In the years following World War II, a number of African-American jazz musicians took up residence in France, inspired by the relative lack of racism, the working opportunities, and the appreciation that French audiences showed for their art. Jazz greats such as Dexter Gordon, Bud Powell, Kenny Clarke, and Don Byas spent long periods of time on the European continent and made many recordings there; we?ll hear from them as well as trumpeter Bill Coleman, tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson, avant-garde group the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and more.

We like to think of French Popular Music as a colorful tent.  In the center stand srong pillars, representing the legendary artists from the 1950's.  A bit further from the center we find the pillars of the next generation of Artists. At the periphery there is constant movement.  Young artists are coming into the tent and immigrants are bringing their traditions, adapting them to the idiom of French Popular Music. You'll take a Grand Tour of this beautiful genre in less than an hour.  The commentary is in English, but you'll be surrounded by beautiful melodies and voices singing in French.  Prepare to be dazzled.  This program is perfect to mark Bastille Day.

If you enjoy this program, then you will  love the "Bonjour Chanson" Series which will bring you many hours of French Language Music.

In this program you'll hear extracts from:

Najoua Belyzel, (France), Au Feminin
Edith Piaf, (France), Cri du Coeur
Georges Brassens, (France), Les Passantes
Charles Aznavour, (France), Emmenez-moi
Jacques Brel, (Belgium), Amsterdam
Mouloudji, (France), Un Jour tu Verras
Barbara, (France), Du Bout des Levres
Charles Trenet, (France), Vous Qui Passez Sans Me Voir
Francis Cabrel, (France), La Robe et L'Echelle
Francoise Hardy, (France), Je Suis Moi
Alain Souchon, (France), Ecoutez d'Ou Ma Peine Vient
Jean-Jacques Goldman, (France), On Ira
Calogero, (France), En Apesanteur
La Grande Sophie, (France), Quelqu'un d'Autre
Renan Luce, (France), Nantes
Clarika, (France), La Venus en Caoutchouc
MC Solaar, (France), Caroline
Olivia Ruiz, (France), La Femme Chocolat
Isabelle Boulay, (Canada), Chanson Pour les Mois d'Hiver
Les Cowboys Fringants, (Canada), Les Etoiles Filantes
Lara Hurni, (Canada), Coeur Assassin
Claude Nougaro, (France), Le Coq et la Pendule

Hear gypsy kids who play like Django in bars around Paris. They describe how they take a guitar and Django records into their caravans to try, for hours and hours, to copy the way he played. They describe how Django stayed faithful to his gypsy roots: he lived in a caravan and always refused to compromise his freedom. Like when he blew out a sell-out concert at Carnaigie Hall because "he didn't feel like playing". The star gypsy guitarist Bireli Lagrene says why, after years playing contemporary jazz, he's returned to the music of his roots and how Django, the most famous 'Manouche' (i.e. French) gypsy ever, has become a figurehead for their community. This trip to Paris, full of music from the new players and their hero, provides a new take on this great jazz guitarist and his significance for gypsies today. Suggested introduction: There aren’t too many European jazz men that get called “the greatest” but the gypsy pioneer of jazz guitar Django Reinhardt is undoubtably one of them. Now, half a century after he died, French bars and cafés are bobbing along to a new generation of French gypsies or ‘Manouches’ inspired by Django, the violinist Stéphane Grappelli and the Hot Club of France. This report from John Laurenson begins in one of a number of Paris venues where Django’s music is still thriving... Take a listen!

The Global Guru is a weekly public radio spot that celebrates the oddities, the curiosities, the unknowns of global culture, particularly in countries where Americans have either single narrative story lines, like Afghanistan (war), Thailand (sex tourism), Rwanda, (genocide), or perhaps no story lines at all, like East Timor, Moldova, Malta, Lesotho, etc. Engaging and rich in sound, the 3:00 interstitial helps us connect to the vastness of human experience. Presenting station is WAMU in Washington, DC and sponsored by American University in DC. Some of our favorite past shows include: How do Cambodians predict the harvest each year? What messages do cigarettes send in Chinese business dealings? How did Tanzania become the capitol of barbershops? How and why does Thailand categorize food? What is Iceland’s most feared culinary delight? How do you track a Tasmanian devil? What are the hidden messages in Zulu beadwork?