Richard Galliano – Les Années Milan (d’édith Piaf à Astor Piazzolla) 2016 2017

Edith Piaf is almost universally regarded as France's greatest popular singer. Still revered as an icon decades after her death, "the Sparrow" served as a touchstone for virtually every chansonnier, male or female, who followed her. Her greatest strength wasn't so much her technique, or the purity of her voice, but the raw, passionate power of her singing…

You can’t watch more than a handful of films before a Hans Zimmer soundtrack looms into view: the man has been one of the major Hollywood players for years. This collection from the Milan label assesses some of his strongest material, all of which stands firmly in its own right, away from the context of the films.

Une centaine de lettres échangées par Edith Piaf et Jacques Bourgeat, l'auteur de sa première chanson, devenu son ami et confident. Dans cette correspondance, qui s'étend sur plus de vingt ans, la chanteuse évoque sa recherche du bonheur, les hommes, ses amours déçues, avec, en arrière-fond, quelques allusions aux événements politiques. …

Tethered Moon - Chansons d'Edith Piaf (1999) {Winter & Winter ‎910 048-2} (Kikuchi, Peacock, Motian)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 281 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 142 Mb
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© 1999 Winter & Winter ‎| 910 048-2
Jazz / Cool / Post Bop / Piano Trio

Very few of the numerous jazz tribute albums that were recorded in the late 1990s are truly essential, and only a minority of these are as chance-taking as Chansons de Piaf. This isn't an album in which yet another retro-bop "Young Lion" provides yet another unimaginative album of the same old Cole Porter, George Gershwin, or Irving Berlin songs done the same old way. The person that Tethered Moon – an acoustic trio consisting of pianist Masabumi Kikuchi, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Paul Motian – pays tribute to is Edith Piaf, France's most famous pop singer of the 20th century.

Tango accordion has a clear icon in the late Astor Piazzolla, but these days Richard Galliano is making a strong case for being the premier jazz accordionist. He's as lyrical as one needs, swings like mad, or brings tempos down to a sensual jog with passion and soul. When called upon, he can play a gut-wrenching tango or two himself. For this effort he's joined by two different crack rhythm sections, the brilliant Jean-François Jenny-Clark and Daniel Humair (seven tracks), or the slightly cut below Remi Vignolo and Andre Ceccarelli (four tracks), bass and drums respectively. It's not hard to hear a distinctly French but improvisationally Americanized sound. The lone standard, "You Must Believe in Spring", is one of many waltzes, but this one jumps from second to fifth gear, Galliano rapidly flying through the changes. The title track is also quick, with "Augusta" more a sprightly 3/4, while "L'Envers du Décor" is an easier modal three beat. Nods to Brazilian Hermeto Pascoal are heard on his composition "Bébé" and the mallets on drums and heavy conga beat-based fanfare and theme of "Passarinho".