Essential Soundtracks: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg(1964)

Michel Legrand's abundantly lyrical soundtrack to Jacques Demy's 1964 movie musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg faithfully evokes the film's predominant theme of young love foiled by adult reality. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg's overriding melancholia finds a voice in two main melodic motifs Legrand uses throughout the soundtrack, the first from the Legrand jazz standard "Watch What Happens" and the second from his song "I Will Wait for You." Legrand's considerable arranging abilities are on display here as he works the recurring themes through a variety of settings: tragic duets cloaked in dramatic string passages, broken-down cabaret soliloquies, and even a tango piece à la Astor Piazzolla. A prevalent jazz waltz theme also seesaws its way through the score, providing a break from the gloom. As with his later Demy soundtrack, The Young Girls of Rochefort, Legrand does integrate jazz into the mix, but not in such pervasive fashion; occasional big-band outbursts and light jazz backgrounds ultimately take a back seat to Legrand's preferred chanson mode. Combining Debussy's opaque melodies and Richard Rodgers song economy, he transforms the whimsical French song of Piaf and Trenet into petite arias. For Legrand it comes down to the song, and there are plenty of good ones on The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. If that were not enough, the double-CD reissue also includes bonus tracks: a not so whimsical yet affecting Tony Bennett reading of "Watch What Happens" and a demonstration of Legrand's well-known jazz skills on trio, "I Will Wait for You," with big-band arrangements. With over two hours of music, extra material, and some of the most charming melodies written for the screen, this Sony Classical reissue is a must-have for Legrand fans and certainly one of his essential works.

get it here (pt.1) and here (pt.2)

LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG
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Little Known Classics: Takako Minekawa- Cloudy Cloud Calculator(1998)

Takako Minekawa's fourth album, Cloudy Cloud Calculator, is one of her finest and most unique moments. Where Buffalo Daughter's collaboration on Minekawa's previous album, Roomic Cube, sometimes overshadowed her basically minimalist style, Cloudy Cloud Calculator gives Minekawa's songs room to breathe. "Milk Rock" makes the most out of a vibe bassline, breakbeats and her breathy vocals, and "Phonobaloon Song"'s deceptively simple vocals and keyboard arrangement covers a spectrum of emotions. Minekawa's sense of humor makes its presence felt on most of the songs, especially "Cat House," which features sampled kitties meowing to a bouncy synth beat. "Black Forest" and "International Velvet" create a lush, filmic mood, while "Cloud Chips," "Kraftpark" and "Kangaroo Pocket Calculator" suggest a slightly playful, somewhat ominous futuristic world. Minekawa saves one of the best tracks for last, a remake of Joe Meek and the Tornadoes classic "Telstar," redone with a Martin Denny-like arrangement and exotica beat. Cloudy Cloud Calculator's highly inventive, restrained pop shows that Minekawa has hit her stride as a songwriter and arranger.

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Rosie Scott

Little Known Classics: Hawaii- The High Llamas(1996)

Sean O'Hagan has a gift for orchestral pop, creating lush soundscapes that are awash with sonic detail. He clearly owes a lot to Brian Wilson, and Hawaii, the High Llamas' third album, falls somewhere between Pet Sounds and SMiLE. Sonically, the rich, orchestrated production is reminiscent of the former, but Hawaii is paced like SMiLE, with brief instrumentals and song fragments framing the full-fledged songs. Each is carefully arranged and recorded, offering an inviting tapestry of strings, guitars, keyboards, brass, and percussion.

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Mary Blair

Mary Blair(1911-1978)

Little Known Classics: Dimitri From Paris- Sacrebleu(1996)

Dimitri from Paris' debut is a breezy collection of what could be loosely termed house music, but is in fact indebted to a variety of intriguing styles reminiscent of the Continent around the mid-part of the century, including cabaret music, easy listening, and exotica. Besides the infectious singles "Sacre Francais" and "Dirty Larry," there are at least a dozen other good tracks, and though Sacrebleu would have fared better after an editing job (it clocks right in at 75 minutes), it's difficult to criticize this immensely enjoyable album.

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Indescribably Beautiful: Ogurusu Norihide- Humour (Study and I)

Collecting songs from two self-released CDs of home recordings, Humour (Study and I) displays the brilliance of using computer processing as a means, not an end, for production and musicianship. Ogurusu Norihide concentrates mostly on quiet guitar or piano ruminations and tampers with them only occasionally (and brilliantly). When the second track pauses after several minutes of guitar normalcy, the subsequent effects only heighten the mood. Norihide eventually invites some unidentified instruments into the game, but the air of forced minimalism remains throughout. Other pieces are reminiscent of Erik Satie or John Fahey with a primitive drum machine for accompaniment. The dark chords and isolationist feel of the sixth track make it a highlight.

sample tracks:

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