Actress, singer, performer, friend of Cocteau and Picasso, onetime lover of Miles Davis and the original embodiment of bohemian chic, Juliette Greco occupies a unique place within French popular culture. Spanning 1951- 55, this 23-song compendium blends classic solo studio tracks with a quartet of stirring live performances from Paris in April 1955, a duet with Eddie ‘Lemmy Caution’ Constantine, and songs from the soundtracks of Gervaise and Elena Et Les Hommes. Taken together, they transport the listener to the cafe ambience of the Parisian Left Bank.
With the selections penned by a stellar list of masters of the French chanson, including Jacques Prevert, Charles Trenet, Jacques Brel and Raymond Queneau, and sumptuous arrangements from Andre Grassi and Michel Legrand, the accent is on Greco the interpreter of classic French popular song, with performances that never fall short of the superlative. By far the most celebrated song is the landmark recording of Les Feuilles Mortes (which later morphed into Autumn Leaves courtesy of Johnny Mercer), but the entire album is awash with intense Gallic charm, most irresistibly on Sous Le Ciel De Paris, Comme Un Enfant Puni, L’Ombre, Le Croix, Coin De Rue, Le Guinche and Guinguettes. C’est magnifique!
