'West Coast Jazz à la Française: 1954-1956'

Earlier this month, I posted about Sweden’s flirtation with American West Coast jazz and a box recently released by Fresh Sound that compiled the recordings—Swedish Cool and Modern Jazz: 1949-1959. Now, Fresh Sound is out with West Coast Jazz à la Française: 1954-1956, and this set is equally compelling.

Lacking the relaxing expanse of the Pacific Ocean, Los Angeles’s golden weather or the speedy excitement of the region’s car culture, the short-lived, two-year French interpretation of California’s relaxed sound had more bite and push than its original American counterpart.

Between 1954 and 1956, Paris fell in love with the jazz sound of Hollywood. By then, 10-inch West Coast jazz albums had made their way to France along with touring musicians such as Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Bob Brookmeyer, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond and Shorty Rogers.

French musicians who picked up the contrapuntal torch included Christian Chevallier, Claude Bolling, Bob Garcia, Raph Schecroun, William Boucaya, Marcel Bianchi and Pierre Gossez-Fernand Verstraete. All are featured on the new set.

Where Sweden’s interpretation carried with it the moodiness and brooding folk feel of Scandinavia, the French renditions have a bright intensity and passion for harmony and smoothness.

Listening to this set multiple times (as I did with the Swedish box), the music sounds like a new addition to West Coast jazz that many fans will likely be hearing for the first time. If the tracks were played for you in a “blindfold” test, you’d probably be naming a dozen American players before begging the tester to reveal the artists’ names.

Further proof that West Coast jazz wasn’t the product of players rooted in a region. Instead, the sound was a state of mind, like bebop or hard bop, and embraced by musicians everywhere, provided they mastered their instruments and the original material. Viva la French cool!

You’ll find West Coast Jazz à la Française: 1954-1956 (Fresh Sound) here.

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