Nino Ferrer

Self-indulgent chameleon or master of artistic disguise? By all means, Nino Ferrer proved himself to be ever the "homme a tout faire" (jack of all trades) he agitatedly sang about in his theme song to the French television series Agence Interim. Ferrer was a late bloomer of the French yé-yé movement, with a legacy not as widely known as that of Jacques Dutronc or Michel Polnareff. However, his artistic trade should be viewed in the same vein: an eclectic brew of equal parts goofing around, subversive thinking, and pop genius. Ferrer was born in 1934 to a French father and an Italian mother, and a considerable part of his preteen years was spent under the stress of World War II. While his father was mining the far parts of the world in New Caledonia, in 1939 Ferrer and his mother found themselves stuck after a holiday in a hostile Italy. Reunited after the war, he grew up in a culturally stimulating environment. As a student of ethnology and archaeology, Ferrer developed a fondness for jazz and learned to play several instruments. Returning to Paris from a trip around the world, he decided to become a professional musician. Starting out as a hired hand in the capital's jazz circles, he was employed by bandleader Richard Bennett and later worked for American singer Nancy Holloway. After quite a few misfires, his big break came unexpectedly with the EP Mirza in 1965. Apart from its biting lyrics, it stood out for an ecstatic organ bridge, played in one take by Bernard Estardy. Ferrer had befriended Estardy -- nicknamed "Le Baron" -- at college. Their creative but sometimes tense relationship enabled them to cook up several more successful EPs and the Southern soul-styled debut album Enrégistrement Public. Hearing the likes of Otis Redding had been a revelation to Ferrer;...