Liner Notes
Before Paris was a city, Paris was a Trojan Prince famous for his
judgment (or lack thereof). This Paris, according to legend, was
assigned the task of refereeing a beauty contest between three
bewitching ancient goddesses. Unlike this ancient royal, the Paris
of today need not concern herself with the question of who is the
fairest. She is the archtypical enchantress. Seductress nonpareil.
No city, past or present, can rival her beauty or her charms, and
no city has been the subject of so many songs.
This collection of classic melodies by the brightest luminaries of
French chanson brings together some of the most memorable tunes
every written about, or inspired by, the City of Light. Invariably,
the principal subject of these songs is love. Which is not to say they
are all uniform in style or substance. Love has many faces and,
so too, do the airs assembled here.
First of all, there is the famously tortured Edith Piaf depicting some
of the more tawdry aspects of love in L'accordeoniste and Elle
frequentait la rue Pigalle. In contrast, Charles Trenet's La romance
de Paris, Menilmontant and Les oiseaux de Paris cast a roseate glow
over the city's streets and stones. Arletty's Coeur de Parisienne
evokes the longing that stems from unrequited love, while Adieu
Paris sung by Berthe Sylva captures the feeling of rejection that
follows love gone bad. Josephine Baker's rendition of J'ai deux
amours radiates with the playfulness of the inveterate flirt, as
opposed to Frehel, whose performances of Ou est-il mon moulin
d'la Place Blanche and La java bleue echo the soft sighs that
emanate from less hardy players in the fields of love.
No collection of songs about Paris would be complete, of course,
without a generous helping of songs about Paris. Paris sera
toujours Paris is a sentiment expressed here by the incomparable
Maurice Chevalier and seconded by several of the other artists
heard on this album---Paris will forever be Paris. Tino Rossi's
soulful Paris, voici Paris complements megastar Mistinguett's
bouyant Ca, c'est Paris; together they celebrate the timeless appeal
of the city by the Seine, displaying the pride that all derive from
association with the bedazzling beauty.
Luckily for us, there is no need to be jealous of Paris' many suitors.
She is available to everyone, or in the words of some of her legendary
residents, she is all for one and one for all. To listen to these songs
is one way of enjoying her. To be sure, you might rather be there, but
as they say, C'est la vie.
JOSHUA BROWN
ARKADIA JAZZ