MARCEL RENÉ MULE was born on 24 June 1901 in Aube, a small Normandy town about 80 miles west of Paris, in the valley of the Risle. Being the only child within the confines of a loving and caring family, the young Marcel went through the mainstream academic itinerary of the time, preparing for a teaching career. When only eight, though, he was admitted to his father’s town band on saxophone, having been given the instrument only a year before. Then at the age of nine, he took up the violin, and at twelve, the piano. Marcel’s teens, with school examinations and the Great War, saw his musical studies disrupted, but after being called up to serve in the Fifth Infantry in 1921, he decided to move to Paris. There he realised his true vocation in life, for he found he was in great demand both in the military and entertainment groups in and around Paris. This was the time of the charleston, and Paris was ‘roaring’! (More details of his life can be found on P.4 in the CD booklet of CC0013, which can be downloaded free of charge) To be a classically trained musician in Europe during the 20’s and 30’s could lead to a very inspired and liberating existence. Youngsters (under the age of 16!) were entering the profession and the world of popular music was becoming increasingly reliant on the talents of these individuals – owing mainly to the rapidly growing record and film industry. It is a fact that thousands of jobbing musicians suffered badly when the “talkies” came in, but, for those who were able and prepared to diversify their talents into other styles and environments, a whole new world of opportunities opened up before them.
CC0013
‘This disc does reveal what a splendid player Mule was – sweet tone, dazzling fingering, and real musicianship.’
AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE
CC0021
‘Marcel Mule is shown by this disc to have been a musician of outstanding artistry.’
GRAMOPHONE
