Shelly Studios CDs at the Projet Brassens website
Le vent
last update 20.10.09
CD 'Le vent'
Le vent: jazz-influenced interpretations of Georges Brassens' chansons. The second CD from Projet Brassens Quartet, following their début CD La marine.
Le vent pour nos visiteurs francophones
(Le vent for French-speakers)
"Is it true that in England there is only one name for the wind" asked a Frenchwoman at one of our concerts. Across France's different physical and cultural geography blow l'aquilon, l'autan, le bise, le mistral, la tramontane and le zéphyr. And finding a fair wind across la Manche, the chansons of Georges Brassens.
Projet Brassens Quartet interpret Brassens' chansons of the 1950s-70s in a style they describe as 'nouveau Hot Club'. Based on the classic `swing' made famous by Django Reinhardt's 1930's Hot Club de Paris, they create modern textures and rhythms, influenced by World Music and contemporary jazz.
On Le vent, as always, clarinettist/saxophonist Charlie Hearnshaw's wide musical interests can be heard in his playing, described by the Times as: "Virile and reflective chamber jazz" and by Time Out magazine as: "A light and delicate approach to be-bop which also encompasses latin-american and World music to panoramic effect."
THE SONGS
 1 Le vent  The wind  mp3
Hold down your skirts and hold on to your hats when the mischevous wind blows.

 2 La non-demande en mariage  The non-proposal of marriage  mp3
Brassens explains why he never married the woman who was his lover and companion for more than 30 years.

 3 Celui qui a mal tourné  The guy who went to the bad
An ex-con is moved to find that people in his home town have a kind word for him when he leaves prison.

 4 Les sabots d'Hélène  Helen's clogs  mp3
Other people might think that Helene is a rough peasant, but to her lover she is like a queen.

 5 Le roi  The king
We all follow him like sheep. Kings and queens and heads of state may come and go, but you'll never dethrone the king of fools.

 6 Montélimar
A town famed for its nougat, and on the main route to the Med. Holidaymakers passing through make their kids, cats and dogs very sick with unwise treats.

 7 Le choix  The choice
How difficult to choose just one of Brassens' songs, when they are so many and varied. A song in his honour, by English fans.

 8 Histoire de faussaire  Story of a faker  mp3
A love affair in which everything is fake - except the genuinely happy time the writer spends with their lover.

 9 Les passantes  The passers-by
What might have been. The writer recalls, sadly, fading memories of beautiful women glimpsed only briefly, and never known.

10 Bécassine  mp3
So beautiful that everyone falls at her feet. She could have any rich man she wants, but she chooses a poor man for her lover.

11 Putain de toi  What a tart you are  mp3
An artist recalls the joy and laments a betrayal of love, deciding in the end to renounce such earthly pleasures.

12 Pénélope
The model wife: don't you sometimes dream of a wild lover who will knock away your pedestal, rip away your fig leaf?

13 Au bois de mon coeur  In the wood of my heart  mp3
In the woods there are little flowers. In the wood of Georges Brassens' heart there are friends.

PRESS BOOK
"The musicians' aim is to overcome barriers (to understanding and appreciation) by reinterpreting (Brassens') songs in modern idiom and conveying something of the irreverent wit, deep humanity and perceptive social comment through their musical arrangements. Green's sensitive vocals capture the mood as it swings from tender to light-hearted or satirical..."
Times Educational Supplement
"...the female voice and English nationality of the singer are the unexpected feature of this album. Maxine Green has a very feminine, almost flute-like voice, but in tackling the repertoire, she doesn't appear to be influenced at all by prejudices of the kind that say these are songs for a male voice. And it works - there is compensation for what is lost in terms of virility in the cheeky delivery which suits the singer's voice. And... it is the playing of Charlie Hearnshaw, above all on the clarinet, whether as soloist or playing in counterpoint to Maxine Green, which is the essential feature of the musical colour of this group."
Le Mauricien
"The combination of sublime clarinet and saxophone playing from Charlie Hearnshaw and delightful vocals from Maxine Green, who sings with a wonderfully light, yet seductive touch, makes a CD that's super-smooth on the ear. In fact, you could almost imagine yourself to be in a café in Grenoble town square on a warm summer's evening, sipping an ice-cold beer..."
Western Daily Press
"After listening, we can only confirm the pleasure brought to us by these interpretations of Brassens' songs with very jazzy accompaniments. Interpretations at the same time original and faithful to the spirit of their author which show, if it were at all necessary, that both text and music are at the heart of Brassens."
Chant'Essonne
"...the second CD from this talented group...The voice of Maxine Green is superbly accompanied by the guitars, bass, clarinet and saxophone of the Quartet. 'The Choice', a song in homage to Brassens...completes this really original disc...Joan of Arc would have liked these English people very much..."
Auprès de son Arbre
"Without doubt Father Georges would be the first to be astounded by it, but the second CD by this English jazz band is dedicated to him...the surprise is constant, the pleasure renewed."
Chorus, les cahiers de la chanson
"...first class musicians! You must hear the way they make tonton Georges' songs swing... In brief, a real delight. And the icing on the cake, a great homage called 'The Choice'."
Le journal 'Les Amis de Georges'
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