Les Négresses Vertes, which formed in 1987, is a French music group that combines world music and some aspects of

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

. Tracks often feature

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

, with some containing other traditional instruments such as

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other with ...

. The group's style is fairly upbeat and energetic on the majority of its tracks, with unusual rhythms, vocals delivered with a generous dose of zeal and vibrant energy, and accompaniment melodies ranging from lilting and distant to eccentric and fast-paced. These two factors give many of the group's pieces a strong sense of direction.

History

Formed in 1987, Les Négresses Vertes arose from the alternative-music scene in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. The original line-up included singer Helno (also known as Helno Rota de Lourcqua, born Noël Rota), Jo Roz (also known as l'Ami Ro; real name Joe Ruffier des Aimes) (piano), Stéfane Mellino (guitar), Jean-Marie Paulus (bass), Gaby (drums), Matthias Canavese (accordion), Michel Ochowiak (trumpet), Abraham Sirinix (also known as Abraham Braham) (trombone), and Iza Mellino (backing vocals). The original members were a group of friends, many of whom had not played their instruments before forming the band. The group's name translates as ''green negresses''; and arose from abuse hurled at the members at one of the group's first concerts. The insult is a comparison to the kitsch art of

Vladimir Tretchikoff Vladimir Grigoryevich Tretchikoff (Владимир Григорьевич Третчиков, , Petropavlovsk, Russian Empire, now Petropavl in Kazakhstan – 26 August 2006, Cape Town, South Africa) was an artist whose painting ''Chinese Girl' ...

. The group was initially signed to the independent Off the Track label and released the punk protest song "200 Ans D'Hypocrisie" in response to its home country's French Revolution bicentennial celebrations. In 1989, they released their first album, ''

Mlah ''Mlah'' is the debut album by Les Négresses Vertes, released in 1988. Track listing All songs written by Les Négresses Vertes #"La Valse" #"Zobi la Mouche" #"C'est Pas la Mer à Boire" #"Voilà l'Été" #"Orane" #"La Faim des Haricots" #"Les ...

'', to good reviews in both France and the UK, where the single "Zobi La Mouche" just failed to reach the charts. The group also toured and played the

WOMAD WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, ...

festival. The group also made a controversial tour of Lebanon. Their second album, ''Famille Nombreuse'', in 1991, featured new drummer Zé Verbalito. In 1990, Les Négresses Vertes contributed the song "I love Paris" to the

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

tribute album ''"

Red Hot + Blue Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

"'', which was produced by the

Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...

. Helno was by this time struggling with serious heroin addiction, and Stéfane Mellino and Canavese replaced him as the main songwriters. Helno died at his parents' house on 22 January 1993. Several members left the band after Helno's death, but Les Négresses Vertes continued around the nucleus of Mellino, Canavese, Ochowiak, and Paulus. In 1995, the band released the album ''Zig-Zague'', followed by the live album ''Green Bus''. By the 2000s ''Trabendo'', the group's style had shifted to a dub-oriented lounge style.

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (1988) * ''Famille nombreuse'' (1991) * ''An Aperitif'' (1994) * ''Zig-zague'' (1994) * ''Green Bus'' (1996), live * ''Trabendo'' (1999) * ''Acoustic Clubbing'' (2001)

Compilations

* ''10 Remixes (’87–’93)'' (1993) * ''Le Grand Déballage'' (2002) * ''L'essentiel'' (2004) * ''À l’Affiche'' (2006)

Singles

* ''Il'' (1989) * ''Zobi La Mouche'' (1989) * ''Voila L’ete'' (1989) * "I Love Paris" (1990) (Tribute album ''"

"'' produced by the

) * ''Face à La Mer'' (1991) * ''Famille Heureuse'' (1992) * ''Hou! Mamma Mia'' (1992) * ''Sous Le soleil de bodega'' (1992) * ''Apres La pluie'' (1994) * ''Mambo Show'' (1994) * ''A Quoi Bon'' (1995) * ''Easy Girls'' (1999) * ''Leila'' (1999) * ''Hasta Llegar'' (2000) ('Promo' CD - was never released) * ''Spank / Abuela'' (2000)

References

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20040325021454/http://www.negressesvertes.com/ * http://lnv.esy.es/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20060221055431/http://www.mellino.org/
Concert photos
by Laurent Orseau (Black Session) {{DEFAULTSORT:Negresses Vertes, Les French alternative rock groups Sire Records artists Virgin Records artists Rhythm King artists Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups disestablished in 2001 1987 establishments in France 2001 disestablishments in France Musical groups from Paris