Track Listing

1. Living Room
2. Terrien d'eau douce
3. Señor
4. Homeron
5. Je suis sourde
6. Pas à pas
7. Ubiquite
8. Sous la lune
9. L'avenir incertain du Titanic
10. Si mon amour
11. Chez nous
12. Mobil'homme

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51289 in Music
• Released on: 2000-11-21
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Paris Combo combines jazzy improvisation with a style that pays tribute to cabaret singers of the past. This Parisian quintet’s clever compositions, clean arrangements and inspired lyrics is an exploration in the league of

flamenco and gypsy guitar riffs a la Django Rheinhardt, music of the orient, French pop, Spanish and Italian melodies. Paris Combo delivers with the freshness and vitality of modern swing.

Amazon.com
Whereas Paris Combo's self-titled debut leaned heavily on cabaret chic, Living Room sees them broadening their palette considerably, the sign of a band with more experience and a strong sense of adventure. So while sensuous limpid chanson remains their home turf, they also venture into the tortuous turns of "L'Avenir Uncertain du Titanic" and the North African-inflected "Mobil'homme." Potzi's guitar work is dazzling, influenced by Django Reinhardt, while the shadow of the legendary Hot Club of France--with its swing and subtlety--looms over the entire repertoire. Apart from being an excellent pianist, David Lewis has matured into a trumpet player of taste, adding gorgeous Miles Davis muted touches that veer songs into pure jazz while vocalist Belle du Berry imprints her personality everywhere. Living Room sees Paris Combo moving well beyond their origins, a band that continues to impress by growing by leaps and bounds. --Chris Nickson

Customer Reviews

Incredible! Magnifique! Formidable!! (all the French I know)
There aren't words in English to describe this album. The blend of traditional jazz with gypsy melodies is superb and Belle Du Berry's singing is just the icing on the cake.

The album begins with "Living Room" which would have to be one of my all-time favorite songs in any style. What's more, it just never drops off from this level for the rest of the album.

"Homeron" is another track more than worth the price of the album - in fact, the intro to "Homeron" is worth the price. Then there's "Senor", "Je Sui Sourde" and so on. There is no such thing as a weak track here.

I don't speak a word of French and neither do my friends (we're all 16 year olds) and yet we're always singing along to Madame Du Berry and pretending to be very cool indeed. "Cool" is, after all, the word to describe this album. Quite often during exams I'll find myself coming home, putting on this CD and just relaxing and forgetting about what's going on (not neccessarily a good thing if I also forgot the stuff I knew for the exams).

Before I got into Paris Combo, I used to rubbish jazz but believe me when I say that this is what it should be like. If you close your eyes while listening to this, you can almost see yourself in a smoky bar in the 1920s - possibly with private detectives milling around in trenchcoats. Mood music indeed.

Every single instrument is played to virtuoso level here. Belle sings like an angel, the bass and drums are done superbly, same goes for the trumpets and horns. For my money, David Lewis carries some of the songs with his trumpet solos. Of course, I might just be saying that because Lewis is a former Australian - but even so, without that knowledge it's very hard to fault him.

One of the best policies when listening to this is, if you don't speak French, forget about the words. A friend of mine was amazed that they were singing about "someone's living room" as she put it - I don't know what they are singing about but it hardly matters.

In short, buy this album. There's something here for most people and even if there isn't something specifically for you, you'll know someone who'll love it. C'est Magnifique!!

Oui oui!
This is an excellent CD to have, but before you click to add this item to your shopping cart, I must, to keep my conscience, warn you that this CD is not only horrendously addictive, but may cause acute hallucinations that you're sipping wine in an intimate yet incredibly chic, tucked-away Parisian nightclub.

Take my case, for example. I have played these 12 tracks continuously for the past 2 weeks, and I have kept #6 (Pas a Pas) on repeat for 1/4 of that time (and imagined I possessed the talent to think of singing that never-failingly cool intro.) The lyrics are irrelevantly relevant, slyly clever, but I do not believe that not understanding French would detract from one's enjoyment. It is, afterall, rhythm that is built into the human subconscious, and the soul of Paris Combo lies in the quintet's talent of smooth, well-timed beats. My particular favorites include the quirkily cautionary "Living Room," the upbeat yet sad "Senor," the softly haunting "Sous la Lune," the drily humorous, swinging "Ubiquite," and of course, "Pas a Pas." I do have a professed weakness for all things French, but especially with this CD, I think I can display good reason for being such a Francophile.

Fun at a party or alone
I really enjoy this CD for a fun loungy sound when I'm not in the mood for mainstream music. I would say if you like Pink Martini, you could well like this one.