Son of Maurice Jarre, who wrote the soundtracks for many films including Jacobs Ladder, and France Pejot. Jean Michel started piano lessons in 1953, the same year his Father left and moved to the USA. He started his own band in 1964 called Mystere IV. By 1967 he had a new band called The Dustbins (check out a film called Des Garcon Et Des Filles and see them perform in a party scene).

After leaving the Paris Conservatoire in 1968 he joined the G.R.M.. In 1971 he left and wrote the electronic music for a group called The Triangle. In 1973 "Deserted Palace", a collection of his music collected by an American film rights company, is issued in the USA. A year later he recorded the soundtrack for a film called "Les Granges BrulÎes".

Two years later, in the fall of 1976, an album called "Oxygene" is written and recorded. It is released in France and awarded the "Grand Prix Du Disques". A year later he signed to Polydor Records and People magazine made him the "Personality of the Year". "Equinoxe" is released in 1978 followed by a concert at the Place de la Concord, which later earns a place in the Guiness Book of Records as the largest concert attendance ever, at over one million people. In October of 1979 he performed the "China Concerts", which was released as an album the following year.

On April 5th 1986 came Rendez-Vous Houston: A City In Concert, which earned him an hononary citizenship (of Houston) and a new World Record, over 1.3 million people attended the show. Later that year, on October 5th, he performed Rendez-Vous Lyon: Concert for the Pope. September 8th and 9th 1988 he performed the London Destination Docklands concerts.

Recordings

http://www.electronicmusic.com/datafiles/people/dossier/jarre.html