Jean-Michel André Jarre (born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanied by vast laser displays, large projections and fireworks.
Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and grandparents and trained on the piano. From an early age, he was introduced to a variety of art forms, including street performers, jazz musicians and the artist Pierre Soulages. But his musical style was perhaps most heavily influenced by Pierre Schaeffer, a pioneer of musique concrète at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales.
His first mainstream success was the 1976 album Oxygène. Recorded in a makeshift studio at his home, the album sold an estimated 18 million copies. Oxygène was followed in 1978 by Equinoxe, and in 1979, Jarre performed to a record-breaking audience of more than a million people at the Place de la Concorde, a record he has since broken three times. More albums were to follow, but his 1979 concert served as a blueprint for his future performances around the world. Several of his albums have been released to coincide with large-scale outdoor events.
He was the first Western musician officially invited to perform in the People's Republic of China and holds the world record for the largest-ever audience at an outdoor event for his Moscow concert on 6 September 1997, which was attended by 3.5 million people.
1970s Date Audience Place Event NoteAOR Opera21 October 19712,000Palais Garnier, FranceFirst Jarre concertPlace de la Concorde14 July 19791 millionPlace de la Concorde, FranceCelebrate the Bastille DayFirst entry in the Guinness Book Of Records.
1980s Date Audience Place Event NoteThe Concerts in China21 October 1981 120,000 China: Beijing First western musician to be invited to a concert after Mao's China.22 October 198126 October 1981China: Shanghai27 October 198129 October 1981Rendez-vous Houston5 April 19861.5 millionUS: HoustonCelebrate the 150th anniversary of Houston, Texas and the NASA 25th anniversary.Second entry in the Guinness Book Of Records.Rendez-vous Lyon5 October 1986800,000France: LyonThe visit of Pope John Paul II to Jarre's hometown of LyonDestination Docklands8 October 1988100,000UK: England London Docklands9 October 1988Destination Trocadero 13 May 198915,000France: Place Du TrocaderoCelebrate the 100th anniversary of the La dame de fer local term to refer to the tower (Iron Lady).Performance of "London Kid" from his album Revolutions with the guitarist of The Shadows, Hank Marvin under Eiffel Tower.
1990s Date Audience Place Event NoteParis la Defense14 July 1990 2.5 millionFrance: La DéfenseCelebrate the Bastille DayThird entry in the Guinness Book Of Records.Swatch the World 25 September 1992100,000Switzerland: Zermatt26 September 1992Legends of the Lost City1 December 199215,000South Africa: Sun CityInaugural celebration of the Palace of the Lost City,a hotel located within the Sun City resort in South Africa.2 December 19923 December 1992Europe in Concert 28 July 1993650,000 France: Mont Saint-Michel 1 August 1993 Switzerland: Lausanne 19 August 1993 Hungary: Puskás Ferenc Stadion 24 August 1993 Belgium: Atomium 28 August 1993 UK: England: Wembley Stadium 1 September 1993 UK: England: Maine Road Stadium 5 September 1993 France: Marseille 11 September 1993Germany: Waldbühne 12 September 1993 21 September 1993 France: Montauban 24 September 1993 France: Versailles 29 September 1993 Spain: Santiago de Compostela 2 October 1993 Spain: Seville 6 October 1993 Spain: Barcelona 16 October 1993 France: ToursHong Kong11 March 199450,000China: Hong KongOpening of a Hong Kong StadiumA live album called Hong Kongwas released later in the year,even though most of the tracks were taken from the Europe in Concert tour.Concert pour la Tolérance14 July 19951.25 millionFrance: Eiffel TowerCelebrate the Bastille Day and UNESCO's Year for ToleranceFesta Italiana 10 September 1995 300,000 Italy: Piazza Vittorio Veneto Jarre performed Chronologie 4 and Rendez-Vous 4at a show for the launch of the Brava & Bravo cars from FIAT.Wetten, dass 22 March 1997 Austria: Rathausplatz, ViennaJarre performed Oxygène 8 as pre-launch of the Oxygène 7–13album in the TV-show Wetten, dass..? (Wanna Bet..?) Oxygene in Moscow 6 September 1997 3.5 million Russia: MoscowJarre was invited for a concert celebrating the 850th anniversary of Moscow. His largest concert to date and a VHS tape was released in the US in 1998 and NTSC DVDs were released in Brazil, Chile and USA in 2000 and Europe version in 2007.Fourth and last entry in the Guinness Book Of Records.iMac Night, Apple Expo8 September 19986,000Paris Apple Expo"Electronic Odyssee" at the 1998 Paris Apple Expo, celebrating the 50th anniversary of electronic music and the launch of the iMac. This event, known as "iMac Night", featured spectators wearing special 3D glasses to view visuals created by Jarre and Jesse Deep using the JarKaos software.
2000s