Biography
Alain Goraguer was a French jazz pianist, arranger and composer. Born on 20 August 1931 in Rosny-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, he died on 13 February 2023 in Paris. He studied piano in Nice and later moved to Paris, where he began working in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés jazz scene.
Goraguer collaborated with Boris Vian on several songs and film scores in the 1950s. He served as arranger for Serge Gainsbourg on albums and films through the early 1960s, and provided arrangements for artists including Jean Ferrat, France Gall and Nana Mouskouri. In 1965 he conducted the orchestra for the Eurovision Song Contest-winning entry 'Poupée de cire, poupée de son'.
He composed the score for the animated film Fantastic Planet (1973), as well as music for other films including Perched on a Tree (1971), The Dominici Affair (1973) and Love Me No More (2008). Goraguer also wrote numerous film scores, sometimes under pseudonyms such as Paul Vernon.
