Ferdinand Richard
Encyclopedia
Hervé Richard better known as Ferdinand Richard, is a French
avant-rock bass guitarist
and composer
.
Richard was a founding member of the French avant-rock group Etron Fou Leloublan
in 1973, and remained with them until they broke up in 1986. He was also a member of Alfred Harth
's group Gestalt et Jive
in the mid 1980s, and collaborated with Fred Frith
in 1989 to record Dropera
(1991). Richard also formed his own group, Ferdinand et les Philosophes in 1990, and recorded two solo albums, En Forme!! (1981) and En Avant
(1983).
in Morocco
, but spent his childhood between 1951 to 1964 in Saint-Malo
in north-western France. From 1969 to 1973 he studied Medieval Literature and Law at Grenoble
in south-eastern France, then attended a bass
course at the Conservatoire Régional de Musique de Grenoble. In 1973 Richard abandoned his studies, adopted the pseudonym
"Ferdinand", and joined a local rock
group called Etron Fou Leloublan
, playing bass guitar, singing and composing.
Etron Fou Leloublan, French for (roughly) "Crazy Shit, the White Wolf" or "Mad Shit, the White Wolf" were a "nonconformist" avant-rock group that produced a blend of punk rock, jazz, French music hall, comedy satire and "avant-garde mayhem". Their music was a "viable [...] alternative to both French rock'n'roll and French free jazz", which had stagnated at the time. Richard played his bass guitar in ways that went beyond its traditional "metronomic role" – he used "double stops, chords, harmonics and onomatopoeic sound effects" to add melody to the group's songs. He also tuned his instrument "up minor third" to match his voice. Richard remained with Etron Fou Leloublan until they broke up 13 years later, during which time they recorded six albums and performed at concerts in Europe and North America.
While still with Etron Fou Leloublan, Richard also released two solo albums, En Forme!! and En Avant
in 1981 and 1983 respectively. En Avant, subtitled Huit Chansons en Huit Langues (Eight Songs in Eight Languages), is scored by Richard for two bass guitars and a cello (played by Tom Cora
), and consists of eight songs sung in English, Vietnamese, Arabic, Polish, Dioula
, Spanish, French and German. On En Avant Richard explored his interest in language and culture, and wrote the lyrics for, and sang seven of the eight songs (the German song was composed and sung by Urs Engeler).
Near the end of Etron Fou Leloublan, Richard joined Alfred Harth
's multinational avant-rock group Gestalt et Jive
in 1984. They performed regularly in Europe and North America for four years, during which time they made two albums, developed their "instant composition" technique, and gave their farewell concert at the 6th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville
in Victoriaville, Quebec
in Canada in October 1988. In 1984 Richard also formed a duo, Bruniferd with saxophonist Bruno Meillier from Etron Fou Leloublan that was dedicated to "precise and condensed musical poetry". Bruniferd made three albums and toured Europe and Japan.
In May 1986 Richard founded the Movement International des Musiques Innovatrices (MIMI), a spring festival that takes place each year in the south of France "dedicated to showcasing new and unknown musique actuelle acts from [...] around the world. MIMI is seen as a "spring companion" to the annual Victoriaville festival in Canada, and has featured such acts as After Dinner from Japan and André Duchesne
's Les 4 Guitaristes de l'Apocalypso-Bar from Quebec. In 1989 Richard formed his own band, Ferdinand et les Philosophes, a trio of Richard, guitarist Alain Rocher and drummer Dominique Lentin. Les Philosophes performed at the 9th Victoriaville festival in October 1991, and went on to record two albums. Richard also collaborated with English experimental
guitarist Fred Frith
from the English avant-rock group Henry Cow
in 1989, as Fred & Ferd, to record Dropera
(1991), a "twisted rock opera".
Gestalt et Jive
Bruniferd
Les 4 Guitaristes de l'Apocalypso-Bar
Fred & Ferd (Fred Frith
and Ferdinand Richard)
Ferdinand et les Philosophes
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
avant-rock bass guitarist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Richard was a founding member of the French avant-rock group Etron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan, also known as EFL, were a French avant-rock band founded in 1973 by actor and saxophonist Chris Chanet. They recorded five studio albums between 1976 and 1985, and released a live album, En Public Aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique recorded during a tour of the United States in 1979...
in 1973, and remained with them until they broke up in 1986. He was also a member of Alfred Harth
Alfred Harth
Alfred 23 Harth is a German multimedia artist, band leader, multi-instrumentalist musician, and composer who mixes genres in a polystylistic manner...
's group Gestalt et Jive
Gestalt et Jive
Gestalt et Jive were a multinational avant-rock group founded in West Germany in 1984 by multi-instrumentalist Alfred Harth, comprising Steve Beresford , Anton Fier , Alfred Harth , Peter Hollinger , Ferdinand Richard and Uwe Schmitt .In 1980 Harth produced the LP Es herrscht Uhu im Land on...
in the mid 1980s, and collaborated with Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
in 1989 to record Dropera
Dropera
Dropera is a concept album by Fred Frith and Ferdinand Richard, credited as "Fred & Ferd". It was their first collaborative album as a duo and was recorded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1989. It was released on both LP and CD by RecRec Music in Switzerland in 1991...
(1991). Richard also formed his own group, Ferdinand et les Philosophes in 1990, and recorded two solo albums, En Forme!! (1981) and En Avant
En Avant
Ferdinand En Avant, Huit Chansons en Huit Langues , often referred to as En Avant, is the second solo album by French avant-rock bass guitarist and composer, Ferdinand Richard...
(1983).
Biography
Hervé Richard was born in 1950 in MeknesMeknes
Meknes is a city in northern Morocco, located from the capital Rabat and from Fes. It is served by the A2 expressway between those two cities and by the corresponding railway. Meknes was the capital of Morocco under the reign of Moulay Ismail , before it was relocated to Marrakech. The...
in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, but spent his childhood between 1951 to 1964 in Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo
Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine.-Demographics:The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season...
in north-western France. From 1969 to 1973 he studied Medieval Literature and Law at Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
in south-eastern France, then attended a bass
Bass (instrument)
Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
course at the Conservatoire Régional de Musique de Grenoble. In 1973 Richard abandoned his studies, adopted the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Ferdinand", and joined a local rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
group called Etron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan, also known as EFL, were a French avant-rock band founded in 1973 by actor and saxophonist Chris Chanet. They recorded five studio albums between 1976 and 1985, and released a live album, En Public Aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique recorded during a tour of the United States in 1979...
, playing bass guitar, singing and composing.
Etron Fou Leloublan, French for (roughly) "Crazy Shit, the White Wolf" or "Mad Shit, the White Wolf" were a "nonconformist" avant-rock group that produced a blend of punk rock, jazz, French music hall, comedy satire and "avant-garde mayhem". Their music was a "viable [...] alternative to both French rock'n'roll and French free jazz", which had stagnated at the time. Richard played his bass guitar in ways that went beyond its traditional "metronomic role" – he used "double stops, chords, harmonics and onomatopoeic sound effects" to add melody to the group's songs. He also tuned his instrument "up minor third" to match his voice. Richard remained with Etron Fou Leloublan until they broke up 13 years later, during which time they recorded six albums and performed at concerts in Europe and North America.
While still with Etron Fou Leloublan, Richard also released two solo albums, En Forme!! and En Avant
En Avant
Ferdinand En Avant, Huit Chansons en Huit Langues , often referred to as En Avant, is the second solo album by French avant-rock bass guitarist and composer, Ferdinand Richard...
in 1981 and 1983 respectively. En Avant, subtitled Huit Chansons en Huit Langues (Eight Songs in Eight Languages), is scored by Richard for two bass guitars and a cello (played by Tom Cora
Tom Cora
Thomas Henry Corra , better known as Tom Cora, was a United States cellist and composer, best known for his improvisational performances in the field of experimental jazz and rock...
), and consists of eight songs sung in English, Vietnamese, Arabic, Polish, Dioula
Dioula language
Jula is a Mande language spoken in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire and Mali. It is one of the Manding languages, and is most closely related to Bambara, being mutually intelligible with Bambara as well as Malinke. It is a trade language in West Africa and is spoken by millions of people, either as a...
, Spanish, French and German. On En Avant Richard explored his interest in language and culture, and wrote the lyrics for, and sang seven of the eight songs (the German song was composed and sung by Urs Engeler).
Near the end of Etron Fou Leloublan, Richard joined Alfred Harth
Alfred Harth
Alfred 23 Harth is a German multimedia artist, band leader, multi-instrumentalist musician, and composer who mixes genres in a polystylistic manner...
's multinational avant-rock group Gestalt et Jive
Gestalt et Jive
Gestalt et Jive were a multinational avant-rock group founded in West Germany in 1984 by multi-instrumentalist Alfred Harth, comprising Steve Beresford , Anton Fier , Alfred Harth , Peter Hollinger , Ferdinand Richard and Uwe Schmitt .In 1980 Harth produced the LP Es herrscht Uhu im Land on...
in 1984. They performed regularly in Europe and North America for four years, during which time they made two albums, developed their "instant composition" technique, and gave their farewell concert at the 6th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville
Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville
The Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville is an annual international music festival held in Victoriaville, Quebec that showcases contemporary music.-External links:*...
in Victoriaville, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in Canada in October 1988. In 1984 Richard also formed a duo, Bruniferd with saxophonist Bruno Meillier from Etron Fou Leloublan that was dedicated to "precise and condensed musical poetry". Bruniferd made three albums and toured Europe and Japan.
In May 1986 Richard founded the Movement International des Musiques Innovatrices (MIMI), a spring festival that takes place each year in the south of France "dedicated to showcasing new and unknown musique actuelle acts from [...] around the world. MIMI is seen as a "spring companion" to the annual Victoriaville festival in Canada, and has featured such acts as After Dinner from Japan and André Duchesne
André Duchesne (musician)
André Duchesne is a Canadian experimental music guitarist and composer. He was a co-founder of Ambiances Magnétiques, a Canadian musical collective and record label, and formed several experimental music bands, including Conventum, Les 4 Guitaristes de l'Apocalypso-Bar and Locomotive...
's Les 4 Guitaristes de l'Apocalypso-Bar from Quebec. In 1989 Richard formed his own band, Ferdinand et les Philosophes, a trio of Richard, guitarist Alain Rocher and drummer Dominique Lentin. Les Philosophes performed at the 9th Victoriaville festival in October 1991, and went on to record two albums. Richard also collaborated with English experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
guitarist Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
from the English avant-rock group Henry Cow
Henry Cow
Henry Cow were an English avant-rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. Henry Cow's personnel fluctuated over their decade together, but drummer Chris Cutler and bassoonist/oboist Lindsay Cooper were important long-term members...
in 1989, as Fred & Ferd, to record Dropera
Dropera
Dropera is a concept album by Fred Frith and Ferdinand Richard, credited as "Fred & Ferd". It was their first collaborative album as a duo and was recorded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1989. It was released on both LP and CD by RecRec Music in Switzerland in 1991...
(1991), a "twisted rock opera".
Bands and collaborations
Etron Fou LeloublanEtron Fou Leloublan
Etron Fou Leloublan, also known as EFL, were a French avant-rock band founded in 1973 by actor and saxophonist Chris Chanet. They recorded five studio albums between 1976 and 1985, and released a live album, En Public Aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique recorded during a tour of the United States in 1979...
- Batelages (1977, LP, Gratte-Ciel, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Les Trois Fous Perdégagnent (Au Pays Des...) (1978, LP, Tapioca, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - En Public aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique (1979, LP, Celluloid RecordsCelluloid RecordsCelluloid Records, a French/American record label, founded by Jean Georgakarakos operated from 1976 to 1989 in New York, and produced a series of eclectic and ground-breaking releases, particularly in the early to late 1980s, largely under the auspices of de facto in-house producer Bill...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Les Poumons Gonflés (1982, LP, Turbo, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Les Sillons de la Terre (1984, LP, Le Chant du Monde, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Face Aux Éléments Déchaînés (1985, LP, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
)
Gestalt et Jive
Gestalt et Jive
Gestalt et Jive were a multinational avant-rock group founded in West Germany in 1984 by multi-instrumentalist Alfred Harth, comprising Steve Beresford , Anton Fier , Alfred Harth , Peter Hollinger , Ferdinand Richard and Uwe Schmitt .In 1980 Harth produced the LP Es herrscht Uhu im Land on...
- Nouvelle Cuisine (1985, LP, Moers Music, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) - Gestalt et Jive Trio (1986, 2xLP, Creative Works Records, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
)
Bruniferd
- Bruniferd (1986, LP, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) - Un Putch Kitch (1991, CD, SMI, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - Pas Sages, Secrets (1997, CD, ST, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
)
Les 4 Guitaristes de l'Apocalypso-Bar
- Fin de Siècle (1989, LP, Ambiances MagnétiquesAmbiances MagnétiquesAmbiances Magnétiques is a non-profit, Canadian musical collective, which was formed in 1982 by a group of independent musicians and producers from Montreal. The entity was formed out of necessity: the avant-garde tastes of the members — which include jazz, classical, folk, and rock —...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
)
Fred & Ferd (Fred Frith
Fred Frith
Fred Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor.Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew...
and Ferdinand Richard)
- DroperaDroperaDropera is a concept album by Fred Frith and Ferdinand Richard, credited as "Fred & Ferd". It was their first collaborative album as a duo and was recorded in Zürich, Switzerland in August 1989. It was released on both LP and CD by RecRec Music in Switzerland in 1991...
(1991, LP, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
)
Ferdinand et les Philosophes
- ... Enclume (1991, LP, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) - Ensableur de Portugaises (1994, CD, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
)
Solo
- En Forme!! (1981, LP, Celluloid RecordsCelluloid RecordsCelluloid Records, a French/American record label, founded by Jean Georgakarakos operated from 1976 to 1989 in New York, and produced a series of eclectic and ground-breaking releases, particularly in the early to late 1980s, largely under the auspices of de facto in-house producer Bill...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - En AvantEn AvantFerdinand En Avant, Huit Chansons en Huit Langues , often referred to as En Avant, is the second solo album by French avant-rock bass guitarist and composer, Ferdinand Richard...
(1983, LP, RecRec MusicRecRec MusicRecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. The label was modeled on, and affiliated to, the British independent record label Recommended Records, but remained financially independent...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
)