Song:La Quete
Album:Infiniment: The Best Of Jacques Brel
Though not well known in North America, Jacques Brel was a legend in Europe especially France. And many songwriters consider him a major influence despite the fact that he sang mostly in French. He was born Apr. 8, 1929 in Scharbeek, Belgium. He worked at his father's cardboard box plant but became more interested in music and moved to Paris and signed with Philips Records in 1954. He built a following in Paris clubs and had a lot of success on the French charts. Columbia Records attempted to release his music in the US in 1960 but that never worked out. He did have a fanbase in the US mostly because of English translations of his songs most notably by Rod McKuen. Seasons In The Sun is probably Brel's best known song here. Brel continued to be a huge star in France but he retired from concerts in 1966 and started working in films and on the stage. He starred in the stage production of Man Of La Mancha in Paris. If La Quete sounds familiar, it's The Impossible Dream from that show. You can get that and many other Brel songs on this 2CD comp from DRG Records. Mort Shuman's stage musical Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well and Living In Paris was a hit and got more folks interested in Brel. And singers like Scott Walker recorded his songs all the time. Brel continued to work in films until his death from cancer on Oct. 9, 1978 at age 49. Jacques Brel's influence is wide ranging for someone obscure in North America. Here's Jacques Brel performing La Quete on French TV Christmas Eve 1968.
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