Jazz in Paris, Vol 3 -"Saint-Germain-Des-Prés (1946-1956) 3 x CD, Compilation, 2004 (Gitanes Jazz Productions )

I love everything French ever since I was a tot and my dad took me to see a Bardot movie in Larkspur  California.  Over decades my love of Parisian aesthetic came to fruition with the music of Serge Gainsbourg, Boris Vian, Les Rita Mitsuko, and many others.  I also love French Jazz, which sometime sounds like American Jazz, but with a French twist to the sound.  In 2004, they released a "Jazz in Paris" series that is excellent.  Eventually, they then made CD boxsets with an additional book in the package.   One can't go wrong with the quality of the book as well as the music of course.  Volume 3 is "Saint-Germain-Des-Prés (1946-1956), and it's a compilation that goes beyond excellence.

Saint-Germain was the focal point of those years for writing and music-making.  Think of it as Liverpool in the early 1960s or Height Asbury in the Psychedelic Era, or NYC from the 1930s to 1970s.  It seems that brilliance was from the air and landed on the grand boulevard of Saint-Germain.

Boris Vian and some others introduce American Jazz into Paris, by releasing recordings as well as arranging tours for various Jazz artists such as Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, and others.  This collection mostly focuses on French jazz musicians like Django Reinhardt, René Urtreger Trio, and including my hero Boris Vian. 

There are also Americans such as Sidney Bechet And His Feetwarmers,  Don Byas, and so forth. Still, the magnificence of the playing and the communication between the two cultures are breathtaking. Beautiful moments of time and this boxset takes you to ground zero of French greatness.  

Various - "Les Zazous: 1940 - 1945" 2 x vinyl, LP, Compilation, 1977 (Pathé Marconi)

Truly a dangerous underground movement of swing kids during the French Occupation from 1940 to 1944.  The Vichy Administration didn't look upon these French kids with a great deal of love. Musically it's all swing jazz, but the nerve behind their swing dancing and partying in the horrible world of the Occupation is one of wonder and the beauty of youth itself. 

Les Zazous were hardcore dance and fashion lunatics who pretty much ignored the Occupation like it didn't exist, but of course, it did dangerously.  When Jews were forced to wear the Yellow Star, so did Les Zazous, but they did it voluntarily, and within the yellow star it said "Swing."  The men dressed in long draped jackets, zootsuit pants, but the cuff rolled up, and hair was worn very long but combed back in Rockabilly (before that) style. Often they dine at Vegetarian restaurants.  Also, they like to carry around umbrellas that are rolled up and never been used.   They were fond of carrying newspapers or books in the English language.  Not to read but as a fashion statement.   This you can imagine was an easy target for the Vichy cops as well as the Fascist thugs.   Often when caught they were either killed or forced to get a haircut, which must have been horrible for a dandy like-minded Zazous. 

They would have secret record parties where they danced to American (banned of course) and French jazz music.  These are club kids with an edge.  "Les Zazous" is an album of music made at the time of the occupation, and what I presume was favored by the Les Zazous.   The famous names for Americans are Charles Trenet and Django Reinhardt.  The rest are known in  France, such as Michel Legrand's dad Raymond, who had a famous orchestra at the time, Gus Viseur (gypsy accordionist), Jacques Pills (ain't that a punk rock name), and others.   Some of the songs do have the word "zazous"  The word more likely came from American genius musician Cab Calloway, from his song "Zah Zuh Zah."

This double album came out in 1977, and to this day, there are not a lot of photographs of Les Zazous.  The images that are in the record are all drawings from that period.   A snapshot of a time that was horrible, yet the music is upbeat, happy, and looking forward to better days.  The spirit of music cannot be crushed that easily.