Henri Salvador

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Greatest Hits from Old School Comic/Show Man H. Salvador.

Tracks:

Jazz, Silver Moonlight
Jardim
Room With A View
J'ai Vu
All I Really Want Is Love (featuring Lisa Ekdahl)
La Muraille De Chine
Il Fait Dimanche
Un Tour De Manege (featuring Toots Thieliemans)
Vagabond
Je Sais Que Tu Sais
Mademoiselle
Faire Des Ronds Dans L'eau
Aime-Moi
Le Fou De La Reine (featuring Francoise Hardy)

Amazon.com

American audiences will embrace Henri Salvador like he's a Grandpa Moses of bossa nova. It's not every day that an eightysomething crooner steps out of U.S. obscurity with an album of warm-as-fresh-pastry cabaret music. Of course, Salvador is no Henri-come-lately. He's famous in France and francophone former colonies (like his native Cayenne, French Guiana) and has decades of television and recording work to his credit. Now, it's time for stateside listeners to play catch-up. This album was reportedly recorded on the verge of Salvador's retirement, and though the sound is classique, many of the songs are of recent vintage. Salvador's charming, half-spoken vocals will resound with listeners familiar with the suave stylings of cabaret practitioners such as Charles Trenet and Walter Hyatt. There's also a bit of Danny Kaye in his phrasing on the album's lighter fare, like the brass-band-flavored "Mademoiselle"--no surprise given Salvador's extensive comedic résumé. Younger audiences primed by the ironic, sophisticated grooves of Dimitiri from Paris and Money Mark will delight in much of the instrumentation here. The album is, in fact, a triumph of production and arranging. Full orchestras are cued, at times, at the same volume as a single instrument, reduced to the level of pure atmosphere. One track, "Il fait Dimanche," has a funky vamp that demands to be sampled for the contemporary dance floor. Another, "Faire des ronds dans l'eau," subsists on strummed guitar and a trap set, with the occasional gypsy-style, savory violin part added for spice. Throughout, Salvador presents himself as an astute, sympathetic performer. On "Je sais que tu sais" it's hard to tell where his whispered voice ends and the drummer's light brushes begin. Apparently, swingers--in the jazz sense of the word--get better with age. --Marc Weidenbaum

Customer Reviews:

EXCEPTIONAL!!.......2007-06-24

If you want music for a sultry day when you're sitting at a table under the sun with great company and just want to enjoy the moment with a jazzy background sound... this is for you! Think "sitting in the shade under an umbrella on a sunny afternoon at a little table on the sidewalk outside a corner cafe...."
ENJOY!
What an excellent voice ... really really great sounds!

A Great Jazz Performer.......2006-04-08

I bought this CD at the year of 2002 then had a period (3-4 yrs) didn't listen it. It's still being very nice when I took it out for listen today.

A surprising but amazing contribution from Salvador.......2004-02-15

So many artists (and voices) get threadbare with age. Only a few are lucky enough to find a way to keep some of their old color or adapt with the times. Even more rare is the artist who, after a career of decent (but rarely great) output, produces a stunner. That is the case with "Chambre Avec Vue."

I know there are Salvador stalwarts out there who will protest my characterization of Henri as being generally just OK, and I agree he released several standout songs throughout his long career. But those standouts are watered down by so many recordings that are "just a bit too." Just a bit too sentimental. Just a bit too comical. Or just a bit too out-of-genre for Henri to carry. Salvador's early background in cabaret, his affection for a variety of musical styles, and his associations with a wide range of musical greats (everyone from Django Reinhardt to Quincy Jones) have resulted in an impressive (and no doubt enjoyable) but flawed career.

With "Chambre Avec Vue," Salvador has taken the best of what he does well and has improved on it by performing with more wisdom than whimsy, more expertise than experimentation, and more authentic sentiment than unselfconscious sappiness. I agree with another reviewer that the influence of Benjamin Biolay (who has been associated with a few really great albums lately) cannot be underestimated on this album. But regardless of who you think deserves the credit, this is truly an album for those who like nuanced, toasted jazz vocals. Yes, it's all in French, and the album is packed with more international influences (notably bossa nova) than the average jazz vocal album. But on "Chambre Avec Vue," Salvador sounds as relaxed as Bing Crosby, as seasoned as recent Tony Bennett, and as melancholy as Chet Baker. That adds up to a surprising and welcome addition to the Salvador oeuvre.