Hardly the stuff of Maurice Chevalier or Edith Piaf, but those stars of decades past aren't the only models for the neocabaret ensemble Paris Combo.
``We come from a kind of alternative scene,'' said pianist and trumpeter David Lewis from his home in Paris. ``Now we've achieved some kind of mainstream acceptance here.''
Local listeners get to decide for themselves just how ``mainstream'' Paris Combo is when the group makes its debut here tonight at the Somerville Theatre.
No matter what you end up calling its style, it's sure not the product of a cookie-cutter formula. Not with a lead singer who cut her teeth in punk bands in central France, a percussionist/bass player from Madagascar, a guitarist of Algerian descent who immersed himself in Django Reinhardt by performing with Gypsy musicians in Paris, and a drummer who digs electronica and New Orleans funk.
Add Australian native Lewis, who absorbed Stevie Wonder, the Beatles and Bob Marley when he was growing up in the '70s, and you have a band that has carved out a niche for itself and won a growing fan base both inside and outside of France.
``The group sound is really a result of what each individual brings,'' said Lewis, who played with Manu Dibango after moving to Paris 23 years ago.
At the heart of Paris Combo is a jazz sensibility that nods deeply to the swing of Reinhardt, yet also incorporates North African and Latin rhythms and dashes here and there of flamenco and funk.
Lewis points out that the modern Paris music scene has more than a few bands plying somewhat similar waters.
``We're classed as `Chanson Francese' (`French Song'),'' he said.``It includes a lot of different groups in different styles ranging from rock to more acoustic.
``People here are looking for musical sources that are different from, say, the rock 'n' roll heritage. In our case we have a definite influence from jazz, particularly from Django Reinhardt. You won't find too many groups in French pop music that use as much improvisation as we do. It's quite a mishmosh in some ways, but we try to make it into a coherent style.''
The group has honed that style on four albums, with a fifth, ``Motifs'' (Koch), hitting the United States this month.
Lewis calls the lyrics to many of the songs on the new album ``a little more abstract, talking about current affairs but in a very personal way.'' And Belle du Berry adds more than a few vocal twists to spice the mood with romance, irony and the downright absurd.
``We're not too into the `sad man with a guitar syndrome,' the tragic point of view,'' Lewis added with a laugh. ``Sometimes this music can still be danceable, even when we're talking about serious things.''
Paris Combo appears tonight at 8 at the Somerville Theatre. Tickets: $25. Call 617-876-4275.
CD PICK: ``Buena Vista Social Club Presents Manuel Guajiro Mirabal'' (Nonesuch).
LIVE SURE SHOT: Allan Holdsworth Trio, Regattabar, Cambridge, Wednesday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Tickets: $22.50. Go to www.regattabarjazz.com.
