Un Peu De Toi by Oscar Lalo

Abaji, who wrote most of the songs, continues the French tradition for songs which are snapshot-of-life descriptions. Abaji, a talented performer on his own, is incredibly gifted at unraveling the nature of feelings. When it comes to the short stories of our lives, this music easily tops the list.

The French song -- or la chanson française -- is making a comeback these days. Inspired by legendary performers such as Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel, a new generation of singer-songwriters like Oscar Lalo, is finding commercial success.

Oscar Lalo was born on March 16, 1965. From the start, music was an important part of his life because his Tunisian father helped him develop an appreciation for Arabic music, and his Parisian mother introduced her young son to "Chanson Française".

Not surprisingly, his first musical efforts were an amalgam of Oum Khalsoum and Barbara, Fairuz and Jean Ferrat. With such diversity at the core of his music roots, he was open to all genres, his only caveat, the need to express one's soul.

Also key to his development was the family of one of his friends, who like Oscar, became a lawyer and musician. And whose other son, a pianist, practiced incessantly, even when he traveled, on a silent keyboard.

This family, headed by a Jazz musician father, lived in a chalet above Montreux, Switzerland, the site of the world renowned Jazz Festival. It was in this chalet that Oscar learned to love Jazz, and met, in person, such legends Kenny Clarke, Herbie Hancock, and the Marsalis Brothers.

At this time, Oscar was also given two recordings that shaped his music, and life, Oscar Peterson's "Nigerian Marketplace," and Keith Jarrett's first solo recording, "Facing You." Hearing Jarrett inspired Oscar to study the piano, first classical music, then Jazz.

But it was as a singer that he made his performance debut, at a high school concert benefit for the Polish union Solidarnösc. That was the turning point, where made singing his priority, and used the piano for accompaniment. And that's when he started working small venues, singing his originals.

When he became a lawyer, he stayed in touch with his muse by working for a firm situated right across from La Salle Pleyel, France's Carnegie Hall. And like Carnegie Hall, he was able to rent a piano room to practice at lunch, every day developing his chops and soon participating in singer/songerwriting contests all over France.

In the coming years, he would win many prizes, including recognition from French Regional TV and Radio. While visiting his Montreux friends, he played a demo tape for the owner of Swiss private radio station who liked the music so much that he offered to produce Oscar's album. And when he learned that Oscar was also an attorney, he offered Oscar a job as his legal counsel.

Oscar jumped at the opportunity to live in a country where he already had such close friends and memorable musical experiences. Not surprisingly, just a few months later he performed at Neuchâtel FestiJazz.

As fate would have it, while in Paris for rehearsals to record an album of his compositions, Oscar met his future collaborator, Abaji, producer and song writer. The two quickly developed a deep bond, based on their mutual admiration for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jeff Buckley, Richard Desjardins, Greg Brown, Alain Bashung, Johnny Cash, Fiona Apple and Munir Bashir.

As their friendship flourished, they decided to record an album that would emphasize the range, warmth and charm of Oscar Lalo's voice. It took some years for the duo to actualize the project. In July 2004, in Paris, they finally recorded "Un Peu De Toi," live in the studio with four very talented musicians.

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