We left the “Tribu Nougaro” concert a little stunned, stunned by so much power, energy and strong and captivating stage presence.
This happened on December 13, at the Séguéla estate, in Porte-du-Quercy. The owners of the place, Magali Roussel and Sylvain Barés, received that evening in their beautiful barn transformed into a performance hall, a fervent and enthusiastic audience who literally fell under the spell of this trio of exceptional virtuosity. The Lotois were able to discover them in 2023 during the 18th edition of the Montcuq Text Song Festival.
On stage, singer Laurent Malot, full, warm and powerful voice, interpreted with commitment and intensity the repertoire of Claude Nougaro in a choice of songs alternating timeless hits like “Toulouse” or “Quatre boules de Cuir” with more confidential titles of which we rediscovered the beauty of the writing, notably “La danse” or the prophetic text of “Enough”: “It is time for man to arrive, without the shadow of fear with him”.
Because the songs of Nougaro, who would have been 95 years old this year, shed a premonitory light on the events we are experiencing today. In an effective and precise direction by Xavier Lacouture, Laurent Malot dialogues with Claude Nougaro whose voice-over we hear with emotion, as if he were in the room. Malot breathes and lives Nougaro, physically appropriates his songs, puts them on stage, dancing and swinging to the jazz, Brazilian or African rhythms of the Toulouse poet, but without ever falling into the trap of imitation. “His songs accompany me and since I was a child, I never feel him very far from me,” he confides to his audience.
Supported by this outstanding performer, the two brilliant multi-instrumentalists who accompanied him, Christophe Devillers and Franck Steckar, were not to be outdone, moving from one instrument to another with astonishing ease and offering some superb solos. The public was not mistaken, who gave them a real ovation. Anthology encores, including the title “Nougaro” by Christian Mesmin, generously ended this memorable evening, as we would like to experience more often. The show is currently performed at Studio Hébertot, in Paris, until February 25.
