Intoxicated Man

Before becoming an icon of French chanson, Serge Gainsbourg drew on his classical training as a pianist to forge a distinctive musical identity. Captivated by jazz, he embraced its harmonic language, swing and freedom, blending them with the traditions of French chanson in a strikingly modern way (Black Trombone, Du Jazz Dans Le Ravin, Le Rock de Nerval.). Backed by legendary musicians such as pianist Alain Goraguer, clarinetists Marcel Zanini and Hubert Rostaing, and renowned brass players Roger Guérin and Benny Vasseur, Gainsbourg established a songwriting style that was sophisticated, ironic and unapologetically provocative, challenging the conventions of its time. Balancing musical refinement with deliberate irreverence, these recordings from the early 1960s already reveal the unmistakable voice of an artist far ahead of his time.