Gérard Jouannest
Jouannest in 2011
Born(1933-05-02)2 May 1933
Vanves, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Died16 May 2018(2018-05-16) (aged 85)
Ramatuelle, Var, France
Alma materConservatoire de Paris
OccupationPianist
Spouse
​
(m. 1988)​

Gérard Jouannest (2 May 1933 – 16 May 2018) was a French pianist and composer.

Early life

Jouannest was born on 2 May 1933 in Vanves near Paris.[1][2] His father was a piano manufacturer.[1]

Jouannest graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris in 1954.[1] During the Algerian War, he served in the French Army, although he was based in Meknes, Morocco.[1]

Career

Jouannest began his career as a pianist in music halls.[1] He later worked as a pianist for François Rauber.[2] In 1959, he was introduced to Jacques Brel by music producer Jacques Canetti, and he worked for Brel for nearly a decade.[3] It was Brel who introduced Jouannest to his future wife, singer Juliette Gréco in 1968, and Jouannest played the piano for Greco during the rest of his career.[1][4]

Jouannest composed more than 250 songs over the course of his life.[1] For example, he composed classic songs for Jacques Brel like "Ne me quitte pas", "Ces gens-là", "Bruxelles", "Mathilde" and "Les Vieux".[4] He also composed songs for younger artists like Miossec, Benjamin Biolay and Abd al Malik.[4][2]

Personal life and death

In 1988, Jouannest married Juliette Gréco.[1] Jouannest supported Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the 2012 presidential election.[5]

Jouannest died on 16 May 2018 in Ramatuelle, in the South of France.[1][4] He was 85.[4][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lesprit, Bruno (17 May 2018). "Gérard Jouannest, pianiste et mélodiste de Jacques Brel et de Juliette Gréco, est mort". Le Monde. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Horner, Olivier (17 May 2018). "Décès de Gérard Jouannest, pianiste de Jacques Brel et Juliette Gréco". Radio Télévision Suisse. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Gérard Jouannest, le pianiste aux doigts d'or de la chanson française". Le Point. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Le pianiste virtuose de Jacques Brel, Gérard Jouannest, est mort". Le Parisien. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "1.000 intellectuels derrière Jean-Luc Mélenchon". L'Humanité. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
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