Few vocalists are as globally distinct as multimedia crooner Maurice Chevalier. His varied career included stints as a circus performer, nightclub singer, and actor. His unmistakable accent and penchant for amour was purportedly the basis for Warner Bros.' cartoon caricature of an affectionate skunk named Pepé Le Pew. Ten of the 11 cuts on 2004's Mr. Paree, Himself are taken from a June 25, 1949, broadcast titled This Is Paris (aka The Maurice Chevalier Show ), with the final extended "Medley of Hits" derived from a ...
Read More
Few vocalists are as globally distinct as multimedia crooner Maurice Chevalier. His varied career included stints as a circus performer, nightclub singer, and actor. His unmistakable accent and penchant for amour was purportedly the basis for Warner Bros.' cartoon caricature of an affectionate skunk named Pepé Le Pew. Ten of the 11 cuts on 2004's Mr. Paree, Himself are taken from a June 25, 1949, broadcast titled This Is Paris (aka The Maurice Chevalier Show ), with the final extended "Medley of Hits" derived from a guest shot during the debut season of Bing Crosby's Philco Radio Time on May 21, 1947. The artist's short but suave introductions between numbers capture his Continental charm, while the heavily Anglo set list provides a perfect blend of sentimental ballads and early 20th century popular music standards. The opening selections, "Louise" and "Mimi," are a pair of Chevalier's signatures. The latter Rodgers & Hart composition is notable for its sunny disposition, and both were prominently featured in the 1960 film Pepé, whose A-list cast was headed up by Cantinflas, the Mexican comic actor from the 1956 movie Around the World in 80 Days. Another tune to have been worked into Chevalier's cinematic career is the infatuated "You Bring a New Kind of Love to Me." On the other side of his talents, the all-American "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "There's No Business Like Show Business" are evidence of Chevalier's suitable comparisons to Al Jolson as an all-around entertainer. One of the less obvious entries is the boogie-woogie-influenced "Ballin' the Jack," which was a seminal jazz classic and hit for the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, Kid Ory, and later Eddie Condon. Hearing the Frenchman sing about "do[ing] the eagle rock with-a style and grace" is alone worth the price of this disc. ~ Lindsay Planer, Rovi
Read Less
![Valentine [Arkadia Chansons]](https://www0.alibris-static.com/valentine-arkadia-chansons/cover/r38707mgd87.jpg)
