Friday Night Jazz: Madeleine Peyroux
I’ve mentioned Madeleine Peyroux in the past — most recently, in our Best of for 2007, where we noted “Her smoky voice and fresh soulful delivery are perfect for the mix of acoustic blues, country ballads, classic jazz and torch songs she sings.”
I happened to notice she is playing Town Hall on 06/18/09 (123 W. 43rd St. in New York) and that was enough of an excuse for a summer Friday Night Jazz.
For those of you not familiar with Peyroux or her fabulous vocals, she careens from a very Billie Holliday-like sound to Josephine Baker, Edith Piaf, even k.d. lang.
Her latest album, Bare Bones, is a mellow, enjoyable foray into the Peyroux mix of Jazz, Blues and Country. The odd song out that stands out compared tot he rest of the disc is the Steely Dan feeling song, “You Can’t Do Me.” Peyroux sings:
“You know I get so blue
And I go down like a deep sea diver,
out like a Coltrane tenor-man,
Lost like a Chinese war baby ? (gone, gone, gone!)
Blewed like a Mississippi sharecropper,
screwed like a high-school cheerleader,
Tattooed like a popeyed sailorman ? (gone, gone, gone)
I am glad to see she is having a little lyrical fun.
This album stands in stark contrast to her debut disc — 1996′s Dreamland — a stripped down showcase for her musical chops. The spare arrangements set off her voice well; most listeners were stunned to learn Peyroux was just a 22-year old Georgian living in Paris.
Her breakout album was Careless Love — a contemplative, moody, jazz foray filled with delightful moments of jazz perfection. For newbies and on a FNJ session, I would go with this disc. Its the album that can make you ask “Norah who ?
Half the Perfect World was a little softer jazz-pop. Its filled with familiar covers, a few surprises, and most of all, that wonderful voice. It is still worth a throw.
videos after the jump
>
http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com/flash_content/main.html
http://www.myspace.com/officialmadeleinepeyroux
Other Sources:
Singer Peyroux Returns with ‘Careless Love’
NPR, October 3, 2004
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4057317
Madeleine Peyroux’s Nearly ‘Perfect World’
NPR, January 16, 2007
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6862497
I’m All Right
Dance Me To The End Of Love
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June 12th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Finally, this is actually on-topic:
Ritholtz, you should try some emo or some indie. I know you love your “jazz” and all, but a little “emo” and / or a little “indie” might do you some good. Hell if I know what either emo or indie actually is, but rest assured that the youth of America is preoccupied with that crap.
I am off to hear some blues myself, buddy. In all seriousness, thanks for doing what you do and have a great weekend!
June 12th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
CNBC
– Gimme some suggestions — your top 5 in each genre: emo and indie
June 12th, 2009 at 7:52 pm
http://www.mtvmusic.com/peyroux_madeline/videos/110895/i_m_all_right.jhtml
June 12th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
actually got this from usphoenix several weeks ago- great tune- similar style to BR’s choice-
http://www.mtvmusic.com/playlists/mtvm/?contentId=1609015
June 12th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
miles – kinda blue
coltrane – giant steps
pat metheny – bright size life
carla bley – live
keith jarrett – solo concerts
rolling stones – beggar’s banquet
duane allman – live at the fillmore
muddy waters – hard again
stevie ray vaughn – and double trouble
weather report – sweetnighter
June 12th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Someone recently posted a link to a commentary performed while smashing a CRT. Thought I had it. Don’t. Any one have that link that can repost it here?
Thanks.
June 12th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
The song of the last album was “Dance me to the end of love”. Apart from launching Madeleine, it highlighted again just what a talent as a songwriter/lyricist Leonard Cohen was. Well known to his followers but still very much underestimed IMHO.
June 12th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
alfred-
http://zerohedge.blogspot.com/2009/06/can-we-get-this-guy-on-cnbc.html
June 12th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
@ahab: Muchos grazias (sp?).
June 12th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Going to see her in our hometown, Ridgefield, Ct. at the intimate Ridgefield Playhouse. Saw her last year there…mesmerizing.
June 12th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
Wow,
Thanks for reminding me of mme. Peyroux…
My LAST SUMMER that I lived in Italy (July, 2005) I caught her live on ‘Corso Vanucci’ (the main strada of downtown Perugia) during the Umbria Jazz Festival…
Come to think of it…what a blessing it was during my 12 years in Italy to have had all the great great Jazz musicians (from ‘pop’ oriented, like a George Benson, to ‘electric’ oriented such as Herbie Hancock, to classic, or baroque, stop by our provincial abode)…
I don’t want to be a snob…but one REALLY needs to see these artists THERE to understand…It’s RAW
June 12th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
BR, “Poems Prayers and Promises…things we believe in.”
June 12th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Always a mystery to me why people don’t just listen to Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughn, Shirley Horn, Cassandra Wilson, Nina Simone, rather than an admittedly sweet Quebecois girl like Peyroux.
June 12th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
alfred,
mucho, no “s”, gracias, c=z ~
BR,
don’t give up on Spring just yet.. We’ve, still, have Longer Days ahead of us..
June 12th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
@timfg
Toss in Eartha Kitt while ur at it…
June 12th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
timmfig@ 10:03 –
nina simone – awesome – river to the sea…
June 12th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
cv – italy, too?
June 12th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
ok , Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, Abbey Lincoln
June 12th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
ok,
i finally listened to the clips
i see – the nora jones (1st clip), nina simone (2nd clip)
she is cute, sweet and talented, but not the next node is musical expression
June 12th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Barry,
check out Eddie Reader / Fairground Attractions, you may like it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXvUpp2eq_k&feature=related
June 12th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
snorah jones?
June 12th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
@wes
that’s half of my schtick…ITALY
I lived there for 12 years…
It’s tough…I EFFING LOVE THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…(You kinda have to say that in the way Renee Zellweiger did in JERRY MACQUIRE…”I love him for the man he ALMOST is”)…
But Italy seems to have even put that notion of ‘supremacy’ behind them…
There4…it is easier to just LIVE…
I’m telling all humans…You don’t know how enjoyable life is until you START LIVING…:-)
June 12th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
@cv –
WOW!
are you really that happy, if so, i am very glad
that’s wonderful, marvelous…some jazz song there
June 12th, 2009 at 11:31 pm
i have two of her cds but i prefer my niece: http://www.myspace.com/thelingdom
June 12th, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Andy will forgive me. He likes her, too.
June 12th, 2009 at 11:38 pm
@wes
let me put it to this way my friend…(in mathematical terms)
life in italy = an INTEGER
life in the united states = A QUADRATIC EQUATION
June 12th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
cv@ 11:38 –
OK,
you saying the music was bland?
everything the same – no pluses no minuses – everyone is one? – John Lenon?
June 13th, 2009 at 12:08 am
@Wes
No…
Perhaps it wasn’t a good metaphor…INTEGER (simple) isn’t meant to denote “bland”…
It’s meant to refer to the ambient in which the music was consumed…You have to be there to understand I suppose…Every July, for 2 weeks, there is what’s known as the Umbria Jazz Festival…It’s one of the more famous jazz festivals in the world…every Jazz musician (who’s ANYONE) at any given time (year), comes to perform…Oftentimes, some VERY FAMOUS musicians (who are untouchable otherwise) come to play…The public is not separated from these stars…It’s like the BEATLES or the ROLLING STONES playing at a local pub…
So you can imagine…
The place is packed…Perugia is a small town on a hill…It is “pre-medeival”…It was built WAY before even the Roman Empire…It’s basically Etruscan…There’s even a “city under the city”…It’s something like 3,000 years old…1,000 years before Christ…
In any case…I love the USA, but in the US people like to think of themselves as ADVANCED (with their personal communications devices & things, which Europeans have them ‘beat’ on by the way)…
What I refer to after all is that the SIMPLICITY of living in Italy is richer than the ARROGANT COMPLEXITY that Americans sugar coat themselves with…
I was metropolitan before I left the United States…I was an “L.A. dude”…too cool for school…After Italy, I’m happier now to spend my time in more rural surroundings…With people who understand that living comes from the LAND, rather than the supermarket or a shopping center…
Maybe THOR was right…I suppose I’m just the ” Arrogant Unabomber” now…(Though I seriously harbor no thoughts of hurting anyone)…
June 13th, 2009 at 12:14 am
You know, I saw M.P. at CLub Nokia in LA earlier this year. As much as I love her music, her live performance does not live up to her produced work.
As for other things to listen to:
Thievery Corporation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjRvAq6K654
Federico Aubele http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J2OVU7BJCI
Gotan Project http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K047-ZiFUbs
June 13th, 2009 at 12:25 am
CV
- you are a wonderful person
- if you would only stop the freakin’ CAPS LOCK
– seems like you have had some good time in italy – europe is cool – church on the top of every hill of every village – staki;’ the high ground, lookin’ out for the marauders?
June 13th, 2009 at 12:48 am
@Wes
Ok…I’ll try and cool it on the CAPS LOCK…
Although if one were to look in my face as I were typing the words, they’d see I was “smiling” instead of YELLING…
It’s truly an error on my part…I’m very expressive in real life…The only way I think I can convey this in text (over the medium) is to use the CAPS LOCK…Feedback such as you have given me ought to sway me otherwise going forward…
As for Italy…I swear I’d still be there if it were not for some particular instances…My dad died back in 2003 and it really left my mom in a lurch…It wasn’t clear right away, but it soon became evident…So by 2005, I knew I had to sell all I had there and come back here…(there4, the 2005 Umbria Jazz was my last July seeing the festival live after more than a decade)…
No regrets…Life is what it is…
It is extrordinarily ironic that I’ve read some criticisms (on this blog) of what readers have divined from my posts…
I’ve been called “arrogant”…
I suppose if I’d read what other people read without seeing the full dimension, I’d concur…But the bottom line is that this blog is TBP…Look at it..The post which I’m typing here is with reference to “jaxx music” in a “finance blog”…God bless BR 4 hosting a site such as this…
I look forward to reading what ANYONE has to say…Franklin too…(sorry about the CAPS, couldn’t help it)…
June 13th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Indie:
Regina Spektor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKZ5XSKRBJ0
Peter, Bjorn & John
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51V1VMkuyx0
June 13th, 2009 at 9:29 am
many good music links- wish there were more- thanks for the Madeleine Peyroux links BR- what’s cool about a thread like this is you get to check stuff out maybe you weren’t aware of before-
cvienne-
we love you man- I am pretty sure thor was new to posting here so didn’t get a chance to know you from previous posts- you have a very unique style when you post- as does MEH by the way- so keep using CAPS for emphasis- that’s your style- and someone shouldn’t complain about that-
nothing wrong w/ sharing your life experiences- I do- and others do- not perceived as arrogant by most here- you have some great market analysis as well-
Peace
June 13th, 2009 at 11:19 am
cvienne, i’m in complete agreement with ahab.. : ) i have enjoyed your posts completely. and finally I got to find out why you came back to the US, lol; i should have just asked!
June 13th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
timfg Says: Always a mystery to me why people don’t just listen to Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughn,
Heh, I agree! Goes for the male side of the equation too, why listen to Harry Conick and Michael Buble sing the old standards when you can so easily listen to the originals? No one will ever match Ella, or Bing, or Nat.
I tend to like more modern voices with an original sound to their voice. Rufus Wainwright, Tina Dico, or Allison Krauss
Cvienne – thanks for the all caps break, always seems like you’re shouting at us ;-)
June 13th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
@WNL: Good music. Thanks
June 13th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Ahab – I am pretty sure thor was new to posting here so didn’t get a chance to know you from previous posts- you have a very unique style when you post-
yes this is true, CV – if you didn’t catch my apology here it is now. As I said, I’d been coming from blogs like zerhohedge and Clusterstock where there is a lot of mindless insults. No excuse I know. As I said before, I really like this blog because even though so many of us disagree on different topics, we all seem to listen to each other.
Besides, you and I have a bit in common, you’re a fitness instructor, I work for a company who makes fitness videos. You lived in Italy for many years, I’m half Italian. Anyway, I appreciate your posts and both respect and value your opinion so keep up the good work!
June 13th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Barry,
I like Madeline Peyroux, but check put Melody Gardot…similar style but richer sound. Craft
June 13th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I am sitting here with a glass of port enjoying your Friday night Jazz – thanks