Cossi Anatz -

Cossi Anatz were a French contemporary jazz ensemble that released the half-live/half-studio album Jazz Afro-Occitan on Disques Vendémiaire/Palm in 1975. The band was led by multi-instrumentalist/composer Michel Marre and featured his percussionist/reedist brother Claude Marre, both fresh from the big-band Le Collectif le Temps des Cerises. Drummer René Nan had been a backing player for Claude Nougaro since the early 1960s.

Members: René Nan (drums), Lahcen Hilali (Moroccan percussion), Claude Marre (percussion, oboe [Raita]), Christian Lavigne (piano), Jean-Marc Padovani (soprano/tenor saxophone), Michel Marre (trumpet, bugle, tuba, alto saxophone, accordion)

Jazz Afro-Occitan (1975)

Bass duties are juggled between Francis Balzamo on two of the live numbers (“Magali Vous Dit Merde” and “Aden Arabie”) and one P. Gariel on the studio cuts “Al Coltrane,” “Hortus,” and “Bourrée du Céor.” The third live track, “Sarhaoui,” features an entirely different cast of musicians. The album marked the debut of 19-year-old saxophonist Jean-Marc Padovani, who would become a prolific presence on the French jazz scene.

Post-band Activity

During the 1980s, Marre played on albums by Henri Texier, Denis Fournier, and Doudou Gouirand. In 1986, he co-featured on the Vent Du Sud releases Space with Mal Waldon and You’re My Thrill with Archie Shepp. Under his own name, Marre issued the albums Y’a Quelqu’un Dans La Cabane (1985) and Fanny (1987).

Padovani played on albums by Joseph Dejean, Claude Barthelemy, and Denis Fournier during the early 1980s. In 1986, he partook in the jazz-rock collective Concept. His first solo album, Demain Matin, appeared on Metro Records in 1983, followed by titles on Big Noise, CELP, Label Bleu, and Label Hopi during the ensuing 20-year period.

Discography: