"Music composer, film director, multimedia author, sound designer, writer, Jean-Jacques Birgé considers music essentially in the audio-visual relationship, or at least in its confrontation with other forms of artistic expression.

Founder of Disques GRRR, he was one of the first synthesists in France in 1973, and with Un Drame Musical Instantané the precursor of the return to the cine-concert in 1976. If his first electronic work dates from 1965, he composes as well for symphonic orchestras that he improvises freely with musicians from the most diverse backgrounds. For his "radiophonic" creations and his multimedia shows (live zapping on the big screen, fireworks, choreographies...), improvisation and preliminary writing merge, the original electroacoustic treatments are integrated with traditional instruments to create evocative musical fictions that he calls musique à propos.

From 1995, he became one of the most popular sound designers in multimedia and a specialist in interactive musical composition, seeking to deepen the effects of meaning and develop an ever-wider range of emotions. As part of his work on major exhibitions, he recently worked at the Louvre Museum, the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, the Grand Palais, the Panthéon, the Palais de Tokyo, the ZKM...

Alongside around fifty vinyls and CDs, his website drame.org offers 105 unreleased albums (191 hours!) for free listening and downloading.

He has been running a daily, activist and supportive blog for 20 years and gives conferences on the relationship between sound and image."

-Jean-Jacques Birge Website (Drame.org) (Translated by Google) (http://www.drame.org/2/bio.php)
4/9/2025

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"Bernard Vitet (26 May 1934 - 3 July 2013) was a French trumpeter, multi-instrumentist and composer, co-founder of the first free jazz band in France (1964) together with François Tusques, Michel Portal Unit (1972) and Un Drame Musical Instantané with Jean-Jacques Birgé and Francis Gorgé in 1976.

Born in Paris, France, Vitet was involved in the early fusion of jazz and contemporary music with Bernard Parmegiani and Jean-Louis Chautemps. In the 1960s, he accompanied singers such as Serge Gainsbourg, Barbara, Yves Montand, Claude François, Brigitte Bardot, Marianne Faithfull, Colette Magny, and Brigitte Fontaine. He played with jazz musicians such as Lester Young, Archie Shepp, Anthony Braxton, Don Cherry, Chet Baker, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Steve Lacy, Gato Barbieri, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Martial Solal. In his early years, he performed with Django Reinhardt, Gus Viseur, Eric Dolphy, and Albert Ayler.

Under his own name he recorded Surprise-partie avec Bernard Vitet (on trombone!), La Guêpe on texts by Francis Ponge, Mehr Licht!, and about 200 other records with the aforementioned, plus Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, Georges Arvanitas, Sunny Murray, Michel Pascal, Alan Silva, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Hubert Rostaing, Alix Combelle, Ivan Jullien, Christian Chevalier, Jef Gilson, Jack Diéval, Jac Berrocal, Hélène Sage and 17 albums with Un drame musical instantané. In 1995, he co-signs the songs of Carton with Birgé, with whom he collaborates on music for films, exhibitions, and CD-Roms.

Vitet invented instruments such as a reed trumpet, a multiphonic French horn, a variable tension double-bass, the dragoon which is a giant balafon with frying pans and flower pots keyboard, a clever system of modal clocks, and astonishing musical objects for Georges Aperghis, Tamia, and Françoise Achard. Besides trumpet, he sang and played flugelhorn, piano and violin.

He composed theatre music for Jean-Marie Serrault, and for the films (Les coeurs verts by Édouard Luntz, L'ombre de la pomme by Robert Lapoujade with Jean-Louis Chautemps, Bof by Claude Faraldo in collaboration with Jean Guérin, and La femme-bourreau by Jean-Denis Bonan.

From 1976 to 2008, he devoted himself primarily to Un Drame Musical Instantané with Jean-Jacques Birgé, improvising and composing hundreds of pieces together, experimental essays as well as symphonic pieces, songs as well as music for films. Un D.M.I., as a trio or with their 15-piece orchestra, presented multimedia shows involving cinema, video, literature, dance and new technologies."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Vitet)
4/9/2025

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"Michele Buirette is a French accordionist, singer, and composer known for her contributions to French chanson and world music. She has collaborated with various artists and has been involved in theater productions, providing musical accompaniment and compositions."-Squidco 4/9/2025

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Hervé Legeay is a versatile French guitarist whose career has spanned rock, jazz, chanson, and theatrical music. Initially self-taught, he later studied classical guitar at the conservatories of Tours and Angers while singing in the choirs of the Théâtre Musical d'Angers. His early years were steeped in rock and roll, serving as lead guitarist and vocalist for bands like Les Nights and Stepping Stones. During this time, he toured extensively across Europe and the United States, opening for legendary artists such as Iggy Pop, the Ramones, and David Bowie.

After a decade in rock, Legeay immersed himself in the world of jazz manouche, becoming one of the first instructors of Gypsy jazz at the Atla school. His deep interest in the style led him to create French Guitare, a journal dedicated to Gypsy music and the sounds of New Orleans. His expertise in jazz manouche naturally guided him toward French chanson, notably accompanying Sanseverino for 15 years and contributing to recordings for artists like Francis Lemarque, Pierre Barouh, Patricia Kaas, and Les Têtes Raides. More recently, he has focused on composing for theater, collaborating with the Comédie-Française on productions such as Un Chapeau de Paille d'Italie and Cabaret Boris Vian.

Beyond performance, Legeay is a dedicated educator at Cours Florent Musique, where he bridges the worlds of music and theater, encouraging students to explore the intersection of rock, jazz, and stage performance. He emphasizes creative expression over technical precision, guiding students to infuse their music with theatricality, imagination, and poetic depth. His approach reflects his own musical philosophy-balancing structure with wildness, precision with spontaneity-making him a unique and influential figure in contemporary French music.

-Squidco 4/9/2025

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