Le Chat qui Pêche (The Cat Who Fishes) was a jazz club and restaurant in Paris that opened in the mid-1950s and lasted until 1970. The club was located in a cellar at 10 Rue de la Huchette in the Latin Quarter, on the left bank of the Seine. [Photo above of Donald Byrd in Paris]
It was just two blocks from Rue Chat qui Pêche (above), the narrowest street in Paris dating back to 1540. Its name comes from the sign of an old fish store that owned a black cat that could catch fish in the River Seine with a swipe of its clawed paw.
In October 1958, Donald Byrd, with his quartet, played the club during one of his extended tours in Paris. His group featured Byrd (tp), Walter Davis, Jr. (p), Doug Watkins (b) and Art Taylor (d). [Photo above of 10 Rue de la Huchette, the brown door on the left]
Now Fresh Sound has issued Donald Byrd Quartet Featuring Bobby Jaspar Au Chat qui Pêche, recorded on October 29, 1958. On this particular night, Bobby Jaspar sat in on three tracks playing flute and tenor saxophone.
The tracks are All the Things You Are; It Might as Well Be Spring; Parisian Thoroughfare; My Funny Valentine; Medley: Off Minor/Intro, Well You Needn't and Salt Peanuts; Down; All This Time; Sella by Starlight and 52nd Street Theme.
While the sound isn't perfect (the microphone seems to have been placed near Art's drums during the first few tracks), it's good enough and has been cleaned up with 24-bit remastering. You just need to turn up the volume. I love the album for three key reasons [photo above of Art Taylor by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]:
For one, the sound improves by the fourth track (My Funny Valentine), when they must have moved the mic. For another, the group is superb, especially Walter Davis Jr., who would have his first leadership date about two weeks later at another Paris club. And lastly, it's terrific to hear Art's drums up close, which you rarely get to experience unless you had the opportunity to hear him play at a club or during his fills on his sideman recording dates. [Photo above of Walter Davis Jr. by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]
As noted, you just need to turn up the volume to hear the music clearly. It's worth the adjustment. For about an hour and 10 minutes, you're back in Paris in October 1958, digging Donald Byrd's trumpet and his fabulous quartet. It really feels like you're there, with the mild ambient club sound. Terrific group, and jazz in Paris in the 1950s. Unbeatable.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Donald Byrd Quartet Featuring Bobby Jaspar Au Chat qui Pêche (Fresh Sound) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Miles Davis's Down...
And here's William Walton's All This Time...
