Gabriel Yacoub, Co-Founder of Folk Group Malicorne, Dies at 72
The influential French musician passed away following a long illness, leaving behind a legacy of redefining traditional music through modern and global instrumentation.
- Gabriel Yacoub, co-founder of the French folk group Malicorne, passed away on January 22, 2025, at the age of 72 in Bourges, France, after a long illness.
- Yacoub and Marie Sauvet (formerly Marie Yacoub) founded Malicorne in 1973, blending traditional French folk music with modern technology and rare instruments such as hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes.
- The group gained significant success in the 1970s, producing ten albums, with their 1976 release 'Almanach' being the most celebrated.
- Malicorne disbanded and reformed multiple times, with their final performance taking place at the Chant de Marin festival in Paimpol in 2017, marking over four decades of musical influence.
- Apart from his work with Malicorne, Yacoub pursued a solo career, including contributing the song 'La colombe poignardée' to the acclaimed documentary 'Le Peuple migrateur' in 2001.
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Ouest-France 