Paris (AFP)
In basketball we call it an all-star game: Iggy Pop, Diana Krall or Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) revisit French standards with Thomas Dutronc for his album, "Frenchy", jazz-swing.
But how do you put together such a cast? "This album is full of little miracles," said AFP Thomas Dutronc. "We asked a lot of people and the day that Iggy accepts, he says + oh by the way, Diana Krall wants to do something with me, do you think that would interest Thomas? + Obviously (laughs)!"
Result, the former burnt head of the Stooges and the jazz diva are both present on "C'est si bon", opening track of a disc (June 19 at Decca / Universal) on which we also find others, Jeff Goldblum, actor converted into a jazz pianist (cover of "La belle vie").
The album of memories opens as the conversation progresses. The recording of "C'est si bon" takes place in Miami. "Iggy started by throwing two or three bullshit to warm his voice, which relaxed everyone (laughs). He came in a convertible rolls in which he left shirtless (laughs)".
The interest in "L'Iguane" is not surprising for those who have followed their career. He has already covered, among others, "Les feuilles mortes" and his latest album, "Free", has very jazz tones.
- "Respected guitarist" -
What undoubtedly also pleased Iggy is that "Thomas does things seriously, but without taking himself seriously", as described for AFP Frédéric Goaty, editorial director of Jazz Magazine.
"And he's an authentic musician, a guitarist respected and loved by other musicians. The presence of Diana Krall proves it, she has other things to do if not", continues Frédéric Goaty. Jazz Magazine had given him the keys for a special Django Reinhardt issue earlier this year.
"Thomas has a real positive and contagious madness of Django", continues the journalist. Love that transpires in the preface to the comic book "Django main de feu" (Dupuis / Aire libre) signed by the artist. "It's a very nice comic strip, which shows that before his accident (fingers burned in the fire of his caravan led him to invent a unique style on the guitar, note) Django was recognized as one of the best" , takes place the son of Jacques Dutronc and Françoise Hardy.
- "Good album for making love" -
To return to "Frenchy", you must also go through Los Angeles, where a version of "La vie en rose" was boxed with one of the legendary bearded men from ZZ Top. "In my hotel, the photo closest to the bar was that of Billy Gibbons, I said to myself + it's a sign + (laughs)", laughs the French crooner. "It did indeed go well and he even came to have a few beers in the evening, where we also met ... Pete Townshend (The Who)".
Beyond the standards of the past, Thomas Dutronc also pays homage to the "French touch" by using "Get lucky" by Daft Punk and "Playground love" by Air. When we talk to him about the beautiful melancholy of this last song, the guitarist and singer retorts "sensuality". "Besides, I think it's a good album for making love, not good for me, it would remind me of the job (laughs)".
The idea of these iconic French titles already passed by the stamps of Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin was to take them on tour beyond the French-speaking countries, in the United States for example. The pandemic froze the plan. But this is only part postponed. Thomas Dutronc even has ideas for the future: "there is not even a song by Michel Legrand in the first, it would be good for a second volume".
pgr / alu / ide
© 2020 AFP