In English, « versatile » is a quality. Versatile, or the one who knows how to be both a poet and a little devil, the one who knows to meditate and to be dizzy by life at the same time.

Jean Corti is all of this, a whole life devoted to his mate and instrument, the Accordion.

The Accordion and its legacy, its ability to keep and share sweet childhood memories, to remind us the suburbian shortcuts lifestyles after the war, as the rememberings of italian hard workers migrants drinking the « apéritif » at the tavern near by the Simca’s car factory in Nanterre; Gi’s having fun with the french Mademoiselles; dancing partys among all those women dresses spinning around… And also melody from the Upperside Paris, Marseille, and of course the french Riviera.

In 1960, Jean Corti met the famous french singer Jacques Brel. They colaborated during six years. An achievement of touring, playing, and sometimes drinking.

At this time, Jean Corti composed some of the most famous songs of Brel: Madeleine, Les vieux, Les bourgeois, Titine, Les Taureaux… They stopped colaborating in 1966, six months before Brel retired from the stage.

Jean Corti also collaborated with bright artists such as George Brassens (as a contra bass player), Jo Privat, Armand Lassagne, Barbara, Michel Petrucciani, Alain Bashung, and even with the non conventionnal duet The Rita Mitsouko (as a player and a composer).

Lately, Jean Corti began to enjoy the recognition and honor he had earned and decided to share it with younger musicians chosen from the indie french rock scene: Têtes Raides. A collaborative effort made by an extraordinary group of individuals is at the heart of Jean’s approach of music. In 2001, they released together his first album on the very alternative french label « Mon Slip » (my panty!). 20 000 copies were sold! (an amazing score for an instrumental accordion record), 10 000 copies were sold in Japan.

Here he is now, Jean Corti, the « versatile »; a gentleman sweeping between waltz and jazz, melancholy and euphoria, nostalgia and future… A self portait? Not only. This album could be the mirror of his generation, his life, his mother tongue language, his background... Something escaped from a Robert Doisneau’s photograph or from a  Raymond Queneau's novel.

In this album, Jean Corti plays his own compositions ( Versatile, Place Montmartre, La Ritale), and also standards taken from the french repertory.. This heritage is a formidable bridge between cinema’s great music scores, and popular old fashionned dance balls.

For this album Jean Corti was surrounded by prestigious jazz musicians such as Jean Philippe Viret (Didier Lockwood, Marcel Azzola), guitarist Jean Marie Ecay ( Jacques Higelin, Tom Novembre), and the performing
drummer Philippe Delestre. Also appearing on this album, Marc Perrone, Felix Belleau, Têtes Raides, Hakim Hamadouche and Francois Pierron, and at last but not at least, Christian Olivier and Olivia Ruiz in a very sensual duet on the Javanaise song, and Mr Loic Lantoine on the song Ma Ptite Chanson.