Sacha Distel - Jazz Guitarist (2003) - Recordings from 1954-1968

Long overdue - and totally great! This beautiful 2CD set brings together all the early jazz recordings of Sacha Distel - an artist who went onto become a pop vocalist in 60s France, but who was a great jazz guitarist in his early days! Distel was a key part of the transition in French jazz of the 50s - as he took the guitar, and played in a style that was much more modern than that of older Parisian players - especially Django Reinhardt. His playing had a clean and clear approach that was really great, and which shines anew again in this excellent package. The set features work from the following sessions: an orchestral date with backing by Billy Byers; a quintet session with Bobby Jaspar; another quintet date with Hubert Fol on piano; the soundtrack to the Roger Vadim film Les 7 Peches Capitaux; and a stunning album recorded in 1968 with Slide Hampton. This last session is especially great, as it was a "back to jazz" date for Distel, and featured some great orchestrations that mixed together light orchestrations from Hampton, breezy guitar, and even a bit of bossa. The set's got a total of 26 tracks on 2CDs, and titles include "Saki", "Marina", "Blue Waltz De L'Orgueil", "Half Nelson", "Stop & Go", "No Sad Song For Sacha", "Competition", "Scotch Bop", and "A Piece Of Pizza". (From the Jazz CD (A-D) page.)