Marcel Azzola

Biography

Marcel Azzola (10 July 1927 – 21 January 2019) was a French accordionist.

He performed with Stan Getz and Jacques Brel, among others. The famous line "Chauffe, Marcel!" ("Heat up, Marcel") in Brel's song "Vésoul" refers to Azzola, who played the accordion during the recording.

Marcel Azzola was born in Paris in 1927 to Italian parents: his father, Giuseppe (a builder, 1896–1978) and his mother, Angelina (1901–2002) both came from Bergamo. Marcel had two elder and two younger sisters. His parents had moved to France in 1922.

His father had conducted a mandolin orchestra in Italy, and Marcel, like two of his sisters, learned to play the violin. He abandoned the instrument after a year. In 1...