Arthur H
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Arthur H
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Born in Paris in 1966, Arthur H. grew up as a solitary teenager, with minimal interest in his school subjects. At the age of 16, he spent three months sailing in and around the Antilles. His parents sent Arthur H. to Boston to study music, but he only stayed for 18 months, returning to Paris shortly thereafter. In Paris he began performing in various groups and assembled a group for the Festival of Bourges. Unfortunately the concert was a disaster, resulting in Arthur H. to concentrate enhancing and refining his music. Influenced by Tom Waits and Theolonius Monk, the musician teamed with bass player Brad Scott to perform three shows. The performances, located at a small Paris venue called the Old Grid in December 1988, were extremely well received. The duo performed nightly at the club for one month. Drummer Paul Jothy was added and more praise was given to Arthur H.. Compared to Boris Vian and French singer Serge Gainsbourg, the musician spent much of the subsequent years touring throughout Europe, East Africa, Japan and North America. In September 1989 he released his debut album Arthur H. Leaves. From 1989 to 1994, Arthur H. performed over 700 shows and sold 150,000 albums worldwide. In 1996, the musician released Trouble-Fete on Polydor Music. In 1997, two albums were released, Cool Jazz and Fete-Trouble. In 1998, Arthur H. released Bachibouzouk and Et Le Bachibau Band en Chair et En the following year. In the summer of 2000, For Mrs. X was the musicians sixth release in five years. ~ Jason MacNeil, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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Arthur H
| Arthur H | |
|---|---|
 Arthur H concert in Paris (May 2007). |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Arthur Higelin |
| Born | 27 March 1966 |
| Origin | Paris, France |
| Genres | French pop music, Experimental, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Electronica |
| Occupations | Pianist, Singer, Songwriter |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Website | ArthurH.net |
Arthur Higelin (born Paris, France, 27 March 1966), better known under his stage name Arthur H [aʁtyʁ ɑːʃ], is a pianist, songwriter and singer. He is best known in France for his live performances – four of his albums were recorded live – and remains relatively little-known in the English-speaking world.
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Career
He is the son of the French singer Jacques Higelin and Nicole Courtois. After traveling in the West Indies, he studied music in Boston before returning to Paris and developing his eclectic but highly personal musical style, drawing on such influences as Thelonious Monk, Serge Gainsbourg, the Sex Pistols, jazz, blues, Middle Eastern music and the tango. He first performed in 1988 in clubs in Paris, as leader of a trio with bassist Brad Scott and drummer Paul Jothy.
His first album, Arthur H (1990), combined rhythmic experimentation and bal-musette elements with a vocal style which has been compared to Tom Waits. He toured widely around this time, particularly in France and Japan, adding a fourth band member, Jon Handelsman (saxophone), and produced a second album, Bachibouzouk (1992). In early 1993, he did a six week season at the Magic Mirrors, an antique circus big top, which was later put on as a touring show and recorded on the live album En chair et en os.
In 1996, he released the album Trouble Fête, following which he performed a season at the Gymnase in Paris. The live album Fête Trouble (1997) included some tracks from these shows as well as others recorded on tour in Africa. He toured the USA and Canada in 1998.
In 2000, he wrote the soundtrack for Michel Couvelard’s film, Inséparables, before touring in Asia and Canada. His next album, Pour Madame X (2000), featured the touring band of Nicolas Repac (guitar), Brad Scott (double bass) and Laurent Robin (drums).
In 2001, he took part in the show "Cabaret Imprudent" with "Le Cirque Cahin-caha". The following year, he released the album Piano Solo, recorded live in a studio and mainly consisting of solo interpretations of earlier songs. This was followed by a band album, Négresse Blanche (2003), comprising tracks dedicated to the memory of famous women such as "Marilyn Kaddish" and "Bo Derek".
In 2005, a planned tour of China was cancelled, and he returned to the studio to record the album Adieu Tristesse. This was the most commercially successful of his career, and included several duets, one with his father and another, "Est-ce que tu aimes?", with the musician -M- (Matthieu Chedid). He subsequently toured widely in France, Lebanon and Canada.
In 2006 he published a book, Onirique attaque, containing lyrics, reflections and photographs. He also composed the soundtrack for the film "L’homme qui rêvait d'un enfant", directed by Delphine Gleize. The soundtrack was performed by an ensemble of children from a local music school.
The album Show Time, issued late in 2006, was recorded live on tour and includes duets with Matthieu Chedid, Pauline Croze, Lhasa de Sela and Jacques Higelin. In June 2008 he released the album L'Homme du Monde, which won the award of Pop/Rock Album of the Year 2009 at La Victoire de la Musique.[1]
His 2010 double CD, Mystic Rumba, contained 24 songs from his repertoire performed solo at the piano, the result in part of a snow storm which cut the power in his studio during recording.[2] The next album, Baba Love, was released in October 2011.[3]
Discography
- 1990 : Arthur H
- 1991 : Cool Jazz (remixes)
- 1992 : Bachibouzouk
- 1993 : En chair et en os (live)
- 1996 : Trouble-Fête
- 1997 : Fête Trouble (live)
- 1999 : Inséparables (soundtrack)
- 2000 : Pour Madame X
- 2002 : Piano Solo (live)
- 2003 : Négresse Blanche
- 2005 : Adieu Tristesse
- 2006 : Show Time (live)
- 2008 : L'Homme du Monde
- 2010 : Mystic Rumba
- 2011 : Baba Love
Awards
- 1993 : Victoires de la Musique (France) - Popular music - best male newcomer (révélation)
- 2006 : Victoires de la Musique - Music video of the year for Est Ce Que Tu Aimes
- 2009 : Victoires de la Musique - Pop/rock album of the year for L'Homme du Monde
References
External links
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