This CD, Half and Half / Moitié-Moitié has its roots in the music of the past, but the sound is really current - thanks to arrangements made by Malcolm Granger and myself.
This recording was a natural transition for me after performing Pop Jazz tunes at local public venues in Northern California. Being French, I naturally chose French tunes that became Jazz and Pop Standards in the US.
Despite the fact I was singing them half in French, half in English, I noticed that most of the time, audiences didn’t know they were originally French! This is a way for me to pay tribute to those who created these beautiful tunes that generations have been enjoying.
I don’t play them in a classic Jazz style. I hear each one of them with a different color, a different sonority. For example, What Now My Love has a Blues-jazz feel, I Wish You Love, a Bossa Nova mood. I use a muted trumpet on The Good Life, an acoustic guitar as a lead - in for Autumn Leaves...
As an artist, I’ve been inspired and influenced by musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, but also icons like Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and George Michael. This CD is the result of these influences.
The CD is also a bridge between 2 cultures, 2 countries: France & the United States. Even though most were hits in their English version: The Good Life from Tony Bennett; What Now My Love, Frank Sinatra; C'est si Bon, Dean Martin; Autumn Leaves, Nat King Cole; Beyond the Sea, Bobby Darin; all the songs on this CD are of French origin.
Finally, this CD is my way of thanking the United States, a country that opened its arms to me. My time in this country has been one of discovering, learning and growing as a man and artist by meeting many wonderful people. My life has been filled with dreams since I was a little boy in Paris. Some have been fulfilled, some are yet to come!
Did you know that the Tony Bennett hit "The Good Life" and the Bobby Darin swinger "Beyond the Sea" were originally written in French? How about "Autumn Leaves" or "What Now My Love?" Singer Laurent Fourgo does. But of course, that's only natural: he lives in San Francisco now, but this silky-throated crooner is Parisian through and through, born and raised in the romantic City of Lights.
On his brand new CD, Half & Half / Moitié-Moitié, Fourgo salutes eight beloved tunes that had their origins in France, singing choruses both in French and English. His style is swinging, warm and serene, with a hint of Bennett and Darin, but with a whole lot of Fourgo!
At Jazz at Pearl's, Fourgo will celebrate the release of the new CD with all of the favorites on that fine recording, and more.
This show is a must for lovers of grand singing and of the Great American (and French!) Songbook.
C'est Si Bon!
