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PARIS COMBO IN AMERICA
French Oldies but French Goodies
16/03/1999 -
New York's Florence Gould Hall was transformed last Thursday night into what it must have been like in 1930's Paris when cabaret and Le Hot Club ruled. Every moment of the show I expected Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli to walk out on stage and start to play. Or the great Maurice Chevalier, strolling out in his straw hat and cane with a smile that could have warmed the cold, windy New York streets.
But Paris Combo didn't need to use any circus sideshow tricks to conjure up their lost heroes. Although their guitarist, Potzi, looks and plays like Django Reinhardt, the three-fingered French gypsy guitarist that single handedly changed the shape of jazz music in America in the 1940's, and singer Belle Du Berry perfectly captures the essence of the cabaret singer, their sound breathes new life into many diverse styles of music, both older and more recent. One thing that became blazingly obvious about the band is just how very, very talented everyone was without feeling the need to push it. Drummer François-François softly kept time on the kit with sticks, mallets, and brushes and even did a nice turn with castanets on one song with the aplomb of a flamingo dancer. He showed incredible patience and waited until the end of the show to let loose with a rock and roll drum solo. 
Stand-up bassist Mano Razanajato added wonderfully rich jazzy bass lines as well as tenor background vocal harmonies which I thought worked very well with the Ms. Du Berry's light, breathy vocal style. I was most impressed with trumpeter/pianist David Lewis who sat there casually playing both instruments simultaneously for most of the show until stepping up to the mike to blow an occasional trumpet solo. During one of the quieter songs he dragged a small table onstage with a bowl of water on it, moved his microphone in place, and played a solo with the bell of the horn actually in the water. The microphone picked up the sound of the bubbles on the surface as well as the sound of the trumpet that rose up from the bowl naturally muted by the water. The effect was astounding, leaving the audience feeling like we were all underwater. Here Mr. Lewis did break from the generally staid demeanor of the musicians temporarily to smile at the audience and take a bow. Potzi waited until the encore.
This was one of the most understated shows I've seen in a very long time. The performances were virtuoso and the arrangements were tight, perfectly balanced with a wonderful sense of humor that unfortunately was lost on me since I don't understand the language so well. The sounds seemed to melt off the stage and float over the audience and soon even the fur coats and diamonds were bobbing up and down to the beat.
I doubt Paris Combo will ever make $56 million like the Rolling Stones or $32 million like Mettalica did last year. I doubt they will ever become teen idols. I am sure, however, that they will continue to perform around the world, enchanting audiences and teaching us all that you can't always live in the moment and the best music wasn't necessarily written tomorrow. Life is a cabaret, old chum, so come to the cabaret!!
Bop Tweedie in New York
Photos : Eric Iannucci
