Pierre Barouh And The Saravah Sound

Description

Wewantsounds is pleased to present the first vinyl retrospective of Saravah, one of the most influential French labels, founded by singer, songwriter, and producer Pierre Barouh. Featuring Brigitte Fontaine, Jacques Higelin, Alfred Panou, as well as many rare tracks, the selection provides an overview of the label's sound focusing on the period from 1965 to 1976. Supervised by Benjamin Barouh, this record includes a text by him as well as an exclusive interview by Jacques Denis with Fernand Boruso, Pierre Barouh's partner and behind-the-scenes man, who recounts the history of the label through fascinating anecdotes. A prominent singer in the early 60s, Pierre Barouh gained fame in 1966 thanks to Claude Lelouch's film Un Homme et Une Femme. In 1965, he recorded in Rio at the request of Vinicius de Moraes a French version of "Samba da Bênção" with Baden Powell on a small Revox, renamed "Samba Saravah." Back in Paris, he played the track for his friend Lelouch, who fell in love with it and decided to include it in the film where Pierre plays his own role and for which he composed the soundtrack with Francis Lai. The rest is known: the film and the soundtrack were huge successes, but instead of riding that wave, Pierre Barouh developed the Saravah publishing house, with his associate and friend Fernand Boruso, into a label and recording studio to produce the projects they cared about in an original and independent way. Through their connections in cinema, they came across Brigitte Fontaine and Jacques Higelin in 1968, who were making waves in the Parisian underground and had just recorded "Cet Enfant Que Je T'avais Fait" for Christian Gion's film, "Les Encerclés." Saravah signed them on the spot, and the track, arranged by Jean-Claude Vannier, became cult. It appears on Fontaine's first album, Brigitte Fontaine Est ... Folle, the first of a long series for Saravah with her partner Areski Belkacem. The album Comme Á La Radio followed in 1969 with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. They can also be found on "Mystifying Mama" by Marva Broome and "Je Suis Un Sauvage" by Alfred Panou, an African actor and singer who had worked with Jean-Luc Godard, among others. Pierre Barouh is also a pioneer of world music after spending time in Brazil. He released, among others, two albums by Gabonese singer Pierre Akendengue, including Africa Obota in 76 with the track "Orema Ka-ka-ka." With Fernand Boruso, Saravah invested in jazz with the Pianos Puzzle series, which includes "Tchac Poum Poum" by René Urtreger, "Trane's Call" by Georges Arvanitas, and "Sicilienne" by Maurice Vander. The label also explored more free and experimental aspects of jazz with records from the Baroque Jazz Trio, Michel Roques, or the Cohelmec Ensemble. The selection also includes rare singles from actress and singer Béatrice Arnac (then Boruso's partner) with the jazzy "Le Bruit et le Bruit" as well as "Je Jouais le Piano" by Jacques Higelin, one of the first tracks recorded for the label that has never been reissued. The selection concludes with the enchanting duo of Pierre Barouh and Baden Powell, with "Saudade (Un Manque Habité)" recorded in 1965 in one take during the same Rio session as "Samba Saravah." Fernand Boruso, known as "Fern," left Saravah in 1972. After a few years of soaring, the label fell into financial difficulties and never regained the energy of its early days. Nevertheless, the adventure left behind a rich and fascinating body of work whose influence has grown over the decades. Benjamin Barouh has been working on the label's archives for 30 years. His documentary film, L'État de Vacance, about Pierre and Saravah in the 70s, is set to be released soon.