Jean-Paul Elysee

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Jean-Paul Elysee: Pourtant...

by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
December 30, 2008

Pourtant..., from Parisian vocalist Jean-Paul Elysee would not likely have popped up on AAJ's radar had it not been released on Aphrodite Records, a solidly all-jazz label. While decidedly jazz-accented, this record is another animal altogether, a contemporary heir of the French chanson tradition of Georges Brassens and Boris Vian.As such, this music is small-combo stuff, relying heavily on barely-audible but always evident guitar strumming; sophisticated yet immediately catchy melodies, like Elysee's historical models. There is a mix ...