Back in the mid 50s, jazz was THE language of love in France. Here, you get a pair of albums from September 1956 by locals along with American Ex-pats that are as tasty as a Crepes with Nutella.
The first session from September 12 & 14 includes Dick Mills/tp, Billy Byers/tb, William Boucaya/bs-ts, Martial Solal/p, Benoit Quersin/b and Wessel Ilcken/dr for a mix of originals and standards. Boucaya’s tenor is rich on a swooning “You Don’t Know What Love Is” while his baritone bops on “Patti’s NY Blues.” The horns breeze like West Coast Cool on “Salute to Vo” and Byers swings it for “The Long Nite.”
Even better is the session with the underrated warm tenor of Allen Eager sitting in with Byers, Martial Solal/p, Quersin and proto-bopping drummer Kenny Clarke. Eager is a mellow master on “Illusion” and smokes like a Montecristo on “Buyer’s Blues.” Clarke is crisp as he rides the cymbal for Solal on “Kenny’s Special” and is kinetic on “Cinerama.” The horns are as tight as the Houston Astro infield with Byers’ buttery ‘bone on “Trianon” and the team is urgent on the charging “Love Me Or Leave Me.” Bopping with the beret!