... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Obscure work from Gerry Mulligan – and some of his best of the 70s! The record is a soundtrack for a French film starring Yves Montand, and the soundtrack was handled by Mulligan with assistance from Don Elliott – who brings in a funky style that's quite different than you'd expect from most of Gerry's work. Mulligan's horn sounds really great in these arrangements – strutting out nicely on the funky tracks, and kicking back with a cool sound on the mellower ones. Titles include "Trucking Again", "The Trap", "Dance Of The Truck", "Watching & Waiting", and "Theme From La Menace". LP, Vinyl record album

With selections by Yves Montand, Barbara, Patachou, Alain Barriere, Line Renaud, Leo Ferre, and Marcel Amont. LP, Vinyl record album

A huge collection of work – one that not only gets at the brilliance of the young Jacques Brel as a singer on the Francophone scene, but which also showcases his tremendous talent for penning fresh and original songs – a number of which are served up here in versions by other singers of the time! There's something really special about a Jacques Brel tune – as he cuts to the heart of humanity, exposing dreams, follies, fears, and sadness with a mix of wit and emotion – a balance that nobody else has been able to touch this well – and which also carries over, even when another singer might be handling his songs! The first 4CDs of the set bring together key early recordings by Brel – 89 tracks from his early years on Barclay. And the remaining 2CDs offer up key interpretations of his tunes – another 45 titles, performed by artists who include Juliette Greco, Marc E Odile, Denise Andre, Yves Montand, Jacqueline Nero, Vera Gran, Colette Chevrot, Pia Colombo, Yvette Giraud, Les Riff, and many others – including a fair bit of artists who are not represented well in the world of reissues! CD

Dreamy sounds from the legendary Michel Legrand – working here in a mode that's maybe a bit more lush and romantic than some of his later soundtrack work – yet at a level that's still head and shoulders above most of his 50s instrumental contemporaries! The set's got a melancholy vibe throughout – that sense of leaving that not only evokes a visitor having to head home after a trip in Paris, but also all the sadness and loss that the city experienced during the wartime years as well – even later, as American Gis had to head home – and were an obvious market for a record like this in the US! Tracks include "Bonjour Paris", "French Can Can", "Le Mer", "Two Loves Have I", and "A Paris Dans Chaque Faubourg". CD features lots of bonus tracks – including Yves Montand singing "Joli Maie", plus the tracks "Domino", "Pigalle", "Clopin Clopant", "Le Gars De Rochechouart", and "Boum". CD