"All I can say is that the previous reviewer must have cloth ears! No, it's not necessarily background music. The CD is a distillation of bal musette classics that originally were anthologised on the Parisian Fremeaux label. As such it's a handy introduction to the world of bal musette accordion and some of its greatest stars. It's not afraid to deal with the end of the music influenced by the amalgam of swing and manouche gypsy jazz. As for the sound I found nothing wrong with it- no rice krispies effects- and I go back to it again and again."
Perfect for French Cafe Dinner Theater background music
Charles mowbray | 11/26/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is perfect for providing background "atmosphere" for a French Cafe-themed production. Though the music is from the 30s and 40s, it is the type of music Americans stereotypically associate with Paris."
This is a collection of pieces from the 1930s.
Charles mowbray | 11/09/1998
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This disc is an anthology of pieces played by top accordion groups of the 1930's in Paris. As such, it has quite an "old-timey" sound style-wise and recording-wise. Some numbers also have vocalists. It's good background or atmosphere music."
Evocative of the cobblestoned streets of Europe
Tana Butler | Soquel, California | 09/01/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"To paraphrase a bumpersticker: "Use an accordion, go to France."French accordion music is very specifically French; you won't hear dorky polkas or Cajun/Italian/Irish/cowboy music here. This music is so purely evocative of the feeling you have in Europe: cobblestoned streets; cafés at night filled with chatting, laughing people; and time that encompasses a line back into history. Or at least back fifty years, when men wore their hats frontwards, and women wore gloves. It's a lush recording. You'll feel like your passport has been stamped: FRANCE."
VERY GOOD OLD PARISIAN MUSIC
Tana Butler | 06/22/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is just GREAT, it is a compilation of all the best accordeon songs and tunes. A "must-have" for everyone who loves Paris and/or accordeon."