Jazzote is a playful, informal verb derived from "jazz". It means to play jazz, often in a casual or improvisational way, similar to "jamming" in English slang.
In the context of Serge Gainsbourg's song, it's used to describe a musician who "jazzotes" and another who "saxote" (plays the saxophone). This word is interesting because it's a creative, slightly whimsical verb that perfectly captures the musical, bohemian atmosphere of the song and the musicians it describes.
Gainsbourg turns this one into a band introduction, working through the lineup instrument by instrument and outing each player by their drug of choice instead of their solo. The horn player is "Camé à zéro" [stoned out of his mind], the piano player is tangled up in "Comme lui c'est la coco" [like him, it's the coke], and down at "Basse, c'ui qui croqu'note" [on bass, the one who chews the notes] someone is nursing a drink between phrases. By the time the drummer shows up carrying "La fleur de pavot" [the poppy flower, meaning opium], the running joke is obvious.
The title line, "Coco and co," is doing two jobs at once: it names the band and it puns on "coco," French slang for cocaine as much as it's anyone's nickname. The song closes with "Des gars du Blue Note" [some guys from the Blue Note] trading their usual vice for "Marijuana," which reads less like a twist than the last name on the list.
Serge Gainsbourg (1928-1991) was one of France's most influential and provocative singer-songwriters, celebrated for his sharp wit, playful wordplay, and fearless approach to taboo subjects. Born Lucien Ginsburg in Paris to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, he first made his name writing songs for other French stars before building his own singing career through the 1960s and 1970s.
He moved fluidly between chanson, pop, reggae, and rock, and became internationally known for the breathy 1969 duet "Je t'aime... moi non plus" with Jane Birkin. Songs like "Premiers SymptĂ´mes" show his gift for turning dark, personal subject matter, heartbreak and self-destruction, into vivid, darkly funny storytelling. He remains one of the most sampled and studied songwriters in French pop history.