On this album, billed to the duo of pianist
Beegie Adair and violinist
David Davidson, a quintet also including drums, acoustic bass, and accordion takes on a collection of compositions associated with France in instrumental, lightly jazzy arrangements. As with
Adair's many other albums, within the overall theme, the individual performances largely hew to the familiar melodies, with jazz-like variations and embellishments that stick close to the shoreline, never getting too far out to sea. Piano, violin, and accordion toss the melodies back and forth among them, evoking familiar readings of these songs, which, in many cases, have Continental origins, even if they subsequently were adapted to stateside hit status through English-lyric versions, such as "Beyond the Sea" and "Autumn Leaves." Of course, there are also strictly American love letters to the French, such as
Jerome Kern and
Oscar Hammerstein II's "The Last Time I Saw Paris" and
Cole Porter's "I Love Paris." Wherever the song came from,
Adair,
Davidson, and their compatriots present largely faithful interpretations that always keep the tunes in sight. ~ William Ruhlmann