Madeleine Peyroux

[mikeweil]

Just received and listen to her debut CD Dreamland from 1996, on Atlantic - currently available ar bargain price.

What do the tough ears at Organissimo think of this singer?

[mikeweil]

Some links:

Webpage with her new CD

Webpage after her debut CD

[mikeweil]

Between her two this was recorded:

[mikeweil]

... and this is the new one:

[vibes]

I saw her in concert a few months ago. She played guitar and sang, no backing band. She's not bad, and her singing style reminds me of Norah Jones. I've been surprised to see her CD's in the jazz section, though. Like Norah Jones, I don't consider her music to be jazz.

[mikeweil]

Well, her music - as far as I can say after listening to this one CD - is a mixture of country blues and folk blues with early jazz leanings. I think her sound and phrasing are jazzier than Norah Jones - many compare her timbre to Billie Holiday, whose heavy inspiration she acknowledges. There is indeed some similarity in the voices - of course she would be the first to admit she is no Lady Day reincarnation. I find it sympathetic she took her time that long before recording another album.

Her style between folk blues and jazz some how reminds me of Maria Muldaur's repertoire in the 1970's. I'll watch and listen and see how she develops.

[JSngry]

I had that first CD and was pretty much indifferent.

[brownie]

She was pretty big in France with her first album. Radio stations kept playing it. Magnum Photos headoffices in Paris used her album as background music whenever their phone lines were busy. Got sick of her voice. And of her streetsinger bit!

Planning to avoid her new one until proved wrong!

Give me Billie Holiday, the one and only!

[Man with the Golden Arm]

She had a helluva band on that first disc - hence my reason to buy it when it came out and I couldn't get it out of my hands fast enough.

I think David Sedaris does a better job.

[sheldonm]

I was in Minneapolis on business a couple weeks ago and she was playing the Dakota Bar, a local jazz club. I had dinner at the club one night and both shows were sold out. Although I was sitting in the dining room, sepatated only by a curtain, I was as close to her as the folks in the club. Here band was pretty good, she played piano and had a pleasant enough voice. I hadn't heard here prior to this night; not really jazz to me!

[alankin]

  Man with the Golden Arm said:

She had a helluva band on that first disc - hence my reason to buy it when it came out and I couldn't get it out of my hands fast enough.

I think David Sedaris does a better job.

Her voice seems a bit eerie to me.

[Steve Gray]

I bought the new CD yesterday after hearing it being played in HMV.

I was struck by the voice, so obviously heavily influenced by Billie Holiday.

I like it a lot although whether it is jazz or not is a moot point.

[mikeweil]

  Steve Gray said:

I like it a lot although whether it is jazz or not is a moot point.

Indeed!

There's one rather bland poppish track on Dreamland and about two thirds country folk blues, but the rest is 1920's style bluesy jazz - considering the lines bewteen jazz and blues and whatever you name it weren't as segregated back then as they are now .....

Edited November 14, 2004 by mikeweil

[cannonball-addict]

  sheldonm said:

I was in Minneapolis on business a couple weeks ago and she was playing the Dakota Bar, a local jazz club. I had dinner at the club one night and both shows were sold out. Although I was sitting in the dining room, sepatated only by a curtain, I was as close to her as the folks in the club. Here band was pretty good, she played piano and had a pleasant enough voice. I hadn't heard here prior to this night; not really jazz to me!

I understand this is the case for every show there these days. The club is wildly popular for locals, students, and visitors. Everybody who plays there sells out regardless of who it is. Probably the major hotels are plugging the place.

A good flute-playing friend of mine used to sit in with Captain Jack McDuff there (when he was a masters student at University of Minnesota) in the Captain's later years and they would have jam sessions.

P.S. This flute player is an even better piano player - plays entirely by ear. He's from Russia. But he's been in Pittsburgh the past 6 years (PhD candidate in computer science).

[Jazzmoose]

  cannonball-addict said:

This flute player is an even better piano player - plays entirely by ear.

I envy people who can do this. The keys are so close together, and remember, you can't see them and hit them with your ear at the same time!

[Durium]

Why, Funkateer, did we al miss this one?

[Jazzmoose]

Well I bit and bought Careless Love; heard it all for the first time today. I must say I kind of liked it, once I got past the "channelling Billie" aspect of it, which really stands out in the first track to an extreme.

[Dr. Rat]

  Jazzmoose said:

Well I bit and bought Careless Love; heard it all for the first time today. I must say I kind of liked it, once I got past the "channelling Billie" aspect of it, which really stands out in the first track to an extreme.

I wasn't familiar with her until this latest. I think she's pretty good--a lot of the material is "jazz," but I've really gotten to the point where I don't give a damn about generic distinctions any more. It works with jazz--it's sophisticated enough and swings. If this isn't jazz, neither is a lot of vocal music everybody considers to be jazz.

But the Billie Holiday thing has gotten to really bother me. I think she'd sound like Billie one way or another, but I think she really takes it too far on a couple of tracks and it just sounds too affected.

But I'm generally really happy with the disc and I'll be hunting down some of her earlier stuff.

--eric

[jlhoots]

I like her singing more than I thought I would.

Going to see her live on Jan. 31.

[ghost of miles]

Just found out she does a cover of Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars" on CARELESS LOVE... interesting choice of material for that record.

[marcello]

Sorry, but I think she is quite unlistenable!

It's a shame that she has to rip off Billie, and a bad rip off at that, to make a name for herself!

[Jeffro]

A few weeks ago, I played "Dreamland" for the first time in years. Pretty damn impressive!

[chris olivarez]

  Jazzmoose said:

  cannonball-addict said:

This flute player is an even better piano player - plays entirely by ear.

I envy people who can do this. The keys are so close together, and remember, you can't see them and hit them with your ear at the same time!

Jazzmoose,Jazzmoose.

[Cornelius]

Someone mentioned that the Billie Holidayisms sometimes sound affected. Not to my ears.

[Dr. Rat]

  Cornelius said:

Someone mentioned that the Billie Holidayisms sometimes sound affected. Not to my ears.

I don't claim she always sounds affected, but I do think a couple of tracks do. (I'd give you the titles, but I don't have the disc in front of me right now.)

--eric