Various Artists - Tchic Tchic - French Bossa Nova 1963-1974

Playful, fun and exuberant 22-track compilation of French bossa nova from the early 60s and 70s. Includes tracks by Isabelle Aubret, Christiane Legrand, Jean Constantin, Marpessa Dawn and actress/singer Sophia Loren. Available on CD digipack with 24-page booklet and double LP with printed inner sleeves + download code. The liner notes are in French and English.

Ever since the late 1950s bossa nova revolution, Brazil's influence on French music has been undeniable. Pierre Barouh, Georges Moustaki and a vast array of lesser known artists, all made the Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB). Some were seduced by the poetic languor's of the bossa, some were looking for fun, and others just loved the American hybridization of jazz-bossa, jazz-samba.

What is bossa nova? One of its creators, Joao Gilberto said: Its style, cadence, everything is samba. At the very start, we didn't call it bossa nova, we sang a little samba made up of a single note - Samba de uma nota so .... The discussion around the origins of bossa nova is therefore useless. It is nevertheless useful to remember that these magnificent Brazilian songs, which the guitarist describes as samba, were shifted and balanced around improbable chords.

With emotion, arrangements for violin and supple guitar licks, bossa nova rapidly changed. A transformation that can be heard on the 'Tchic, tchic, French Bossa Nova 1963-1974' compilation, the result of a cultural reappropriation, which travelled through the United States and supplemented itself in France.