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Editorial Review:
Cap at a rakish angle, Gitane hanging from the lip... As Guillaume Veillet's liner-note points out, Paris's most indigenous music may seem a trifle cosy, but The Rough Guide to Paris Café Music shows how wrong that prejudice is. Its origins may lie in the Auvergne, whose musicians played the smallpipes, but the biggest influence which fed into it came from Italy, whose "organetto" tradition is traced in Nascente's Bar Italia; the other big influence came from the gypsy world. The bal musette café ballroom was the melting-pot where the smallpipes gave way to the accordion and stars began to emerge. Emile Vacher and Charles Peguri were the founding fathers of this tradition, and they're both present on this entrancing new Rough Guide. We also hear Jean Corti, who played in a military brothel in the 1940s, and the drug-addicted Frehel, whose smoky tones are the authentic sound of the 1920s. The variety of styles in these 25 tracks is dazzling, with hot jazz alternating with modern cool and Django Reinhardt's son Babik beating up a lovely storm with the New Quintette du Hot Club de France. Meanwhile Edith Piaf sings a song called "L'Accordeoniste". And if you're hooked on this instrument, get hold of Wergo's new Global Accordion: Early Recordings, which is a marvellous cornucopia of vanished sounds. --Michael Church
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
What a find I was looking for some music suitable to play during my daughter's murder mystery dinner party set in post war Casablanca - the suggestions were Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier and Marlene Dietrich - when I came across this CD, and decided to buy it. Since it arrived a couple of days ago, myself and my two daughters (aged 14 and 10) have listened to it over and over again. I am especially intrigued by the scottish sounding track, but am also enjoying both traditional and contemporary tracks. It may only... more info
no funny title just beautiful music I picked thi CD up because of a then upcoming trip to Paris and boy am I glad I did. It opened up a new world of beautiful music from beautful noir inducing waltzes to high spirited fist pumpers to slick jazz, this disc has all you need. The music is mostly accordian driven with varios tempos and moods. Some of the tracks are older more traditional French musette and chansons that evoke images of wartime Paris and some of the tracks are more rock oriented not unlike a French version of the Pogues or... more info
