Death of Gabriel Yacoub. From his beginnings to his last concert in Paimpol, what the founder of Malicorne gave to Brittany

Gabriel Yacoub, co-founder of the French folk group Malicorne, died Wednesday January 22, 2025 at the age of 72, AFP learned from Marie Sauvet, his ex-partner and co-founder of this popular group born in the 1970s. Brittany was essential in his artistic journey.

It was on the stage of the Chant de Mar festival, in Paimpol (Côtes-d’Armor), in August 2017, that Malicorne said goodbye to the public and closed a musical epic spanning more than forty years. It was also in Brittany that it all began for Gabriel Yacoub. The circle was closed. The singer and musician died this Wednesday night at Bourges hospital (Cher), following a long illness. He had collaborated with the leaders of traditional Breton music.

In spring 1973, Gabriel Yacoub and Marie Sauvet recorded (notably with And Ar Braz) the experimental album “Peter of Grenoble” in which the couple revisited the traditional repertoire. Released in October 1973the immediate and unexpected success of this first attempt will be at the origin of the revival of traditional music in France.

But, even before the release of the album “Peter of Grenoble”Gabriel and Marie had founded the group Malicorne September 5, 1973 with two other musicians Laurent Vercambre et Hugues de Courson. At a time when folk is on the rise and Bob Dylan is in everyone’s ears, the French group chooses to revisit the traditional repertoire in its own way, which it presents in the language of Molière: “Malicorne recreates the magic of the music of yesteryear, by combining modern technology and rare or traditional instruments from around the world, such as cromornes, bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies, harmoniums and mandoloncellos”it is indicated on the official website of Gabriel Yacoub.

In the fall of 1973, the group embarked on a first tour of a few dates in Brittany with a very first concert in Quimper on October 31 then three other concerts at the beginning of November in Concarneau, Morlaix and Rennes. Malicorne enjoyed success throughout the 1970s: he had to his credit around ten records between folk and progressive rock, the best known of them remaining their third studio album, “Almanac”, released in 1976.

Gabriel Yacoub joined Alan Stivell’s band in the late 1970s, where he played several instruments and sang. Then, the 1980s were marked by separations and reformations with new musicians. But, in July 2010, the Francofolies de La Rochelle managed to bring Malicorne back on stage in its original configuration.

Gabriel Yacoub also had a solo career, started in parallel with the group. In 2001, his song “La colombe stabbée” appeared in the soundtrack of the successful documentary “Le Peuple migragur”, directed by Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud and Michel Debats.
Still with Marie Sauvet, in the 2010s he launched “Gabriel et Marie de Malicorne”, the opportunity to continue making music and concerts together.
“His music will always remain”wrote Marie Sauvet on Facebook, in a short message in tribute to her partner.