"La Vie En Rose"
Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* | CA USA | 03/22/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
""It's such a musical pleasure to become immersed in these timeless melodies, and to celebrate the Parisian creativity which in many ways symbolizes our romantic ideals." ~ John Darnall
This is the perfect instrumental music for hosting a cocktail party or a cozy dinner for good friends, or just listening to it while curling up in bed with a good book. You'll enjoy the romantic sounds of accordion, violin, guitar, piano, mandolin, harpsichord, harmonica, trumpet, drums, clarinet, flute, percussion, sax and plucked zither. It's such an awesome musical treat to listen to these timeless melodies as performed to perfection by talented musicians John Darnall, Jeff Lisenby, Craig Nelson, David Davidson, Jeff Coffin, George Tidwell, Eric Darken, Bill Purcell, Jim White, David Angell, Jim Ferguson, Janet Askey, Monissa Angell and Chris Farrell.
My all-time favorite is "La Vie En Rose" (Life In Pink). This is such a very nice melody. Some versions worth listening to are a duet by Tony Bennett and K.D. Lang (2004 Grammy Winner "A Wonderful World"), Louis Armstrong and a new singer Jack Nicholson ("Something's Gotta Give" Soundtrack), the great and remarkable harmonica player Toots Thielemans with Diana Krall (Chez Toots), a funky version by Grace Jones (Island Life) and of course the original by Edith Piaf (The Voice of the Sparrow - The Very Best of Edith Piaf).
The rest of my personal favorites are: "C'est Si Bon" (It Is So Good), "La Valse Des Lilas" (Once Upon A Summertime), "Que Reste T'll De Nos Amour" (I Wish You Love), "Le Chevalier De Paris" (The Knight of Paris) and classical composer Jules Massenet's ultimate masterpiece "Meditation De Thais." If you love this particular piece, check out the CD "Violin For Relaxation" and I'm certain you'll love it too.
Ah, the loveliness of Paris... Eiffel Tower... Musée du Louvre... Versailles Castle... River Seine... c'est magnifique... can't wait to visit Paris this fall!
Give this CD a listen and experience Parisian love songs at its very best and get ready to be transported to the most romantic place on Earth. Highly recommended!
"
A very pleasant surprise
George H. Smith | Bloomington, IL | 08/31/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I download a lot of albums from Amazon (20 per month, on average), but rarely do I take a chance on something that smacks of "easy listening." (I'm a jazz enthusiast, and you know what prigs we can be.)
But I took a chance on this album, because one of my favorite Christmas albums is John Darnall's "Midnight Clear." Even so, given my experience with albums that bear similar titles to "Romance in Paris," I was afraid this one might consist largely of cheese covered in syrup.
I was very pleasantly surprised, to say the least. The arrangements are elegant and economical, and the musicianship is superb.
In short, unless you are allergic to the tunes on this album, you can't go wrong by purchasing it. It's a delight.
Ghs"