PARIS COMBO

PARIS COMBO

Paris Combo celebrates a rich diversity of world styles but in the setting of chic Parisian cabaret. Fronted by chanteuse, songwriter, and accordionist Belle du Berry, Paris Combo has found a jazzy and intriguing twist on the French song-book tradition.

In the early ’90s Belle du Berry, Potzi and François Jeannin first performed together as members of the off-beat retro revue, Champêtres de Joie, playing acoustically in the run-down Berry Zèbre cinema in Paris’ Belleville district. Together they also collaborated with French choreographer Philippe Decouflé at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Albertville. They then continued together as "La Belle Equipe" performing mainly covers in Parisian cafés. Lewis and du Berry met as performers in the inaugural Cabaret Sauvage revue (now a popular venue in Paris) in 1994 and it wasn’t long before the Australian joined the trio, followed by bassist Mano Razanajato - forming what was to become Paris Combo.

From 1995-7, the group honed their unique style playing in cafés and on barges moored along the Seine - Du Berry often cites influences such as Arletty, the French actress and Marie Dubas from the ’30s but also the Surrealists and a panoply of more recent artists, including the B-52’s (!). Potzi’s Django-influenced guitar often mixes with François’ ska or latin grooves to create a fascinating blend. David Lewis - who had previously played with a wide variety of French bands including Manu Dibango and Arthur H - attributes the group’s approach to Paris’ cosmopolitan atmosphere.

In 1997 the group released their eponymous first album on the now-historic indie label, Boucherie (Butchery), and began touring intensively in France and also in the US, selling 15,000 copies of Paris Combo there in two months’ time. The popularity of the band may have coincided with a swing revival in the mid-1990s, but Paris Combo played a more varied set than the retro swing bands. Los Angeles Times’s critic Don Heckman declared, "The group’s music fits into the swing revival category occupied by such bands as the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, but their range of styles is far too eclectic to be bunched into a single category." Most critics agreed, attributing to the group such wide-ranging characteristics as French cabaret, rumba, flamenco, Gypsy swing, cool jazz, African, Latin and Middle Eastern styles.

Following on the heels of the success of their debut CD, Paris Combo released Living Room in Europe in 1999 and in the United States in 2000. One of the last Boucherie releases, the album was soon re-licensed to Universal in France and was a Gold-record (100,000 units) in France by the end of 2000. The group performed at the mythical Olympia to cap-off the year’s 120 concerts. This was followed the release of "Attraction" (2001) and a live album (2002) and intensive touring in the US, Europe, Asia and David Lewis’ native Australia.

In late 2004 Paris Combo released Motifs, but prior to recording this new CD, which was produced by respected American sound engineer Oz Fritz, the group toured extensively in order to refine their songs. As a prelude to the CD’s U.S. release, Paris Combo performed with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Moulin Rouge dancers at the Hollywood Bowl, in a show called "Night at the Moulin Rouge." Anastasia Tsioulcas declared in Billboard that Motifs is "a required cocktail party soundtrack," emphasizing the mainstream appeal of the band, but Paris Combo still refused to be classified, nor did their mainstream appeal diminish their carefully crafted sound. Washington Post critic Mike Joyce wrote: "Engaging, clever and cutting by turns, it doesn’t take long for Motifs to prove once again that Paris Combo has carved out a truly distinctive niche for itself in contemporary jazz."

After a five-year break from touring, Paris Combo is now back, with a new release planned for 2012.

www. pariscombo.com

Discography

• Paris Combo, Boucherie/Pias re-issued Polydor/Universal 1997
• Living Room, Boucherie/Pias re-issued Polydor/Universal 1999
• Attraction, Polydor/Universal 2001
• Live, Polydor/Universal, 2002
• Motifs, Polydor/Universal, 2004

Prizes/Awards

• Lucien Barrière Prize for Songwriting (awarded to Belle du Berry) 2000
• Gold-record for the album "Living-Room" - 2000
• Nomination for a Victoire de la Musique - 2000