Jehro

Born in Marseille as Jerome Cotta, Jehro grew up surrounded by contrasting musical currents: his French father performed in the classic chanson tradition, while his mother, of Greek, Italian, and Corsican descent, immersed the household in a broad spectrum of European sounds. Blending the melodic sensibility of Jacques Brel and Georges Brassens with rock, reggae, and calypso rhythms, he left France at age twenty to build a career in London. There he settled into a squat alongside Jamaican and Spanish musicians, absorbing intensive exposure to rock & roll, U.K. pop, and especially reggae through repeated encounters with Bob Marley’s voice and catalog. Armed with these discoveries, Jehro returned to France and began performing regularly in the capital’s clubs. His debut release under the Jerome Cotta name, the 1999 album L’Arbre et le Fruit, earned favorable notices, yet he devoted the following years chiefly to work with other performers. A friendship with Christian Brun and Richard Minier of Marathonians led to his vocal contributions on their 2003 album A Tropical Soul Adventure, while he also supplied material for Veronica Antico’s 2002 record Les Portes du Ciel. Seeking fuller expression of his expanding international palette, Jehro assembled a band featuring guitarist Jean MBa, drummer Julien Tekeyan, and vocalists Janice and Audrey. The ensemble and its first album both took the name Jehro, and the 2006 release quickly registered as a significant critical and commercial achievement across Europe.