Yves Jean’s music-infused journey

Yves Jean Performance and CD release party For Love and Desperation Friday, 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (showtime) Diesel Nightclub, 1601 Carson St. 412-431-8800 $10 cover

To call Yves Jean’s latest album a labor of love would be a gross understatement. A laborious-yet-poignant turning point in his life would be more appropriate.

Now, with his CD release party this Friday at Diesel and a performance tonight at Shady Grove Bar in Shadyside, Jean has never been more certain about his career choice. The deepened personal and musical significance of Jean’s work comes from his experience with his mother’s death, which occurred while he was recording his album, the aptly titled For Love and Desperation.

“My best friend died,” the musician said, regarding his mother’s passing from ovarian cancer, in an interview with The Pitt News this week.

Jean talked of his mother’s fidelity and support with the awe, respect and fondness of a loving son.

“Anything I wanted to do she was 100 percent supportive of,” Jean said. “If I was stuck [touring someplace], I’d call her. ‘Ima Western Union you some money,’ she’d say. If I needed $100, she’d send me $150. She never failed.”

When Jean decided to seriously pursue a music career two years ago, delving into a unique musical blend he labels “alternative/ funk/ afro-beat” and likens to the sounds of Santana, Bob Marley and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, his mom understood, and she stood by him until the end.

“When I was in the hospital with her, the first thing that came up was the music,” he said. “The beauty of this record is that I’m still successful because I completed something that was important to me and to my mom.”

But the record became more of an arduous emotional undertaking than Jean had first expected.

“I was a happy, optimistic person, euphoric after my first year of touring,” Jean explained about the album’s beginnings, “The original plan was this is great, life is great, I’m going into the studio to record.”

His music – and his mood – were soon put on the back burner after Jean learned that his mother had cancer.

“I tried to go back [to the studio] in the middle of it, about a four- to six-month time period, but I couldn’t write,” he explained. “The energy was just sapped out of me. I became extremely depressed.” Although it took him a while to get back into the recording studio after his mother’s death, Jean eventually did and used that time to redirect himself and his music.

“I think the studio created a getaway process. It was like my therapy, my emotional crutch. I got a chance to exorcise my demons,” he explained.

Musically, Jean decided to overhaul the album by bringing in some big names to help him. Financially backing the album himself, he hired Ken Lewis, a Grammy-award-winning producer who has worked with such names as John Legend and Kanye West. Lewis wound up becoming Jean’s mentor in the industry.

“[Lewis] helped me out big time with the engineering,” Jean explained. “We rewrote everything, hired a bunch of musicians.”

Together the two worked out the kinks of the album and channeled Jean’s varied emotions into the music.

“You’re not always going to be in the same state that you’re in,” he said regarding his period of grieving. Instead, he explained, “I wanted to make sure this was a long-lasting record. We made it not as angry [as I was] but still [angry] enough to reflect the times I was going through.”

Most notably, the artist said, this record is unique. “You don’t get overly happy, you don’t get overly angry, every track has its own personality. It’s almost a compilation of life.”

Jean will debut the music from his new album to his Pittsburgh audience tonight at Shady Grove Bar in Shadyside. Then Friday night he will play live with his band at Diesel, with a percentage of the proceeds from the cover charge going to the American Cancer Society.

Of the decision to give part of the party’s profit to charity, Jean said, “My mom died of ovarian cancer, but cancer is cancer. It’s so tough. I didn’t want to specifically just say ‘This is for [one type].'”

The artist stated that he hopes a diverse, new kind of crowd will attend the release party on Friday. “I would like to get people from all walks of life to come check out the concert – open-minded, world-music kind of people, people who have yet to see me who can identify going through pain.”

Although he lives in Pittsburgh, Jean claimed that he doesn’t play his hometown that often or the United States for that matter. He tours mainly in Europe where he says he plans to continue for the next few years. And Jean doesn’t plan on signing with a major label anytime soon.

“It sounds kinda crazy and pigheaded, but I still wanna keep that control, continue doing my thing independently,” he said. “If it takes 20 years [to make it big], who cares. If I can get that happy medium, that’s fine.”

But no matter what, Jean explained, he is resolved to stay in music. “I could never give up now,” he said, especially after finishing this last album and dealing with his mother’s death. “Music is so strong to me,” he said. “Through thick and thin, what’s left is my music.”