laissant la chanson mener la manière...

emmanuel pariselle
la nonchalante

no matter the language, a great song is made even greater when the performer allows it to override his or her own ego – the song wears the performer like a sentient glove, each of them enhancing the other
when this happens, it’s a sheer wonder – a delight for both the performer and the listener
this is a rare enough occurrence – when it happens consistently over the course of an entire recording, it’s a true treasure
such is the case with emmanuel pariselle’s la nonchalante – even understanding very little french, i can’t get enough of this album
tunes from it pop into my head hours or days after hearing it – that’s some pretty amazing ‘staying power’

emmanuel plays with [la bergère], a french folk trio i’ve recently discovered – one of my favorites of late
he’s an incredibly accomplished musician, skilled on diatonic accordion and concertina, as well as low whistle
his technical abilities are obvious when you hear him perform – but like the great accompanist he is, he knows how to support instead of overplay, an extremely important component whether he’s playing in an ensemble or, as is the case here, on his own project
overplaying can not only apply to other musicians with whom one is performing, but to the songs themselves – and letting these songs shine through as the gems they are is one of the best things about this album
he has played on countless recordings and as a part of a large number of ensembles – he has also given classes and workshops, in france and abroad
when i found the listing for his solo cd, i ordered it immediately – in my haste, the fact that the website mentioned ‘songs’ was completely lost on me, and i was expecting to receive an instrumental recording
when i received it and popped it into the player, i was surprised – but any misgivings quickly gave way to complete enjoyment
emmanuel delivers these songs with ease and grace, without over-emoting or any unnecessary instrumental flourishes
there are several fine originals; some by other writers, contemporary and otherwise, and some traditional – there’s even a piece by the great irish harpist turlough ó carolan (1670-1738), "captain o’kane", brilliantly performed by emmanuel, coupled with one of the traditional songs
on la nonchalante, he plays diatonic accordion and concertina, as well as singing all the songs
he’s joined by some notable guests here and there – his bandmates from la bergère, sylvie berger [vocals] and julien biget [acoustic guitar]; myriam added [accordions]; alfred den ouden and philippe prieur [cornemuses], and gabriel yacoub [vocals]
the album was produced by yacoub, who wisely opted to record it ‘live’ at the house of friends in flanders – the result is a recording that is amazing in its feeling of ease and naturalness, difficult qualities to achieve in the sometimes cold atmosphere of a studio, no matter how ‘warm’ the atmosphere might be
listening to this cd, i’m left with the feeling that i’ve been party to a gathering of friends sitting around a big kitchen table playing and singing these wonderful songs – it’s one of the most relaxed and intimate discs i’ve heard in ages

without understanding the lyrics, it’s hard to comment in depth on the meanings of the songs, of course – but i have some favorites. "les mangeaux d’terre", written by gaston couté [1880-1911] and maurice duhamel [1884-1940], is a great song looking back on the authors’ memories of growing up in the countryside, and of the changes they see every time they return
emmanuel dedicates his original song "l’auberge de la double écluse [the inn of the double lock]" to three other accordionists with whom he has worked: martin o’connor, christian maes and gilles poutoux – and to the memory of sharing a few rounds with them in an inn, passing conversation while watching the children of the lock-keeper dart in and out – there are images of the passing of time, shadows deepening, gentle and memorable camaraderie, ending with the singer enjoining the listener to stop in – ‘it is not the most beautiful canal, they are not the best white wines – but come to spend an enjoyable moment there near the stove, if you are hungry or thirsty, come there where the barges stop…’
"hier au soir embarquant" follows – a traditional acadian song, performed a cappella by emmanuel, sylvie and gabriel
the translation i managed is very rough – but it appears to be sung between a young woman and her lover, who is about to sail away to sea
she is expressing her sorrow but noting that ‘…the child that i carry will not suffer the same sad fate – it will never know its father…’ the three singers’ voices blend together beautifully – as they do on several songs from the two cds by la bergère
it’s a type of harmony that seems to be found quite a bit in french traditional song – i don’t know the technical name for it, but it sounds relaxed and almost impromptu, though i’m certain it’s precisely structured
at any rate, it’s simply lovely
the translations are made more difficult – at least for me, with my limited knowledge of french and the questionable [at best!] results from babel fish – by the frequent use of uncommon contractions
there are letters dropped all over the place, and i’m guessing most of the time as to what was left out – the results are haphazard most of the time, sometimes impossible
someone with more of a working / conversational level of french will no doubt make more sense of things
that being said, even without understanding each and every song to its depths, this recording is extremely enjoyable
samples of the tracks [there are fourteen altogether] are available at le roseau site [just click on the song titles]
[le roseau]

when it comes down to it, these songs simply, honestly and compellingly sing the truth – whether the subject is country life, the heartbreak of lovers parted by the ocean, the hard life of a prostitute, the wreck of a canal barge, or simply memories of times gone by
the feeling carried by the songs, through emmanuel’s unaffected, completely un-egotistical singing and his incredible skill on his accordion or concertina, comes through with a life of its own, with a simple dignity that raises it far above maudlin nostalgia and into the realm of living history
these are memorable melodies that have the power to move the spirit of the listener, as they obviously moved the spirit of the performers
this album should appeal to anyone who appreciates folk music in its truest form – i can’t recommend it highly enough one more great purchase from [cdroots]n

larry looney
larry looney blogspot

une bouffée d'air de la campagne bien revigorante

emmanuel pariselle fait partie de ces auteurs-compositeurs ancrés dans le folklore au sens noble du terme
tout comme gérard pierron ou gabriel yacoub, son ami et ici son producteur
c'est aussi l'accompagnateur attitré au concertina et à l'accordéon de marc robine, de la bergère?
quand il n'écrit pas de superbes chansons où il raconte avec humour, tendresse ou nostalgie les bords de loire de son enfance, l'ambiance des troquets aux bords des écluses, la vie des baleiniers et son goût pour la rusticité de la cornemuse, il interprète avec sa personnalité propre le poète anarchiste gaston couté "le champ d'naviots", "l'amour qui s'fout de tout", "les mangeux d'terre" [un auteur populaire trop peu connu en regard d'un vincent scotto plus politiquement correct], pierre perret "valsez les gars" ou raymon asso "elle fréquentait la rue pigalle" triste histoire de la réinsertion impossible d'un prostituée
ce disque enregistré dans une ferme des flandres sent bon la cheminée, le gros pain et les effluves de petit blanc sec !
une bouffée d'air de la campagne bien revigorante

05 | 01| 2006

[biblionline]

albi bop
biblionline

la nonchalante

produit par le trouvère gabriel yacoub, un joli disque de l'accordéoniste-chanteur emmanuel pariselle, où voisinent gaston couté et pierre perret, la prostituée de pigalle et le marinier du canal saint-martin, valses mutines et tendres goualantes
plus frais que rétro

2 clefs

philippe barbot
télérama

pariselle ne fait pas de manières

pariselle ne fait pas de manières, il chante sorties de sa besace des chansons de mer ou de terre avec bonheur, respect, simplicité et justesse [couté ou brassens]

février 2006

le petit format

emmanuel pariselle "la nonchalante"

emmanuel pariselle est un musicien bien connu dans le milieu des musiques traditionnelles en france; depuis de nombreuses années il fait vibrer ses accordéons et concertinas sur les scènes de l'hexagone
sensible à la chanson il met ses talents d'accompagnateurs au service de la sienne et aussi de celle des autres [gérard delahaye, sylvie berger]
sur ce disque des chansons personnelles alternent avec des chansons traditionnelles et des chansons d'auteurs [brassens, perret, couté]
son univers est celui des voyageurs, des bistrots, des amoureux
la voix d'emmanuel pariselle, d'une séduisante fragilité, nous emmène en plein c?ur de cet univers proche des guinguettes et goualantes
elle est délicatement soutenue par les instruments fétiches de l'artiste et par ceux de quelques invités [cornemuse, guitare]
l'ensemble est un pur bonheur de tendresse et d'émotion
le cd est produit par gabriel yacoub qui intervient, en compagnie de sylvie berger, sur deux chansons dont la très belle "nonchalante" qui donne son titre à l'album

chemins de terre

sur le net

[chemins de terre]
[biblionline]
[larry looney blogspot]