Multitalented marvels like Boris Vian only come around once a generation at most. Besides being a novelist, poet, actor, playwright, engineer and more, Vian was a jazz trumpeter and composer. However much he may have struggled to fit music in with his other artistic pursuits, Vian approached it like he did everything else—as a true original. Whether he was working up anti-war anthems or more lighthearted fare, Vian touched on sounds from swing to chanson, keeping his famous sense of humour high in the mix while cementing his singular legacy.