NEW RELEASES

MICHEL LEGRAND-STEPHANE GRAPPELLI

“Legrand-Grappelli”

Verve

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Though the 85-year-old violinist has many jubilant moments, as often as not he defers to Legrand, who functions here as pianist, conductor-arranger and, on three tracks, composer.

The orchestra is vast, with strings, brass, even an occasional vocal group, but Legrand never overwrites; moreover, he managed to treat each tune as though this were the first ever version, instilling every work with a freshness one would have thought impossible. (“Mon Homme” was introduced by Mistinguett 73 years ago.)

The album provides a powerful reminder: All 15 songs are of French origin and at least 10 are well known in this country, some by French titles (“Nuages,” “C’est Si Bon,” “Comme Ci, Comme Ca”). The most famous are “Les Feuilles Mortes” (“Autumn Leaves”) and two Legrand songs with lyrics by the Bergmans--”What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life” and “The Summer Knows.”

Legrand adds a cheerful, wordless vocal to “Mon Legionnaire.” In the liner notes, Alain Tercinet contributes fascinating data about the origins of these songs, which collectively prove that the term “standard” does not ipso facto mean “American.”

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).