("Heat up, Marcel") in Brel's song "Vesoul" refers to Azzola, who played the accordion during the recording.

[1] Marcel Azzola was born in Paris in 1927 to Italian parents: his father, Giuseppe (a builder, 1896–1978) and his mother, Angelina (1901–2002) both came from Bergamo.

[3] His father had conducted a mandolin orchestra in Italy, and Marcel, like two of his sisters, learned to play the violin.

After a year the family returned to Paris, and Azzola started taking lessons with Médard Ferrero.

Daly introduced him to contemporary American jazz; most of Azzola's education up that point had centered on classical music and French musette and chanson.

[3] After the liberation in 1944, Azzola continued to work in multiple bars and for organisations including the American headquarters of the Red Cross in France.

He played on some soundtracks and his music can be heard in multiple Jacques Tati movies including Mon Oncle.