I just got back from a trip in France, and was simply amazed at how much jazz is truly adored there. Every town has access to a radio station which plays music ranging from Nat “King” Cole to Ornette Coleman, with not even a hesitation. After a few hours of listening, it dawned on me that the jazz that the French like is the type that came to them first. Armstrong, Bechet and Ellington are all big favorites there because, just like the Bible says about our relationship to God, “We love Him because He first loved us.” And so it is with the land of Gaul and jazz.
So, in tribute, I’ve prepared a list of the best singers, songs and albums that refer to France. Voila’!
Louis Armstrong: C’est Si Bon/ La Vie En Rose. Armstrong makes these two classics all his own, and becomes a one man tour de France.- April in Paris-be it a big band by Basie, a vocal by Vaughan, or a swooning stringed instrumental by Parker, it’s hard not to sing this song while strolling down the streets of the Left Bank
- I Love Paris-Sinatra? Everyone does it right!
“Autumn Leaves” well actually the original in French is “Les Feuilles Morte” and are song agonizingly pained when done right. Ellington’s version is no slouch, either, but Miles Davis and Bill Evans get the instrumental versions down pat, while Andy Williams is still the one we compare all other vocals to.
The Quintet of the Hot Club of France. OK, technically Django Reinhardt was Belgian and Stephane Grappelli was half Italian, but who cares? They invented that gypsy swing, with “ Nuages” the prototypical tune of the genre.- Dexter Gordon-Our Man in Paris. Back in 1963, tenorist Dexter Gordon did a session with Pierre Michelot/b, Kenny Clarke/dr and Bud Powell/p and it STILL sends chills up my spine. The take of “Night In Tunisia” has Gordon’s sound as big as the Grand Canyon, and he swings on “Broadway” like he owned Times Square.
- Bud Powell in Paris. In 1963, again, Powell went back into the studio and with Ellington producing
it, teamed up with Kansas Fields/dr and Gilbert Robere/d and laid down some nice takes of “Jordu” and “Dear Old Stockholm.” 
Michel Petrucianni. The pianist only lived from 1962-1999, but his charming approach to the ivories made a legion of fans.- Duke and Ella at Cote D’Azure. Sure, you can get the single album version, but the 8 cd boxed set is the one in which dreams are made of. This 1967 concert collection was when both were at their absolute zenith.
Madeleine Peyroux. She used to live in Paris, and her discs always have a hint of the Bohemian lifestyle.- Chet Baker in Paris-What IS it about this town? Between drug relapses Baker puts out a beaut, and his horn never sounded better.
“La Mer” No, not the one by Claude Debussy, but the one translated into “Beyond the Sea” and made famous by Darin.
- Eric Satie/Claude Debussy-two French pianists that influenced early jazz. Bix Beiderbecke was so inspired by these composers that he used their ideas for his famous “In A Mist.”
- “Parisian Thoroughfare” either by the composer Bud Powell himself or from the classic Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet.
The opening of the latter version with a mix of traffic and “American In Paris” (another great reference-GENE KELLY!) is a wonder to behold. 
Jackie Paris-is that a name or WHAT for a vocalist?!?