Released in 1964 Gainsbourg Percussions is the sixth album from Serge Gainsbourg, an eccentric French musician/poet/actor/director with a difficult to categorize body of work. Dabbling in jazz, pop, reggae, and electronica throughout his 30 year plus long career and working with such names as Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, & Rita Marley (wife of legendary Reggae artist Bob, who got into a famous tiff with Gainsbourg due to Serge making her sing sexual lyrics one time) Serge left quite a legacy on the musical world. Despite this his work managed to slip under the radar for many which is a shame if the wonderful music on Gainsbourg Percussions is anything to go by.
Centered around a old time jazz style that recalls Frank Sinatra but far more manic the majority of tracks here (as you might expect from the title) are led by exotic and obscure percussion instruments. Joanna, La-bas c'est naturel, New York – USA & Marabout are prime examples of where the complex use of these works best, Serge crooning in smooth French tongue over many woven djembes, tabla and god knows what else employing some quirky female backing vocals to compliment the layered arrangements present. Its an odd mix at first, but there is an eccentricity at work here which is quite charming after several listens.
A sublime piece of music with a Caribbean tropical island feel, Pauvre Lola is injected with samples of a laughing female that is strangely alluring. Tatoue Jérémie is similar in bizarre and exciting beauty, with some nice flute action weaving itself around percussive elements it promotes images of playing beach volleyball back in 60's with a group of naked French people (come on everybody dreams about this as some point or another). Les Sambassadeurs is much more loud and boisterous, a stomping jazz number featuring some females chanting excitedly in french with crowd noises strewn all throughout simulating the excitement of such a situation. Its fresh, its exciting, and it ends in gunfire! Fantastic.
Other tracks such as Quand mon 6,35 me fait les yeux doux & Coco & Co are rooted more in traditional jazz (albiet that with a slightly avant garde touch in style) with soaring trumpets and smooth, walking basslines backing the French croon. Machins Choses is the only downbeat song on the album, featuring some minor key interplay between layered tracks of organs, horns and bass it sounds rather sad. Nonetheless it is still very Serge, is rather beautiful in a maudlin state of appreciation and doesn't sound out of place in context with the rest of the album.
Gainsbourg Percussions is what I would consider a hidden gem, a fascinating album lost in the 60's. The music is at times exotic, tasteful, eccentric and with a quirky and sublime beauty to it that is just downright fun to listen to. Strongly recommended if you want to try something just a little offbeat with some nice pop hooks to keep you coming back for more.
