Henri Salvador - Chambre avec vue (2000)

Henri Salvador was born in 1917 in Cayenne, French Guiana. He studied music in Paris and played with Django Reinhardt on one occasion. He started playing guitar seriously in Paris in 1935. His stay in the interior of Brazil is evident in much of his music. His sound is a combination of Parisian cabaret, Brazilian bossa nova, and French Antillean influences. This particular album shows his range of influences very well. His unguent vocals infuse an ambience of sensuous silk and soft tropical breezes. He also displays his great sense of humor in his lyrics, for which he is renowned in France and his homeland. "Jardin d'Hiver" tells of all the images he would like to have inhabit his winter garden. It is a touching portrait and sung very soulfully. The instrumental accompaniment throughout the album is very much muted but exceptional in its evocation of the ambience that his voice creates. The duet with Françoise Hardy on "Le Fou de la Reine" is a fine example of the finesse of both artists. The album won the Victoire de la Musique award in France for the year 2000. A highly recommended introduction to this prolific artist. [This album was re-released under the title Room with a View in early 2002 on the Blue Note label, including a bonus track.]