An Offbeat Combo That Deserves to Be Heard

The offbeat French group Paris Combo arrived in town Friday on a wave of favorable reviews for its new, eponymous-titled album on Tinder Records. But the band deserved a better reception than it got at Fais Do-Do. Although the club was packed for the set by Paris Combo--one of several bands on the program--a good third of those in attendance seemed more fascinated by their own conversation than the group’s music.

And that was a shame, because Paris Combo had a great deal to offer. Virtually indefinable in terms of style, the group managed to incorporate an eclectic range of influences in its material, from French cabaret to rumba and bolero, from flamenco to swing. And, in almost everything played, there was a subtle but surging undercurrent of jazz.

The center of the group’s performance was the singing and songwriting of Belle du Berry, whose dark sensuality and sardonic touch harked back to the work of Juliette Greco (once a favorite of Miles Davis). Unfortunately, Du Berry’s presentation was sung completely in French, with virtually no attempt to provide even minimal context for listeners who didn’t speak French. That caveat aside, her interpretations were consistently entertaining, performed with a flair and a presence that stamp Du Berry as an up-and-coming world music diva.

In addition to her own undeniable skills, a great deal of credit for the quality of Du Berry’s numbers traced to Paris Combo’s instrumentalists. Guitarist Potzi expressed his affection for Django Reinhardt in both playing style and visual presentation. Australian David Lewis doubled on keyboards and trumpet, bringing traces of Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge and Bubber Miley to his work on the latter instrument. Bassist Mano (from Madagascar) balanced his solid rhythm work with some adroit scat singing, and drummer Francois held everything together with his brisk, supportive but unobtrusive percussion.

It was all good enough to warrant further hearing in a considerably more productive setting.