Much like songbird Edith Piaf, Madeleine Peyroux spent her teenage years busking the busy streets of Paris. Just like the âlittle sparrowâ, Madeleine befriended the cityâs street musicians and made its Latin quarter her first performing stage. Years later, Peyroux would cite iconic Piaf as an influence on her music and record a rendition of the classic La Vie En Rose, soulfully capturing the tuneâs romanticism and melancholy.
Born in Athens, Georgia in 1974, Madeleine âgrew up in a house filled with musicâ and from an early age âinstinctively realised musicâs soothing powerâ but it was her teenage years in the French capital that turned the childhood notion into an all-consuming vocation for life.
Young Madeleine moved to Paris with her mother in 1987 following her parents divorce. âTo soothe me during the upheavalâ, she recalls, âI was given a guitar and took to playing in the streets almost immediately.â
The curious teenager started skipping school to frequent the cityâs Latin Quarter where street musicians dwelled, keen to learn about their music and way of life. At 16, the fearless teen joined the Lost Wandering Blues and Jazz Band with whom she toured the streets of Europe, discovering Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday while âvoraciously picking up all the songs and all the guitar playingâ she could.
The two-year touring adventure set Madeleine on a creative path for life and proved to be a gateway to greater things. In 1991 the band travelled to New York where Madeleineâs unique talents were spotted by Atlantic Recordsâ Yves Beauvais. The young singer declined the music executiveâs initial record deal offer but relented several years later and in 1996 her breakthrough album Dreamland was released.
Dreamland cemented Madeleine Peyroux as a âclassicâ musical talent that was here to stay, and the soulful singer found herself touring the world, singing with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and opening for Cesaria Evora.
Extensive touring took its toll on Madeleineâs voice and Jazzâs new star failed to complete recording sessions for her second Atlantic record. Unable to âmake money without singingâ, Madeleine made several futile attempts at odd jobs, and soon âwent into hibernationâ.
The new millennium signaled new hope with a return to the Big Apple and a Sony Records deal but the collaboration was short lived. Madeleine was dropped from the label in a move she remembers as casting a âbig blowâ to her ego.
The defiant artist rolled up her sleeves, continued playing on the street, booked herself in New York clubs through local promoters who remembered her Dreamland heyday and began collaborating with William Galison.
Madeleineâs never-say-die spirit bore fruit. In 2003 she signed to Rounder Records and embarked on a game-changing, lifelong collaboration with multi Grammy winning producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Walter Becker, Herbie Hancock).
The prolific partnership has now spanned many years and created universally acclaimed albums, hailed by many as timeless classics.
Careless Love (2004) was a rich collection of cover versions with tunes from Bob Dylan to James P Johnson, and included Peyrouxâs milestone rendition of Leonard Cohenâs Dance Me to the End of Love. For the sole original on the album, producer Klein and Jesse Harris co-wrote Madeleineâs signature tune and many fansâ favorite, Donât Wait Too Long. With sales of half a million copies the album shifted Peyroux from the exclusive Jazz realm into the mainstream arena.
While Peyroux was introduced as a jazz artist, her influences spanned far beyond one genreâand the compositions selected for Careless Love showcased this versatility. From inspired interpretations of songs by Elliot Smith (âBetween the Barsâ), Leonard Cohen (âDance Me to the End of Loveâ), and Hank Williams (âWeary Bluesâ), to more traditional fare made famous by Bessie Smith (âDonât Cry Babyâ), Billie Holiday (âNo More,â âIâll Look Aroundâ), and Josephine Baker (âJâai Deux Amoursâ), Careless Love offered something for every music fan.
16 years later, Peyroux continues to record, perform, and challenge the confines of jazz through such albums as Half the Perfect World (2006), Standing on the Rooftop (2011), and The Blue Room (2013). In 2014, she released a career retrospective, Keep Me in Your Heart for a While: Best of Madeleine Peyroux, while in 2018, she released her eighth studio album and latest collaboration with Larry Klein, Anthem.
To celebrate the reissue of her album classic, Madeleine Peyroux is scheduled to return to the road on an extensive Careless Love tour around the world. The tour represents the first time Peyroux will play the beloved album front-to-back.
Madeleine Peyroux indtager DR Koncerthuset med musikken fra det storsĂŠlgende album Careless Love.
Den fransk-amerikanske jazzsangerinde Madeleine Peyroux er blevet kaldt vor tids Billie Holiday og sammenlignet med Norah Jones. Peyroux er fĂždt i Georgia, men flyttede til Paris som teenager og startede sin musikkarriere, mens hun levede boheme-livet i den franske hovedstads latinerkvarter.
Da hun vendte tilbage til USA i 90'erne, slog hun sig ned i New York og tiltrak sig enorm opmĂŠrksomhed med sit Billie Holiday-inspirerede udtryk pĂ„ det anmelderroste debutalbum âDreamland" (Atlantic Records). Hun valgte dog derefter at trĂŠkke sig fra spotlyset, og der skulle gĂ„ otte Ă„r, fĂžr hun i 2004 udgav den skelsĂŠttende og storsĂŠlgende opfĂžlger, "Careless Love", der endelig placerede hende som et berettiget verdensnavn.
I forbindelse med en nylig genudgivelse af Careless Love tager Madeleine Peyroux pÄ en omfattende verdensturné, der ogsÄ lÊgger vejen forbi KÞbenhavn og DR Koncerthuset, hvor hun for fÞrste gang spiller sine fortolkninger fra det elskede album fra start til slut.
Genfandt sin egen stemme med Careless Love
Efter otte Ă„rs fravĂŠr fra scenen, markerede Careless Love et helt nyt kapitel for den dengang 30-Ă„rige Peyroux, der genfandt sin stemme â i bogstavelig forstand efter en operation af stemmebĂ„ndene, men ogsĂ„ i overfĂžrt betydning, idet hun satte ud pĂ„ en rejse for at finde tilbage til rĂždderne i USA og sin egen musik.
"Da jeg kom til New York for at lave mit fĂžrste album, var jeg som et dyr fanget i lygterne," fortĂŠller Madeleine Peyroux i forbindelse med genudgivelsen. "11. september skete, George W. Bush blev genvalgt, og det fĂžles som om, at hele verden var ved at blive skĂžr. Jeg forsĂžgte at skrive et nyt album, men jeg var âbroke" og vidste ikke, hvad jeg skulle gĂžre for at komme videre."
I 2004 fik Peyroux kontrakt med Rounder Records, der introducerede hende til den legendariske producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock m.fl.). Kleins sonisk mangfoldige baggrund inden for jazz m.m. viste sig at vÊre det perfekte match for den sÞgende singer-songwriter, og de to arbejder da ogsÄ stadig sammen den dag i dag.
Selvom Peyroux blev introduceret som jazzsangerinde, sĂ„ spredte hendes inspirationskilder sig langt ud over jazzen, og det stĂ„r sĂŠrligt tydeligt pĂ„ genrebredden i de sange, hun valgte at fortolke sĂ„ indlevende pĂ„ Careless Love. Fra inspirerende udgaver af Leonard Cohen (âDance Me to the End of Loveâ), Elliot Smith (âBetween the Barsâ), og Hank Williams (âWeary Bluesâ) til standarder og traditionals, der blev udĂždeliggjorte af Bessie Smith (âDonât Cry Babyâ), Billie Holiday (âNo More,â âIâll Look Aroundâ), og Josephine Baker (âJâai Deux Amoursâ).
Albummets ene originale sang âDonât Wait Too Long" blev et signatur-hit, da den udkom som single og flyttede Madeleine Peyroux ind pĂ„ hitlisterne. Alene i USA solgte Careless Love flere end 500.000 eksemplarer det fĂžrste Ă„r â helt pĂ„ linje med Ă„rets store popudgivelser. Flere steder i Europa og Sydamerika og i Kina fik Careless Love bĂ„de guld og platin, og samtidig blev den hyldet af anmelderne som bl.a. âa moody, haunting masterpieceâ (All About Jazz).
Siden det store gennembrud har Peyroux fortsat bevÊget sig omkring jazzen og dens randomrÄder gennem udgivelserne "Half the Perfect World" (2006), "Standing on the Rooftop" (2011), "The Blue Room" (2013), "Keep Me in Your Heart for a While: Best of Madeleine Peyroux" (2014), og i 2018 udgav hun i samarbejde med Larry Klein sit ottende studiealbum "Anthem".
Koncerten er en del af Vinterjazz 2022, der finder sted den 3.-27. februar.
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