On this Putamayo World Music CD legends of French chanson join exquisite new voices for an enchanting musical sojourn to the cafes of Paris. French Café is a collection of classic and modern French music that will transport the listener to the romantic streets of Paris. The album features some of the greatest names in the history of French music as well as new artists who are inspired by classic chanson, gypsy jazz and musette.

French Café includes performances by renowned icons such as Serge Gainsbourg, Georges Brassens, Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin and Barbara alongside contemporary musicians who have been adding new energy to the classic French sound, such as Paris Combo, Sanseverino, Polo, Coralie Clement, Enzo Enzo, Mathieu Boogaerts and Baguette Quartette.

In recent years, classic French styles that first became popular in the early part of the 20th Century have been experiencing a comeback. Some of the most popular musicians on the current French music scene have been drawing inspiration from chanson, musette, and gypsy jazz. Icons of French music, like Django Reinhardt, Edith Piaf and Georges Brassens have been embraced by young French musicians who once disparaged their music as being of another era.

The music on French Café unites musicians of an earlier age with contemporary artists who draw on the sound of the past as inspiration to create a style that is both nostalgic and progressive.

Parisian Café Culture

Paris has long been an epicentre for café culture, and its countless cafes have always been magnets for bohemians, artists, poets, revolutionaries, labourers and musicians. Indeed, the history of French music is inextricably linked to the cafes and music halls where popular music styles like musette and chanson were originally performed.

In the late 1950s and early ‘60s, French music was greatly impacted by American and British rock and roll and pop music. The sound of troubadours like Georges Brassens and dramatic divas like Barbara was subsumed by a new and vibrant movement that blended French attitude and lyricism with a youthful, counter-culture energy. Brigitte Bardot, the sultry film star who was France’s most widely recognized icon internationally in the ‘60s, was also a popular singer at home and a leading proponent of the so- called “yé-yé” style. Serge Gainsbourg, an innovative songwriter who used chanson as a springboard for a unique brand of avant-garde music, became an idol and inspiration for countless musicians in France and abroad.

Featured tracks:

1 Paris Combo • Fibre de Verre
2 Serge Gainsbourg • Marilou Sous La Neige
3 Barbara • Si la Photo est Bonne
4 Enzo Enzo • Juste Quelqu'un de Bien
5 Georges Brassens • Je M'Suis Fait Tout Petit
6 Jane Birkin • Elaeudanla Téïtéïa
7 Coralie Clément • La Mer Opale
8 Mathieu Boogaerts • Ondulé
9 Brigitte Bardot • Un Jour Comme un Autre
10 Paris Combo • On N'a Pas Besoin
11 Sanseverino • Mal ô Mains
12 Baguette Quartette • En Douce
13 Polo • La Fée Clochette
Running time: 40:14 minutes