Christian Escoudé - Au Bois De Mon Cœur - Escoudé Joue Brassens (2011)

Tracklist

01. Au Bois De Mon Coeur
02. Le Petit Cheval
03. La Non-Demande En Mariage
04. Cupidon S'en Fout
05. Les Passantes
06. Il N'y A Pas D'amour Heureux
07. Je Me Suis Fait Tout Petit
08. Dans L'eau De Laclaire Fontaine
09. La Princesse Et Le Croque-Note
10. Le Vieux Leon
11. Les Amours D'antan
12. Les Copains D'abord

The French traditions of master poets and song craftsmen have thrived for generations. Among the wealth of laureates, Georges Brassens has remained one of the most popular with his writing that depicts the everyman. Brassens s popularity has not only been due to his down to earth writing but to his prowess at communicating his thoughts through music. On his new album, Guitarist Christían Escoudé has beautifully arranged the classic compositions of Brassens for jazz ensemble, letting the compositions speak for themselves.

Georges Brassens was born October 22, 1921 in Sète in the South of France. From an early age, he dedicated his life to the study of poetry and music, continuing his writing throughout the Second World War and his forced relocation to Basdorf, Germany.

After the war, Brassens became more politically involved, aligning himself with the Anarchist camp. His poetry and songs mirrored his leftist leanings by disparaging the conservative French government of the time through humor and elaborate lyrics. Reluctant to perform at first, Brassens was convinced to take his music to the stage at the end of the Forties and became a legendary figure by the time of his death in October of 1981.

All of Brassen s songs were composed for voice and guitar. Occasionally, an additional guitar or double bass would be included during performance. While the lyrics stand alone as tremendous prose, the compositions were ripe for new musical arrangement and interpretation. Christían Escoudé found that the music fit well into his own conception of jazz guitar, one that owed much to the bebop and gypsy styles originally blended by Django Reinhardt.

Escoudé was privy to another of the famed French musical traditions from an early age: the gypsy style of jazz guitar. Introduced to Reinhardt s style by his guitarist father at the age of ten, Escoudé began playing professionally at the age of fifteen. His career led him into ensembles led by many legendary French and American musicians, including Aldo Romano, Eddy Louiss and John Lewis. Escoudé has performed many jazz settings, including bebop, fusion and free jazz. He has remained one of the foremost experts on the gypsy guitar style.

Escoudé assembled a fantastic ensemble to interpret Brassens s gems. The group featured violinist Fiona Monbet, clarinetist André Villéger, guitarist Jean-Baptiste Laya, bassist Pierre Boussaguet and drummer Anne Paceo.

The tremendous ensemble found additional support on a handful of tunes by a handful of talented guests. Guitarists Biréli Lagrène and Valérie Duchâteau lent their talents on Les Passantes while the young guitar prodigy Swan Berger was featured on Dans L eau de la Claire Fontaine.

Escoudé s moving collection of well-crafted arrangements has provided another fascinating dimension to the compositions of Brassen s music. The full-bodied arrangements put a new slant on the emotive content of this sublime poet s lyrics.

Electric Guitar – Christian Escoudé, Jean-Baptist Laya
Acoustic Guitar – Biréli Lagrène, Swan Berger
Bass – Pierre Boussaguet
Clarinet – André Villeger
Classical Guitar – Valérie Duchâteau
Drums – Anne Paceo
Violin – Fiona Monbet

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac CD-Rip]