{{Short description|French accordionist (1927–2019)}} {{Infobox musical artist |birth_date = {{birth date|1927|7|10}} |birth_place = [[Paris]], France |image = Marcel Azzola (cropped).jpg |caption = Azzola in 2015 |background = non_vocal_instrumentalist |occupation = Musician |instrument = Accordion |death_date = {{death date and age|2019|1|21|1927|7|10}} |death_place = [[Villennes-sur-Seine]], France }} '''Marcel Azzola''' (10 July 1927 – 21 January 2019) was a French [[accordionist]].
He performed with [[Stan Getz]] and [[Jacques Brel]], among others. The famous line "{{lang|fr|Chauffe, Marcel!}}" ("Heat up, Marcel") in Brel's song "Vesoul" refers to Azzola, who played the accordion during the recording.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/musique/2018/10/09/03006-20181009ARTFIG00016-marcel-azzola-pour-brel-j-allais-a-chaque-seance-meme-quand-je-n-avais-pas-a-jouer.php|title=Marcel Azzola: "Pour Jacques Brel, mon accordéon était essentiel"|date=9 October 2018|website=Figaro}}</ref>
==Biography== Marcel Azzola was born in Paris in 1927 to Italian parents: his father, Giuseppe (a builder, 1896–1978) and his mother, Angelina (1901–2002) both came from [[Bergamo]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Morandi|first1=Daniela|title=Azzola, il genio della fisarmonica|url=https://bergamo.corriere.it/bergamo/notizie/cultura-e-spettacoli/12_dicembre_29/marcel-azzola-fisarmonica-bergamo-concerti-2113337468468.shtml|website=bergamo.corriere.it/|publisher=Corriere della Sera}}</ref> Marcel had two elder and two younger sisters. His parents had moved to France in 1922.<ref name="Lemire">{{cite book |last1=Lemire |first1=Claude |title=Marcel Azzola: parcours d'un musicien atypique |date=2017 |publisher=L'Harmattan |isbn=9782343122809 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RakoDwAAQBAJ&q=%22marcel+azzola%22 |language=French}}</ref>
His father had conducted a mandolin orchestra in Italy, and Marcel, like two of his sisters, learned to play the violin. He abandoned the instrument after a year. In 1936, he began playing accordion, after he became familiar with the accordion orchestra of [[Pantin]]. Six months later, he started lessons with [[Paul Saive]], who had been the music teacher of [[Jo Privat]]. Soon after, Azzola started taking lessons from [[Attilio Bonhommi]] instead. He accompanied Bonhommi during [[jazz]] concerts, first as a percussionist, and later as an accordionist.<ref name="Lemire"/>
At 11 years old and having just finished his primary education, Azzola became a professional accordionist. At first he played with the Aveugles de Pantin, but soon he switched to the "Orchestre de l'Amicale Accordéoniste de l'Humanité", a politically leftist orchestra. In 1939 he won first prize in the junior category at the Concours de [[Suresnes]]. At the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], the Azzolas moved with Bonhommi to [[Draillant]] in the [[French Alps]]. Only his father Giuseppe remained in Pantin. After a year the family returned to Paris, and Azzola started taking lessons with [[Médard Ferrero]]. At the same time, he worked as an in-house accordionist in many bars in Paris. In 1943, he left Ferrero and studied under [[Jacques Mendel]], until Mendel, who was Jewish, fled Paris in an unsuccessful attempt to hide from the Nazis. Azzola also became friends with [[Geo Daly]], then still an accordionist but later primarily a [[vibraphone]] player. Daly introduced him to contemporary American jazz; most of Azzola's education up that point had centered on classical music and French ''[[Bal-musette|musette]]'' and ''[[chanson]]''.<ref name="Lemire"/>
After the liberation in 1944, Azzola continued to work in multiple bars and for organisations including the American headquarters of the [[Red Cross]] in France. He taught himself to play the [[bandoneon]]. In 1946, he travelled through Germany for six months to play for American soldiers.<ref name="Lemire"/>
In the 1950s, he recorded his first songs for [[Barclay Records]] and started collaborating with some of the greatest names of the French chanson, including [[Jacques Brel]], [[Barbara (singer)|Barbara]], [[Yves Montand]], [[Boris Vian]], [[Edith Piaf]], [[Gilbert Bécaud]] and [[Juliette Gréco]]. He also played with European jazz musicians [[Stéphane Grappelli]] and [[Toots Thielemans]]. He played on some soundtracks and his music can be heard in multiple [[Jacques Tati]] movies including ''[[Mon Oncle]]''.<ref name="Express">{{cite news |title=L'accordéoniste Marcel Azzola est mort à 91 ans |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/musique/l-accordeoniste-francais-marcel-azzola-qui-s-etait-illustre-dans-plusieurs-musiques-de-films-de-jacques-tati-ou-encore-dans-vesoul-de-jacques-brel-est-mort-a-91-ans_2058550.html |accessdate=23 January 2019 |work=L'Express |date=22 January 2019}}</ref>
He taught music at the [[Ecole de Musique d'Orsay]] for more than 20 years.<ref name="Express"/> He was made a Commander (the highest rank) in the [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres]].<ref name="Figaro">{{cite news |title=Disparition de Marcel Azzola, l'accordéoniste de Fréhel, Piaf, Brel, Gréco, Tati, Mouloudji |work=Le Figaro |agency=AFP |date=22 January 2019}}</ref>
==Personal life== Azzola married Jacqueline, who died young. They had one daughter.<ref name="Azzola">{{cite book |last1=Azzola |first1=Marcel |title=Chauffe Marcel |date=2006 |publisher=Archipel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7QM9AAAAQBAJ&q=%22marcel+azzola%22 |isbn=9782809813197 |language=French}}</ref> Marcel died in January 2019 in [[Villennes-sur-Seine]], where he lived with musician [[Lina Bossati]].<ref name="Express"/>
==Discography== * ''Ball Musette'' (Polydor, 1959) * ''Gipsy Waltz'' ([[EmArcy Records|EmArcy]], 1989) * ''L' Accordeoniste: Homage to Piaf'' ([[Polygram Records|Polygram]], 1995) * ''Et Ca Tournait: Anthologie du Musette'' ([[Sony Music|Sony]], 2000) * ''Jazzola'' ([[Black & Blue Records|Black & Blue]], 2002) * ''Le Meilleurs'' (Disky, 2002) * ''3 Temps Pour Bien Faire'' ([[Le Chant du Monde]], 2005) * ''Adios Muchachos'' ([[Intense Records|Intense]], 2006) * ''Les Grands Standards, Vol. 1'' (Universal, 2006) * ''Les Grands Standards, Vol. 2'' (Universal, 2006) * ''Musique a La Mode'' (Universal, 2007) * ''Vignola Reunion Trio'' (Nel Jazz, 1999) * ''Accordeon Seduction'' ([[Wagram Music|Wagram]], 2010) * ''La Cumparsita'' (Sound and Vision, 2012) * ''Les Archives de l'Accordéon'' (Marianne Melodie/Multiwaves, 2010) * ''Vive le Musette'' ([[Parlophone]], 2013)<ref>{{cite web|title=Marcel Azzola {{!}} Album Discography {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/marcel-azzola-mn0000679768|website=AllMusic|accessdate=15 October 2016}}</ref>
'''With [[Stan Getz]]''' * ''[[Death of a Corrupt Man#Musical score and soundtrack|Mort d'un Pourri]]'' (Melba, 1977)
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|https://www.marcelazzola.com/}} * [http://mediatheque.cite-musique.fr/masc/?INSTANCE=CITEMUSIQUE&URL=/mediacomposite/CMDO/CMDO000020000/CMDO000021000/CMDO000021000_0588/default.htm Marcel Azzola]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Azzola, Marcel}} [[Category:1927 births]] [[Category:2019 deaths]] [[Category:Musicians from Paris]] [[Category:French people of Italian descent]] [[Category:21st-century French accordionists]] [[Category:Jacques Brel]] [[Category:Black & Blue Records artists]] [[Category:Legion of Honour refusals]]