Jacques Brel - Still In Paris

[dj]

And another while I'm here.

Still on a "down" note, but on a different topic: moral uncertainty. In the end, we're all Alone.

Many of Brel's songs start small and build large.

I created a very "jagged" piano ostinato, doubled by 12-string guitar at times, which alternates with sharp punctuating chords.

And, in true Brel style, it builds and builds until it collapses on itself.

My singers are fighting over who gets to do this number.

[dj]

One more to show that it's not all doom and gloom.

Jacques Brel, despite being an ugly little spud, was quite successful with the girls, which is why this number is a little strange.

That and the fact that it's in 7/8, with the metre alternating between 3+4 and 4+3. A challenge for the band! I've added a quirky little synth noodle on top to punctuate -- on the Korg MS2000 that's indicated, it's a high-resonance, long decay sound that fades under the voices.

The Girls And The Dogs is sometimes dropped from new productions of the show, but I think it's a great song. Maybe I just had my heart broken too many times as a young man.

[aulos43]

Elegant, straight-forward .not files.

For content, I particularly like "Fannette." The minimal setting adds to the poignancy.

Thanks for introducing me to Jacques Brel.

Walt