brownie Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 The brilliant French TV director Jean-Christophe Averty died Sunday. He was 88. Averty directed most of the jazz shows on French television from the 1960s on. Among the highlights was the John Coltrane quartet 'A Love Supreme' concert from the 1965 festival at Antibes-Juan les Pins. He also directed many music shows including the Serge Gainsbourg-Jane Birkin opus 'Melody Nelson'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 (edited) Oh, quite a pity. A generation steps down and a page is turned. RIP. I remember his radio show "Les cinglés du Music-Hall" that I often listend to in the early 80s when I lived relatively close to the French border and was able to catch French FM stations on my radio. This is where I got a lot of interesting initial listening exposure to a lot of 20s and 30s music, both French and U.S., both jazz and semi-jazz as it was often to be found in France (I think this is where I first came across the name of Jean Sablon - who was accompanied by the distinctive sound of Django's guitar). A really "extreme" show by any yardstick - it cannot have been often (not at that time and certainly not today) that the presenter would have gotten away with a FULL hour of music by the Abe Lyman orchestra or by a full hour of a zillion different versions of one and the same early 30s hit song by singers male and female, orchestras, combos, French and foreign, etc. And all this mixed with Averty's permanently excited voice who often sounded as if he was about to go overboard at any moment. At least to non-French ears, and particularly due to the contrast with his co-presenter (Jacques something - do you remember his exact name, Brownie?) who seems to have acted as a sort of straight man to Averty's excitement. (A fitting name, BTW - "averty" is virtually the correct word for the French equivalent of "in the know" . ) Edited March 4, 2017 by Big Beat Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted March 4, 2017 Report Share Posted March 4, 2017 R.I.P .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 R.I.P. I remember two of his films broadcast on German TV: His version of Alice in Wonderland with plenty of novelty visual effects, and his take on Molière's Un Bourgeois Gentilhomme, which was very funny, kind of anticipating the approach of historically informed opera performnces by Hervé Niquet and others. I really would like to see them again. Maybe arte tv will re-broadcast some of his work ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverM Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 I wasn't aware of Averty but he really seemed like an interesting person. Was there really a time when French TV was inspired and inspiring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted March 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 When there was no publicity or audience rating. BBS, I do recall Averty Cinglés partner but can't trace the man's name? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 (edited) 1 hour ago, brownie said: BBS, I do recall Averty Cinglés partner but can't trace the man's name? If I had to do a phonetic spelling of the man's name the way I recall it, I'd write it as "Jacques Crépinaux" (or Crépinot? or Répinot? or ...?) but I have no idea if this is near the actual spelling. Does that phonetic spelling ring a bell, maybe? BTW, in the beginning I figured THIS was the main host of the show because the somewhat "accentuated" sound of the name somehow rhymed much more with the agitated voice of the host (Averty). Edited March 5, 2017 by Big Beat Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niko Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Jacques Crepineau it is http://www.radioscope.fr/grilles/inter/inter1978.htm http://www.regietheatrale.com/index/index/donateurs/jacques-crepineau.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted March 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Bravo, Niko! Jacques Crepineau, it was! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Beat Steve Posted March 5, 2017 Report Share Posted March 5, 2017 Ha, so I wasn't far off the mark at all. Thanks, Niko! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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