Born in Istanbul (then known as Constantinople), Turkey on September 9, 1923,
Marcel Zanini was a traditional jazz clarinetist and chansonnier best-known for
the song “Tu Veux, Tu Veux Pas.” The son of a Greek mother and a French-Italian
father, he grew up in Marseilles, France where he began to study the clarinet in
1942. Four years later, he joined French composer and producer Leo Missir’s
orchestra and remained a member until he left in 1950 to form his own group.
Marcel Zanini moved to New York in 1954 in order to be a correspondent for
popular French magazine Jazz Hot. After...