Benabar
Biography
Singer/songwriter Bénabar emerged at the vanguard of France's "chanson réaliste" movement, crafting uncommonly literary portraits of contemporary life informed by folk, jazz, and film. Born Bruno Nicolini on June 16, 1969, in the Paris suburb of Essonne, he began studying trumpet at age eight, and after completing school spent six months in the U.S. There his longtime fascination with filmmaking grew, and upon returning home he trained as a photographer and film technician, at age 20 writing and directing his first short film, Nada Lezard. In the decade to follow Nicolini released two additional shorts, most notably the Montreal Film Festival award-winning José Jeannette. However, his ambitions to direct a feature-length project were stalled by financing troubles, and in the interim he turned to television, writing for the Canal+ production H.
At age 25 Nicolini also began writing songs, teaching himself piano and performing in nightclubs under the alias Bénabar, inspired by the famed clown Barnabé. While touring with frequent collaborator Patchol, Bénabar formed his own band in 1996, enlisting saxophonist Denis Grare, trumpeter Vincent Schaeffer, double bassist Stéphane Benveniste, and drummer Pascal Vignon.
Selected Discography
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide © 2006 All Media Guide, LLC.