Jean-Michel Jarre - Amazônia (2021)

Amazônia is the twenty-first studio album by French musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, released on 9 April 2021 by Columbia Records.

Along the lines of Jarre’s paean to Cousteau some years ago, this 52 minute piece in nine parts is an ode to the Amazon River Basin, the lungs of the world currently endangered by development.

Soft electronic sounds and percussion bend perfectly with source recordings of the natural sounds and the natives of the Amazon, this haunting hour takes through an aural journey up the River, through rain and thunder, past children playing and songs being chanted by native adults; this is a wonderful trip through another world hidden on our own beautiful and endangered planet.

A marked departure from the upbeat electronica embraced by Jarre as of late, this CD may come as a shock to those unfamiliar with Jarre’s ambient capabilities. 

If you’re looking for another installment in the Oxygene series, this album is not for you. However, if you are a fan of Eno and the late Peter Namlook combined with third world recordings, I think you will find this rec9rding to be a pleasant addition to your ambient collection.

The album serves as the 52-minute musical score for the exhibition Amazônia, a project by photographer and filmmaker Sebastião Salgado presented from May to October 2021 in the Paris Philharmonic complex. Jarre had access to the Museum of Ethnology in the city of Geneva, Switzerland.

The exhibition focuses on the Brazilian Amazon, featuring more than 200 photographs and other media by Salgado. In this album, a combination of electronic and orchestral instruments was made, natural sounds were also used. As well as a standard stereo version released on CD and LP, a binaural version and a 5.1 surround sound version were made available in digital download.

Some of the revenues will be sent back to the Indigenous communities where the recordings were recorded, according to a statement in the CD booklet or on the LP cover. Yet, it is not yet apparent how this will be accomplished.

Track listing

1.  Amazônia Part 1 - 7:42 

2.  Amazônia Part 2 - 9:59 

3.  Amazônia Part 3 - 8:10 

4.  Amazônia Part 4 - 3:16 

5.  Amazônia Part 5 - 6:04 

6.  Amazônia Part 6 - 3:33 

7.  Amazônia Part 7 - 4:18 

8.  Amazônia Part 8 - 3:19 

9.  Amazônia Part 9 - 6:23

All tracks are written by Jean-Michel Jarre

Personnel

Adapted from album booklet:

• Jean-Michel Jarre – production, mixing
• Patrick Pelamourgues – technical assistance
• David Perreau – mastering
• Sebastião Salgado – Amazônia photographs
• Gong Li – Jean-Michel Jarre portrait
• Renato Amoroso – Sebastião Salgado portrait
• Eric BDFCK Cornic – graphic design

Notes

Released:  9 April 2021 

Recorded: 2021 Studio JMJ Studio, Paris 

Genre:  Electronic

Length:  52:47 

Producer:  Jean-Michel Jarre 

Label - Sony Music