He falls in love with the harmonica in the sixties after listening to the records of various folk and rock artists (Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones). A trip to the US gives him an opportunity to try his luck first-hand with the blues, and he launches into a musical career at the end of the 1970s, at first as a sideman with various leading Franch pop artists including Yves Montand, Eddy Mitchell, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Maxime Le Forestier, Barbara, Charles Aznavour. Like the young Stevie WonderJJ’s virtuosity allows him to play in a wide array of musical styles, from blues to jazz, or even musette (Albert Raisner) and other popular styles.
The release in 1989 of his first solo album, « Blues Harp », marks the start of his career as a bandleader with Manu Galvin on guitar. When he’s not touring, JJ finds time for other activities, including the writing of several instructions books for harp players. He also hosts a weekly radio show for the TSF network. Other albums include « Explorer » for which he received his first Victoire de la Musique (the equivalent of a Grammy in France), « Routes » and « Bastille Blues », all showcasing his eclecticism and formidable mastery of the harmonica.
A major change takes place in 2001 with the « Memphis » album, recorded for Universal in the US with major African-American blues artists, under the direction of producer Sebastian Danchin. This recording is awarded a Victoire de la Musique the following year in the Best Blues Album category. « Memphis » and JJ’s following sets (« Blues 3rd » in 2003, « Fragile » in 2006 and « Live Hot ‘n Blue » in 2007, all recorded for Universal) have various characteristics in common :
• a strong blues-soul leaning
• a mix of original compositions and covers
• the marked presence of American blues singers and players, most of them very well-known, including Terry Callier, Gil Scott-Heron and Demi Evans
• a perfect balance of vocal and instrumental tracks (guitar, keyboards, horns...)
In this second period of his recording career, JJ Milteau seems to have reached full-grown artistic maturity. It helps him further his musical ambition, concentrating more on the whole band sound than on any specific instrument, like Paul Butterfield before him.
Discography
Soul Conversation - 2008
Live, Hot n’Blue - 2007
Fragile - 2006
Blue 3rd - 2003
Memphis - 2001
Bastille Blues - 1999
Merci d’être venus - 1996
Routes - 1994
Live - 1992
Explorer - 1991
Blues Harp - 1989
As a compiler
Bon Temps Rouler, Special Alligator - 2008
Bon Temps Rouler, JJM’ Ideal Playlist - 2006
Inspiration, 22 Rare Harmonica Performances - 2005
Inspiration, 22 Great Harmonica Performances - 2002
For children
Manque pas d’air - 2000
Léo découvre le Blues - 1997
DVD
J’apprends l’harmo avec J.J. Milteau - 2007
Book
Memphis Blues - 2005
(with Sebastian Danchin and Jérôme de Perlinghi)
Video
J.J. Milteau Live - 1992
Official Website: Jean-Jacques Milteau
You can also see the same artist with his name spelled differently on Last.fm here 'Jean Jacques Milteau'
Reunion
Jean-Jacques Milteau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Monica you ready, oh yeah
Man she look so good
Rolling through the hood
God bless the dead (bless the dead)
Jerry Wonder knock on wood
She was a ghetto queen, yeah
Night I heard her scream
Similar to a nightmare dream, oh yeah (oh)
She was rock, she was pop
She was hip, she was hot
She was too fly for the block
It was her time, her time
So much dope on the streets
That I'm praying for peace
But the poor gotta eat
Talking bout my time
Everybody say it's my time, oh yeah
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue (oh), it's a beautiful world
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end
Said he looks so real
When he was running on the football field
I love the cheerleader scream his name
Even in B-ball he had game
But didn't show up at the class reunion
And when I asked one of my girls what happened
That's when they told me he got life in prison
Caught up in the system
Trying to be a kingpin
The story never ever ends
He was rock, he was pop
He was hip, he was hop
He was too fly for the block
It was his time, it was his time (oh why, oh why, oh why)
So much dope on the streets
And I'm praying for peace
But the poor gotta eat
Talking bout my time, my time
Everybody say my time, oh
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end (it's a beautiful world)
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue (oh), it's a beautiful world
And I don't know much about English class
Math I didn't pass
Biology and chemistry
Was all a dream to me
I patiently wait for the bell
So I can see you after class
But now it's all in my pass
She was rock, she was pop
She was hip, she was hot
She was too fly for the block
It was her time, her time
So much dope on the streets
That I'm praying for peace
But the poor gotta eat
Talking bout my time
Everybody say it's my time, oh yeah
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue it's a beautiful world
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue it's a beautiful world
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end
She was rock, she was pop
She was hip, she was hop
She was too fly for the block
It was her time, her time
It was her time, her time (let's go)
This is the class reunion
Reminisce on the high school days
The song "Réunion" by Jean-Jacques Milteau is about a class reunion, where the singer reunites with old friends and reminisces about their high school days. The first verse mentions Monica, a girl from Atlanta who looks good while cruising through the neighborhood. However, the verse also mentions that she turned into a fiend and had a nightmare dream, possibly alluding to drug addiction. The second verse tells the story of a boy who was talented in sports but ended up in prison, caught up in the system while trying to be a kingpin. The chorus reassures the listener that the world is theirs, and the singer will be there for them.
Overall, the song seems to be about reflecting on the past and the present, the good and the bad, and recognizing that life is not always easy. However, there is still hope and beauty in the world, and the singer wants to be there for their friends through both the ups and the downs.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a class reunion, your girl Mo from the ATL (oh yeah)
The song is about a class reunion where the singer's friend Monica from Atlanta is present.
Monica you ready, oh yeah
The singer calls out to Monica to see if she is ready.
Man she look so good
The singer admires Monica's appearance and thinks she looks good.
Rolling through the hood
Monica is in the neighborhood or area where the artist is.
God bless the dead (bless the dead)
The artist says a prayer for those who have passed away.
Jerry Wonder knock on wood
Jerry Wonder is a person's name and the phrase 'knock on wood' is a superstitious expression used to prevent bad things from happening.
She was a ghetto queen, yeah
The singer describes Monica as a woman who used to live in the ghetto and was popular.
Turned into a fiend, yeah
The artist says that Monica became addicted to drugs.
Night I heard her scream
The artist remembers a night when they heard Monica scream.
Similar to a nightmare dream, oh yeah (oh)
The artist says Monica's scream was like something out of a bad dream.
She was rock, she was pop
The singer describes how Monica had various musical styles.
She was hip, she was hot
The artist continues to describe Monica's musical style and personality.
She was too fly for the block
The singer says Monica was too cool and stylish for the neighborhood.
It was her time, her time
The singer thinks that Monica was at the height of her success at a certain time.
So much dope on the streets
There is a lot of drugs being sold on the streets.
That I'm praying for peace
The artist prays for an end to the violence that comes with drug dealing.
But the poor gotta eat
The artist recognizes that people are resorting to drug dealing in order to make ends meet due to their economic situation.
Talking bout my time
The singer reflects on their own life and success.
Everybody say it's my time, oh yeah
The singer believes that it's their time to succeed, and others agree with them.
Baby girl, the world is yours, just look through
That open door, I'll be there for you
If you ever feeling blue (oh), it's a beautiful world
The artist encourages someone, possibly Monica, to believe they can achieve anything and sees the world as a beautiful place
Baby boy, the world is yours, when you're sad
I'll be your joy, I'm still your friend
And I'm a love you till the end
The artist encourages someone, possibly a friend or fellow classmate, to believe they can achieve anything and promises to always be there for them and love them.
Said he looks so real
When he was running on the football field
The artist talks about a man who was a good football player and appeared impressive and genuine when he played.
I love the cheerleader scream his name
Even in B-ball he had game
The singer talks about how people were drawn to this football player and how he was good at basketball too.
But didn't show up at the class reunion
The artist's former classmate did not attend the reunion.
And when I asked one of my girls what happened
That's when they told me he got life in prison
Caught up in the system
Trying to be a kingpin
The singer found out that the man their talking about was arrested and sentenced to life in prison for trying to be in charge of a criminal organization.
The story never ever ends
The singer means that there is always a continuation of stories similar to this one.
It was his time, it was his time (oh why, oh why, oh why)
So much dope on the streets
And I'm praying for peace
But the poor gotta eat
Talking bout my time, my time
Everybody say my time, oh
The singer talks about how their former classmate had a time of success with football and basketball, but got caught up in a life of crime due to economic circumstances.
And I don't know much about English class
Math I didn't pass
Biology and chemistry
Was all a dream to me
The artist admits to not being good or interested in certain subjects in school.
I patiently wait for the bell
So I can see you after class
But now it's all in my pass
The artist talks about waiting for the end of class to see their love interest and reflects on how that is all in the past now.
It was her time, her time
The singer reflects on Monica's time of success and popularity.
So much dope on the streets
That I'm praying for peace
But the poor gotta eat
Talking bout my time
Everybody say it's my time, oh yeah
The singer reflects on how there is a lot of drug dealing due to economic hardship, prays for a peaceful solution, and thinks that it is their time to succeed.
It was her time, her time (let's go)
The artist reflects again on Monica's time of success and popularity.
This is the class reunion
Reminisce on the high school days
The song is about a class reunion and the artist reminisces about their high school days.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DEVON GARNETT, JERRY DUPLESSIS, LATAVIA CHUFON PARKER, WYCLEF JEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind