Some may recall seeing the still-active Henri Salvador on Jools Holland’s show a couple of years ago. He is a French musical institution and the fascinating sets Maladie d’Amour 1942-1948 Volume 1 (Frémeaux FA186) and Le loup, La Biche Et Le Chevalier 1946-1950 Volume 2 (Frémeaux FA5010) cover his early years. These sides predate his introduction of rock and roll to France’s musical canon and present him as jazz band vocalist and excellent Al Casey inspired jazz guitarist, a singer of French variété, a comedian, and tackling material recalling his Caribbean heritage. He also recorded some fine rhythm and blues numbers – the first volume includes two versions of Dusty Fletcher’s hit « Open the door Richard » and a swinging « Hey Ba-Ba Re-Bop », plus a further two renditions of the self-explanatory « Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway ». The second volume has an instrumental « Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t (My Baby) ».
Norman DARWEN – BLUES IN BRITAIN
Norman DARWEN – BLUES IN BRITAIN
