The Rough Guide to the Music of France

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Phil Stanton (Compilation); Guillaume Veillet (Compilation)
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: Performers include: Edith Piaf, Carre Manchot, Gabriel Yacoub, Lo'Jo, Leo Ferre, Jo Privat & Didier Roussin, Dedale, Bagad Men Ha Tan & Doudou N'diaye Rose, Massilia Sound System, Marilis Orionaa, Romane & Angelo Debarre, Les Ogres De Barback, La Kinkerne. Liner Note Author: Guillaume Veillet. Arrangers: Thierry Rougier; Patrick Bouffard; Jean Blanchard; Gabriel Yacoub. When the Rough Guide began to issue their musical collections, there was one thing that set them apart -- fantastic research. What they have consistently presented are exceptionally well-rounded collections of representative music from different countries and even regions within those countries. While it might seem absurd to be able to issue a single volume of music associated with the country of France, at least in this writer's opinion, they couldn't have been more successful. Rather than rely strictly on the ancient and arcane traditions of the "purely French" music (whatever that actually means), compilation producer Guillaume Veillet has taken into consideration how various other cultures have added to the French musical heritage over the last century, when immigration from all over the world took root and flourished on French soil. Therefore, like the United States, France has a truly multicultural society, which is reflected in its musical traditions and developments. Nowhere is this more evident than in the music by Lo' Jo, whose "Memoire d'Homme" is included here. In this single song, musette, chanson, gypsy music, and African and Caribbean rhythms unite to place an illustrious tapestry at the service of Denis P�an and his compatriots -- including African backing vocalists. And Lo' Jo hails not from Paris, but from Angers. North African and reggae influences along with current dance music culture and hip-hop blend inside a series of intertwining French melodies in the music of the Massilia Sound System. A. Filetta is from Corsica, which has been French since the mid-18th century. While the language is Corsican, the polyphony is from the French-Gregorian root. Patrick Bouffard's trio is a stomping traditional band comprised of a pair of hurdy-gurdy players, a thumping electric bass, and killer bagpipes and melodeans. Their sound is locked between the past and the present; it rocks to be sure, but rock & roll it isn't. There are Breton pipe bands here, along with artists performing gavottes and danse plins to modern French Alpine music from the band Kinkerne. Its two greatest practitioners represent the French chanson here: Edith Piaf (for whom arguably the term "chanteuse" was invented) and the incomparable L�o Ferr�. There is much more, of course, over 76 minutes and 22 tracks, and the only persons arguably left out are Serge Gainsbourg, who may not have been a French native but nearly defined its decadent pop sound throughout the late '60s and early '70s, and French rap genius MC Solaar, who gave the country an identity in the genre. ~ Thom Jurek France has developed a strong musical scene over the last decade, one that treasures its past (evident in "La Bour�e Des Capucins"), but also looks to a multi-cultural future, as evidenced by acts like Lo'Jo and Massilia Sound System. Inevitably, there's plenty of accordion -- just listen to Jo Privat & Didier Roussin or Les Orgres De Barback -- but not in the cheesy, sidewalk caf� sense. That bal musette music, so lovingly played by Les Primitifs du Futur (which includes cartoonist R. Crumb), has a lush, sensual quality that leads well into classic chanson from Edith Piaf or L�o Ferr�. Gabriel Yacoub represents the Breton connection, where French and Celtic music meet. France is also home to some hot jazz and gypsy music, as typified by Romane and Angelo Debarre. The pipes are part of the French tradition and get an airing on the spicy "Cayenne," while the vocal past can be heard on "Deomp D'An Univet." Happily, the uncategorizable sound of D�dale is included -- and fitting end, since they're informed by French tradition, but intent on making something very new and challenging from the past. As an overview of French music, this is excellent. ~ Chris Nickson

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