Jean-Michel Jarre (b. 1948) is a French composer, performer, and electronic music pioneer, best known for his spectacular concerts and grand, melodic synthesizer works. He was instrumental in bringing electronic music into the mainstream arena in the 1970s and 1980s, not just as experimental sound but as mass entertainment.
He was the son of film composer Maurice Jarre, though he grew up mostly apart from him.
Jarre studied classical piano and harmony, then became involved in musique concrète at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM) in Paris. He was influenced by Pierre Schaeffer and the avant-garde French electronic school.
Jarre composed Oxygène in a makeshift home studio, using Moogs, ARPs, and EMS synthesizers. Its six movements blended sweeping melodies with hypnotic sequencer lines. The album sold millions worldwide, proving that instrumental electronic music could be commercially successful.
Jarre's kay works are Oxygène (1976), an international breakthrough, with iconic minimalist cover art; Équinoxe (1978), atmospheric, rhythmic, blending sequencers and symphonic textures; Magnetic Fields (1981) which incorporated digital synthesis, continuing his cosmic themes; Zoolook (1984) – experimental, using samples of human voices in many languages;
Rendez-Vous (1986), which included “Rendez-Vous VI,” intended for astronaut Ron McNair to perform on saxophone aboard the Challenger shuttle. Later albums include Chronologie (1993), Oxygène 7–13 (1997), and Electronica (2015–16).
Jarre redefined the scale of live electronic performance, and was known for staging massive outdoor concerts with light shows, lasers, projections, and fireworks. His landmark performances were at the Place de la Concorde, Paris (1979): 1 million spectators; Houston (1986): 1.3 million people, commemorating NASA’s 25th anniversary, and Moscow (1997): 3.5 million people, one of the largest concerts in history.