Long-time collaborators include trumpeter Mark Isham; guitarist Lone Kent; cellist and singer Caroline Lavelle; trumpeter Christian Lechevretel, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums after Sahara Blue; clarinetist and flutist Renaud Pion, who has appeared on all of Zazou's albums since Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses; drummer Bill Rieflin; and Japanese recording artist Ryuichi Sakamoto.
His discography demonstrates his affinity for cross-cultural collaborations, and incorporating modern techniques and sounds in re-recordings of traditional material. He was influenced by Peter Gabriel's album Passion in his fusion of musical polarities (traditional and modern, electronic and acoustic) on his own album Les Nouvelles Polyphonies Corses.
Zazou regards his work during the 1980s as his time of apprenticeship in the studio. On his 1986 album, Reivax au Bongo, he experimented with fusing classical vocals with an electronic backdrop. On his 1989 album, Géologies, he combined electronic music with a string quartet.
The albums that he has released under his own name from the 1990s onwards are usually concept albums that draw from literary or folk sources and revolve around a specific theme. The collection of songs on each album assemble contributions from a diverse and global range of pop, folk, world music, avant-garde, and classical recording acts.
Zazou's 1992 offering, Sahara Blue, was based on an idea by Jacques Pasquier. Pasquier suggested Zazou commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of author Arthur Rimbaud by setting music to Rimbaud's poetry. Contributions included spoken word from Gérard Depardieu, and music by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerard of Dead Can Dance, Tim Simenon, and David Sylvian. He even adapted a traditional Ethiopian song.
In 1994, he released the album Chansons des mers froides (called "Songs from the Cold Seas" for the anglophone market). The album was based on ocean-themed traditional folk songs from northern countries, such as Canada, Finland, Iceland, and Japan. It featured vocals by pop and rock artists such as Björk, Suzanne Vega, John Cale, Värttina, Jane Siberry, and Siouxsie Sioux in addition to recordings of shamanic incantations and lullabies from Ainu, Nanai, Inuit, and Yakut singers. Musicians included Mark Isham, Brendan Perry, and the Balanescu Quartet. A cameraman accompanied Zazou on the project and they shot and recorded in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Japan, Scandinavia, and Siberia. The single "The Long Voyage" was the only song to be an original composition from Zazou. He wrote it in gratitude to his record company Sony who gave him complete artistic liberty.
His 1998 album, Lights in the Dark, showcased ancient Celtic music sung by Irish singers.
Zazou's collaborative 2000 album 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) with Sandy Dillon was regarded as a financial and critical failure. In the book "Sonora Portraits 2", which accompanies the CD Strong Currents, Zazou says that 12 (Las Vegas is Cursed) was his most elaborate album. He describes it as a work of black humour and regards his instrumental composition "Sombre" on the album as one of his best songs ever.
Strong Currents was released in 2003 and featured an all-female vocal cast which included Laurie Anderson, Melanie Gabriel, Lori Carson, Lisa Germano, Irene Grandi, Jane Birkin, and Caroline Lavelle. Musicians included Ryuichi Sakamoto and Archaea Strings. The album took six years to complete.
In 2004 Zazou released a companion CD of sorts, L'absence, which included instrumentals, many of the same female vocalists that were featured on Strong Currents, and one male vocalist, French singer Edo.
Zazou has recently been a member of the musical collective named Slow Music. The line-up also included Robert Fripp and Peter Buck on guitars, Fred Chalenor on bass, Matt Chamberlain on drums, and Bill Rieflin on keyboards and percussion. He contributed electronics to the group's music, and much of his recent work, including a soundtrack for Carl Théodor Dreyer's silent film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc and the multimedia collaboration released as a CD in 2006, Quadri+Chromies, has focused on electronic sounds produced on computers.
A number of recent projects are documented on the Music Operator interactive multimedia web site (www.musicoperator.com), which graphically documents his recent collaborations while in the background his recent music plays. In january 2008 Hector Zazou released his newest album, Corps électriques, featuring "one of the original riot grrrls" KatieJane Garside, Bill Rieflin, Lone Kent and fusion jazz trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær.
Hector Zazou died on the 8th of September 2008 at the age of 60 in a hospital in Paris after serious illness.
Adventures in the Scandinavian Skin Trade
Hector Zazou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Diamonds In The Coal
Diamonds In The Coal
My name is jackson jameson, a coal miner by trade
From a part of pennsylvania even jesus couldn't save
With towns named after indian chiefs and union army generals
It's nowhere in particular but everywhere in general
But they never mention those of us whose opinions aren't used
Well, the big flood came in '72 and tore the railroad bridges down
Washed away our only means of getting shipments out of town
And the government won't subsidize rebuilding the central line
So there's barroom fights and anthracite and loads of extra time
History says americans, we have the right to choose
But they never mention those of us whose opinions aren't used
Chorus
There's diamonds in the coal everybody ignores
A man never finds what he ain't looking for
A tree only grows if you nurture the seed
There's too many gems this world doesn't need
The people left like rainwater flowing through an open drain
But here i sit too proud to admit and too damn old to change
Now, the monuments at gettysburg keep the tourists going there
But we died too slow and quietly for anyone to care
History says americans, we have the right to choose
But they never mention those of us whose opinions aren't used
Chorus
The song "Diamonds in the Coal" by The Badless, tells the story of a coal miner named Jackson Jameson, who hails from a part of Pennsylvania that has been forgotten by most people. The singer describes the area as having towns named after Indian chiefs and Union army generals but is nowhere in particular and everywhere in general. The central narrative of the song talks about the struggles of those living in poverty and facing difficulties imposed by political and economic systems that leave them out.
The lyrics describe how Jackson's town suffered hardships like a major flood, which destroyed its only means of getting shipments out of the town. The government refused to help rebuild, which leads to barroom fights, extra time, and coal mining to survive. The singer notes that while history says Americans have the right to choose, it doesn't mention those whose opinions are not listened to.
The chorus of the song talks about the "diamonds in the coal" that everyone ignores, and how a person can never find what they're not looking for. It emphasizes that nurturing the seed is what causes a tree to grow, but there are too many overlooked gems in this world. In conclusion, the song highlights the struggles faced by those living in poverty and facing the indifference of the government and the world at large.
Line by Line Meaning
Badless, The
Introduction or maybe a reference to the band that performed the song
Diamonds In The Coal
A metaphorical reference to valuable things hidden within something else, specifically coal
Diamonds In The Coal
Repetition of the metaphor to emphasize its importance
My name is jackson jameson, a coal miner by trade
Introducing the first-person narrator who works in a coal mine
From a part of pennsylvania even jesus couldn't save
Describing the location of the coal mine as a place where even divine intervention won't help
With towns named after indian chiefs and union army generals
Revealing some information about the location and its history through the names of its towns
It's nowhere in particular but everywhere in general
A paradoxical phrase to describe the location in a way that's both specific and non-specific
History says americans, we have the right to choose
Referring to American values and beliefs regarding democracy and freedom of choice
But they never mention those of us whose opinions aren't used
Critiquing the system for not including the voices of those who are often marginalized or overlooked
Well, the big flood came in '72 and tore the railroad bridges down
Describing a natural disaster that caused damage to the town's infrastructure
Washed away our only means of getting shipments out of town
Explaining how the flood affected the economy of the town by disrupting the transportation of goods
And the government won't subsidize rebuilding the central line
Criticizing the government for not providing financial assistance to repair the destroyed infrastructure
So there's barroom fights and anthracite and loads of extra time
Describing the consequences of the disaster and governmental neglect as social conflict and unemployment
Chorus
The repeating section of the song which emphasizes the message about overlooked value and lack of attention given to people like the singer
There's diamonds in the coal everybody ignores
Repeating the metaphor of hidden value to highlight the importance of recognizing it
A man never finds what he ain't looking for
A proverb that implies the importance of pursuing what you want or believing in a goal enough to look for it
A tree only grows if you nurture the seed
Another proverb, emphasizing the importance of cultivating and caring for something to allow it to grow
There's too many gems this world doesn't need
Suggesting that despite the value of some things, there can still be an excess or an unhealthy focus on them
The people left like rainwater flowing through an open drain
A metaphorical description of people leaving the town as if they were being discarded or swept away like water
But here i sit too proud to admit and too damn old to change
The artist's personal reflection about being content with his lot in life and feeling too old to pursue any other path
Now, the monuments at gettysburg keep the tourists going there
A reference to a historical landmark that draws visitors and attention despite the history of the artist's town being less known or appreciated
But we died too slow and quietly for anyone to care
A lament about the unnoticed passing or decline of the artist's community
History says americans, we have the right to choose
Repeating the earlier reference to American values and beliefs, but now with a tone that's more regretful or skeptical
But they never mention those of us whose opinions aren't used
Repeating the critique of how same beliefs can be misused or applied unevenly
Chorus
Repeating the repeating section of the song, which emphasizes the importance of recognizing hidden value and the neglect of some communities and their people.
Contributed by Makayla A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.