A master of incisive words and striking sounds, Claude Nougaro holds a prominent place in the pantheon of French chanson. His career, spanning six decades, is an integral part of our musical heritage. His modernity and constant self-questioning through jazz, African, Brazilian, and American rhythms shaped a poet beyond categories, who united many through his timeless songs. His collaboration with Michel Legrand offers us the beginnings of his long career, which he approached as a pioneering aesthete, now acclaimed by new generations of authors and performers. Illustrated by PablO