .

And all goes very quickly. In 1997, it leaves the Years Baluches , compilation of its 45 turns of the the Eighties, with tubes like Belle , the Old man Sebastien or With the Indian ink , it is the dedication.

In 1999, it leaves its album To the Hollow my ground where it mixes Breton and French, and adds Celtic instruments for its round of summer. The disc is published in France and is sold with more: 10000 exemplaires.
At the time of its concerts, its airs are taken again in heart and known on the end of the fingers by all the spectators. One claims the songs of this disc to him, quite as known the one as the others, like In track in transfered , Lettre with my friend , With the coffee of the port and of course celebrates it Kenavo sung at the end in all its concerts.

Beginning 2000, Belgium leaves a compilation called Couleur Brittany . A round of 50 dates follows with in particular the Festival of the Newfoundland fishing boats to Bobital (St-Malo) with Indo-China, Hugues Aufray and Johnny Clegg inter alia. In 2000, it also occurs with the Fête of Wallonia to Namur and with the festivals of the French Community on the Town square of Brussels.

Gerard Jaffrès sings his native Leon, this corner of Brittany where one mixes French and the Breton one in the conversations. At that time, its musical influences meet to give a Celtic rock'n'roll , mixture of Breton traditional Musique and French song.
Therefore, in 2001, the purely Breton songs of its 6th album the Gannet come to pack its repertory, of which the resumption of the famous traditional song Wallon P' tite Gayole in a Celtic version and on a modern rate/rhythm, as well as a new round.

After having sung in Brittany and Wallonia, in 2002 of other areas of France discover it (Normandy, Massif Central) as well as Francofolies of Spa in Belgium.

In 2003 two new albums come: Viens in my house which is a kind of Best off, with some new songs ( Petit sailor of wood , Viens in my house , bell ringers of Bagad ) in which it adds to it some resumptions of Breton songs ( Tri Martolod , the Mare of Michao , Santiano ) and Breton and Celtic Chansons , CD left to Belgium.

In 2005, it involves its fans in its 9th album entitled the Beautiful travels in the middle of a Celtic variety Rock. One crosses there characters typified such as Océane, pretty Breizh îlienne , Youenn the sailor or Maëllo . This CD is same success as With the Hollow of my ground ; there even at the head remain CD sales in Brittany. With each Breton round, it attracts more: 50000 spectators!

In the invitation of Renaud, it takes part in February 2006 in the concert of support for Ingrid Betancourt (hostage free - Colombia nne) organized for Leuwen-the-New, in Belgium, at the sides of French singers like Hugues Aufray, Yves Duteil, Gilles Servat, Calogero, and Maurane. to see extracted

Some time later, at the time of the Festivals of Wallonia to Namur, the singer receives a Disque of gold to have sold: 50000 specimens of its last albums.

The June 30th, 2007 left its 10th album entitled My country awaits you .

Discography

See also: List of the songs of Gerard Jaffrès

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