Again, I'm not the world expert on traditional French pop, and certainly haven't heard as much of it as I'd like to... This page deals with two branches of pre-rocknroll Gallic popular music, chanson and musette... As time and knowledge permit, I hope to expand this page considerably, and am certainly open to suggestions from my ever-so-knowledgable readers...
Anyway, here's my rudimentary understanding of the music involved:
"Chanson" refers to French popular vocals, particularly romantic ballads, and the style spans back at least as far as music recording technology, and survives well into the present day. Many of the classic chanson singers were also movie stars, particularly Charles Trenet, Jean Gabin, and Maurice Chevalier. Others, such as the great tragic diva, Edith Piaf, were primarily cabaret performers (although it should be noted that there is also a great deal of crossover between "concert" singing and theatrical and music hall traditions, perhaps moreso in France than in, say, the United Kingdom...) Musette music is a less sleek, but no less compelling style, which is normally characterized by a prominent accordion, and by bleakly "realistic" lyrics -- often morality tales about fallen girls who come to tragic and untimely ends. Musette arose out of the fairly rough-and-tumble world of the bal musette, Depression-era Parisian dance halls that were usually filled with and controlled by gangsters. Hence, the style has a lot of the same declasse cultural mystique as early American jazz and blues, and for many decades was not necessarily accepted by polite society. (It sure sounds great, though!)
Fred Adison "Fred Adison Et Son Orchestre - 20 Succes" (Forlane, 1996)
Fred Adison "Le Swing A L'Ecole"
A 2-CD set covering the work of Fred Adison, one of France's most successful swing/big band bandleaders... I'm on the prowl for this one!
Alibert "La Star De 'Operette Marseillaise" (Forlane, 1992)
Alibert "Le Meilleur De Alibert" (EMI-Odeon/Disques Pathe, 1998)
A 2-CD set...
Alibert "Etoiles De La Chanson" (Marianne Melodie/Etoiles De La Chanson, 1998)
Alibert "1932-1945" (Fremeaux, 2003)
A 2-CD set...
Mathe Altery "Mathe Altery" (EMI-Odeon/Disques Pathe, 1998)
A 2-CD set of another early operette star...
Arletty "Succes Et Raretes: 1925-1939" (Chansophone, 1996)
Arletty "Les Chansons Eternelles" (Chansons Eternelles, 1999)
Arletty "Comme De Bien Entendu" (Sony, 2001)
Arletty "Arletty" (Buda Musique, 2002)
The Baguette Quartette "Rendezvous -- Parisian Cafe Music" (1997)
The Baguette Quartette "L'Aire De Paris" (1998)
This San Francisco Bay Area ensemble plays French musette along with the occasional tango, and is one of the coolest acoustic acts around. Expatriate accordionist Odile LaVault contributes driving accompaniment to dozens of faithful renditions of Parisian cafe music from the 1920s and '30s, performed with a compelling, enthusiastic love of the material, and plenty of sheer musical know-how. Her fellow musicians also have great feeling for the style, and both of these albums are a treat. Check out The Baguette Quartet webpage for more information.
The Baguette Quartette "Chez Moi" (2001)
Another nice album, with plenty of classic compositions written by the likes of Gus Viseur, Charles Peguri and Paul Misraki. Bay Area jazz guitarist Will Bernard is on board for this edition of the band, and adds some nice, sleek touches. Stylistically, this has some new sounds, mainly a couple of swing-flavored tunes, including Viseur's "Matelotte," a snappy late 1930s nod towards the gypsy jazz giant, Django Rinehardt. Warm, original takes on this old style -- check it out!
The Baguette Quartette "Toujours" (2004)
The Baguette Quartette "Bon Appetit! Cafe Classics" (Avalon, 2004)
Josephine Baker "Cocktail Hour" (Allegro, 2000)
Jazz singer Josephine Baker is one of the most fascinating stars of the old, Depression-era French music halls... An African-American expatriate who found greater acclaim on the Continent than in the colonies, Baker ditched her bluesier Stateside competitors such as Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters, and found fabulous celebrity as a French cabaret singer. She sang bilingually, in a chirpy voice which may take some acclimation on the part of new listeners. This 2-CD set shows Baker's breadth, with semi-operatic swoops countered by blues-laden sizzles. As with the other Allegro Cocktail collections, this is an affordable, idiosyncratic and rather enjoyable. Two CDs for the price of one, with the main drawback being the complete lack of liner notes. It's barebones packaging, but spiffy musique.
Josephine Baker "The Fabulous Josephine Baker" (RCA, 1962)
Josephine Baker "Josephine Baker" (Sandstone, 1992)
Josephine Baker "The Art Deco Series: Breezin' Along" (Sony, 1995)
Josephine Baker "Star Of Les Folies Bergeres" (ASV, 1998)
Josephine Baker "A Portrait Of Josephine Baker" (MCI, 1998)
Josephine Baker "Bonsoir My Love" (DRG, 1998)
Josephine Baker "1927-1939" (Fremeaux, 2003)
Bourvil "Le Milleur De Bourvil" (EMI-Odeon, 1998)
Bourvil "L'Essential" (EMI, 2002)
Bourvil "1946-1953" (Fremeaux, 2007)
Lucienne Boyer "Parlez-Moi D'Amour" (ASV Living Era, 1997)
I'm not sure how big a shadow Boyer cast in the land of legends, but I certainly have a soft spot for her tender, fairy-tale arrangements and lilting songs of love and regret. These sentimental tunes were recorded in the 1930s, during the peak of her fame, and represent a softened, somewhat genteel take on the French cararet style. Lovely stuff with rather sparse arrangements. Recommended!
Lucienne Boyer "The Lady In Blue" (EPM, 1998)
Lucienne Boyer "Les Etoiles De Chanson" (MME, 1999)
Lucienne Boyer "Les Etoiles De Chanson, v.2" (MME, 2004)
Lucienne Boyer "1930-1948" (Fremeaux, 2003)
Another excellent collection of classic chanson from this famed chanteuse... This 2-CD set spans nearly a decade past the sinlge-disc ASV album listed above, and as such only overlaps it by about ten songs -- the entire second disc is devoted to Boyer's work in the 1940s, and it's lovely stuff. Although the arrangements flirt with the lush orchestrations of the pop vocals era, for the most part, it's still straight, old-school chanson, with fuller, richer modern sound quality. Boyer's voice is lovely throughout, although she did become more fluid and lyrical as she became a more seasoned performer... Great stuff: highly recommended!
Aristide Bruant "Le Meilleur De Aristide Bruant" (EMI-Odeon/Disques Pathe, 1998)
A 2-CD set of this famed cabaret singer and comedian Aristide Bruant (1851-1927), who is famously recognized, swaddled in his trademark red scarf, from the paintings of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec... Bruant's career preceded the advent of the record industry by several decades, but he was still around in the 1920s and made some notable recordings for Pathe, many of which are collected here...
Aristide Bruant "Montmerte - Enregistrements Originaux: 1905-1914" (Demon, 1995)
A 2-CD set...
French Music Index
French Rock & Pop
