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Frenchy Jazzy Gypsy Swing
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The Globe and Mail, Frenchy Jazzy Gypsy Swing >>
By TONY MONTAGUE
Vancouverites have a taste of everyday Parisian cuisine, thanks to the proliferation of French-style cafés and bistros (Mistral, the latest addition, has been packed since its September opening). But what of the music scene in today's City of Lights? If the flavours of the band Paris Combo are any indication, it's as rich as a breakfast of cognac and croissants.
The acoustic quintet brings together an updated version of the chansonnier tradition made famous by the likes of Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, intelligent European pop, vintage jazz, gypsy swing in the mould of Django Reinhardt and world music from Latin America and Eastern Europe. That's a tricky cocktail to mix right. Paris Combo blends all the ingredients with flair in its sophisticated sound.
"We've been together since 1995, without any changes in the lineup, and our original creations are very much a matter of give-and-take between the five of us," says Belle du Berry, Paris Combo's charismatic lead singer, accordion-player and chief lyricist. "Because we all compose and juggle a lot of references, it quickly becomes complex and playful. But I'd say that the strongest element is swing -- even when we're not playing swing, its spirit is still there."
The band tours U.S. cities from New York to San Francisco twice a year, and has performed to wildly enthusiastic crowds in Indonesia and Brazil. But the show this Tuesday at Richard's on Richards will be its first local appearance in seven years. "We've never had a problem playing abroad -- people seem to catch on to the spirit of our songs really fast," says du Berry.
A hallmark of Paris Combo is the contrast between the up-tempo music, led by Australian-born trumpeter and pianist David Lewis, and du Berry's often satirical and edgy lyrics. On the band's latest album, Motifs, the jaunty opening track High, Low, In is about feeling disconnected from a violent and technologically driven world, while the quirkily titled Je ne sais qui fumer ("I don't know who to smoke") is the jaded reflection of someone who's overdosed on night life.
Du Berry's voice is bright and supple, and her articulation and phrasing are superb. There's an amused, almost mischievous, tone to her delivery, and a frequent sense of irony and detachment -- as when in the song Aquarium she adopts the persona of a Parisienne who views the world through her TV set: "I go round and round in my box / Like a fish in a furnished apartment."
On stage, du Berry's urbane wit and Paris Combo's excellent musicianship breaks down barriers of culture and language. "While the arrangements have been carefully worked on, there's a lot of improvisation -- which comes from our love of jazz in all its forms," she says. "I'm improvising as well in terms of how I engage with everyone, which owes something to the tradition of Parisian cabaret. We like to keep things as fresh and spontaneous as possible, and have a gas performing." 10/28/05 >> go there
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