Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Claude Nougaro > Bidonville

With his Bidonville album, released in 1966, Nougaro decides to release French music out of its boundaries, far from commonly tread ground, above and beyond habitually visited places. For the word crazy Toulousain singer, his inspiration comes from a mix of other landscapes.

Brazil offers him bossa nova, sensuality and the standard Berimbau that he completely makes his own to create Bidonville, magnificently orchestrated by Baden Powell.
Next up he turns to Africa for the first time and its complex rhythms which he uses brilliantly on the tribal and bewitching L'Amour Sorcier.The Afro-Brazilian influence creates interesting avenues, but jazz remains Nougaro's main passion, the musical current he blends with best and through which his poetry is fully satisfied.
With covers (A Bout De Souffle borrowed from Dave Brudbeck) and compositions (Sing Sing Song) Nougaro's voice is a perfect match for the swing and syncopations of this demanding music.

Bidonville is a great jazz classic, with brilliantly composed songs of omnipresent inventiveness, and insolent youth.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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