Étienne "Sarane" Ferret (1912–1970) (surname also later spelled Ferré on occasion) was a French
musette
Musette may refer to:
Music
* Musette de cour, or baroque musette, a musical instrument of the bagpipe family
* Musette bechonnet, a type of French bagpipe
* Musette bressane, a type of French bagpipe
* Oboe musette, or piccolo oboe, the small ...
and
gypsy jazz
Gypsy jazz (also known as gypsy swing, jazz manouche or hot club-style jazz) is a style of small-group jazz originating from the Romani guitarist Jean "Django" Reinhardt (1910–53), in conjunction with the French swing violinist Stéphane G ...
guitarist and composer, a contemporary and musical associate of
Django Reinhardt
Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...
, and the brother of noted
Gitan (gypsy) guitar players
Baro and
Matelo Ferret
Jean Pierre "Matelo" Ferret (1918 – 24 January 1989) (also spelled Matelot, Matlo and Matlow, surname also later spelled Ferré on occasion) was a French musette and gypsy jazz guitarist and composer. He was an associate of Django Reinhardt an ...
. He recorded with his own quintet in Paris in the 1940s and continued performing there, with occasional recording sessions, until his death in 1970.
Biography
Sarane Ferret was the middle-born of the three Ferret brothers, Gitan gypsies from
Rouen, France who made their way to Paris and there made the acquaintance of Django Reinhardt in 1931. He was known by his Gypsy nickname "Sarane". From 1931, the Ferret brothers
Baro,
Matelo and Sarane, and cousin René "Challain" Ferret, were favorite sidemen of Reinhardt. He initially made his name as a banjo player in ''Bals Musette'', including with the Italian accordionist Vétese Guérino. He also accompanied Eastern European Gypsies in the Russian cabarets.
He formed his own quintet in the 1940s, incorporating clarinets on occasion as well as the violin of Georges Effrosse into the "classic" gypsy jazz lineup (Effrosse's tenure with the quintet was short-lived, however, dying in a Nazi concentration camp in 1944); Sarane's original compositions included "Cocktail Swing", "Royal Blue" and "Surprise-Party" as well as recording versions of compositions by Django Reinhardt. Sarane continued to perform through the 1950s and 1960s, though without the recognition of his wartime quintet recordings; at times his bands a variety of accompanists including Jaques "Montagne" Mala, Laro Sollero, René Mailhes and others. Married to
Gusti Malha's daughter Poupée, he resided in Paris up to his death in 1970, which was marked by a tribute concert by the gypsies at the Olympia Hall in Paris, issued on record as "La Nuit des Gitans". His musical legacy was continued by
Francis-Alfred Moerman (1936-2010) who accompanied Sarane many times from 1960 onwards.,
Musical style
While Sarane's Swing Quintette was modelled on that of his great contemporary
Django Reinhardt
Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...
, his sound was somewhat different; commentator Michael Dregni states: "I hear in Sarane's fretwork a more deliberate, perhaps cautious guitarist...
is songs
In linguistics, a copula (plural: copulas or copulae; abbreviated ) is a word or phrase that links the subject of a sentence to a subject complement, such as the word ''is'' in the sentence "The sky is blue" or the phrase ''was not being'' i ...
imbued with a remote, even mysterious atmosphere... melodies floating on entrancing airs of minor-key wistfulness."
For most of his career he is pictured with, and recorded with a
Selmer guitar
The Selmer guitar — often called a Selmer-Maccaferri or just Maccaferri by English speakers, as early British advertising stressed the designer rather than manufacturer — is an unusual acoustic guitar best known as the favored inst ...
as indeed, were most French guitarists of the day; towards the end of his life he also recorded in a more mainstream, electric style as evidenced on his tracks on the album ''Tribute To Django'' recorded in 1967 for French radio (album released later, in 1989).
Partial discography
On 78 RPM discs:
* 1940 Tony Murena et son Ensamble Swing (with Baro and Sarane Ferret and others) – session rec. Paris, 1940
* 1940 Gus Viseur et son Orchestre (with Gus Viseur, Matelo, Sarane & Challain Ferret and Maurice Speilleux, bass) – session rec. Paris, August 9, 1940
* 1941 Sarane Ferret et le Swing Quintette de Paris (with Baro & Matelo Ferret + others) – sessions rec. Paris, May and June, 1941
* 1940 Tony Murena et son Ensamble Swing (with Baro and Sarane Ferret and others) – session rec. Paris, June 14, 1941
* 1942 Sarane Ferret et le Swing Quintette de Paris with Georges Effrosse (with Baro & Matelo Ferret + others) – sessions rec. Paris, ?? and October, 1942
On EP & LP (plus CD reissues):
* 1960 (?1959, ?1961) Matelo Ferret: ''Jean "Matelot" Ferret et sa Guitare Joue les Inédits de Django Reinhardt'' (EP) Vogue (F) EPL 7740 with Jacques Montagne and Sarane Ferret, guitars
album details
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* 1961 Matelo Ferret: ''Jean "Matelot" Ferret et sa Guitare Joue les Inédits de Django Reinhardt'' ame title, different album(EP) Vogue (F) EPL 7829 album cover
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* 1970 on Various artists: ''La Nuit des Gitans à l'Olympia de Paris - 1970''
* 1989 Sarane & Matelo Ferret: ''Tribute To Django'' INA FC 124 (live recordings, 1967 in Paris and 1973 at Samois)
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* 2002 on Various Artists: ''Gipsy Jazz School - Django's Legacy'' (2xCD, compilation, 2 tracks only) Iris Music 3001 845
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* 2004 on Various Artists: ''Jazz à la Gitane - Bands of Gypsies'' (compilation, 1 track only) Saga Jazz album details
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* 2004 on Various Artists: ''Jazz à la Gitane Vol. 2 - Gypsy Jazz Around the World'' (compilation, 1 track only) Saga Jazz album details
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* 20?? on Various Artists: ''Jazz Archives No. 144: Jazz Gitan 1939/1943'' (compilation, includes 1940s recordings as above) EPM Musique 159472 album details
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* 2007 on Various Artists: ''Gypsy Jazz'' (4xCD) Properbox 128 (compilation, includes 1940s recordings as above) album details
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* 2008 Sarane Ferret: ''Sarane Ferret et le Quintette de Paris - Enregistrements originaux de 1941 à 1956'' (compilation) ILD ILD642271
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* 2008 on Various Artists: ''Jazz à la Gitane Vol.3: 'Round about Django'' (compilation, 1 track only) Saga Jazz album details
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* 2009 Les Frères Ferret (Baro, Sarane, Matelo): ''Les Gitans De Paris 1938-1956'' (3xCD, compilation) Frémeaux & Associés FA 5247 album details
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* 2015 on Various Artists: ''Gypsy Jazz'' Not Now Music (2xCD, compilation, 2 tracks only) album details
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References
External links
Sarane Ferret on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferret, Sarane
1912 births
1970 deaths
Gypsy jazz guitarists
French male composers
20th-century French composers
20th-century guitarists
20th-century French male musicians
Male jazz musicians