If you like the music of legendary French songstress Edith Piaf, you’ll want to check out Edie DaPonte at the Dave Dunnet Community Theatre tomorrow night.
The Victoria singer performs her CD release concert for her new album, Under Paris Skies: The Music of Edith Piaf, a collection of songs in both French and English, although the bonus track, “Uma Casa Portuguesa” is sung in DaPonte’s traditional family language.
Under Paris Skies is a wonderfully playful album in which DaPonte – her Piaf is stunningly accurate, vibrato and all – is backed by a veritable who’s who of Victoria jazz musicians.
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Joey Smith, who co-produced the album with Joby Baker of Baker Studios and also wrote the arrangements, is the rock on upright bass, while adding some guitar. Others include Aaron Watson on guitar, Adrian Dolan on accordion, Jonathan Eng doing percussion, and Karel Roessingh on piano. Eric Harper plays Portuguese guitar and classical guitar on the CD’s bonus track.
Each track has its own charm and personality, regardless of the language – DaPonte admits not knowing how to speak French, but seems to have mastered singing it. But her rendition of “La Vie En Rose,” Piaf’s signature composition, leaves one to imagine sitting in an outdoor café sipping a coffee along the edge of the Champs-Élysées.
Smith, Roessingh, Watson and drummer Damian Graham join DaPonte in concert. Tickets for the Friday night show are $35 in advance at Nicholas Randall Ltd. in Oak Bay, Lyle’s Place and the Royal Theatre box office (service charges apply), online at eventbrite.ca, or $40 at the door. For more on DaPonte, visit edie.ca.
editor@mondaymag.com
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