Charles Trenet : Livre + CD

“Charles Trenet did not attain poetry through song. He bestowed his poetry upon song. At the age of eighteen, he already belonged to literature. He was recognized by Max Jacob, Cocteau, and Fargue as being ‘marked by the sign.’ If he chose to sing, it was to enclose himself within a circle of light. Because he refused to become an adult.”
Gaston BONHEUR

CD1 : HÉLÈNE RÉGELLY - orch. dir. Albert VALSIEN : HÉLÈNE (première chanson de Charles Trenet enregistrée, 1932) • ROBERT BURNIER - orch. Ultraphone dir. GUTTINGUER : SAIS-TU ? (du film Bariole) • JEAN DUNOT - orch. Ultraphone, dir. Maurice ANDRÉ : POURQUOI, CES P’TITS TRUCS LÀ ? (du film Bariole) • CHARLES ET JOHNNY : BRUNSWICK, LÉVITAN, THÉ DES FAMILLES, LORY (10 publicités) • MORGANE - acc. piano prob. Edward TAYLOR : LE PRINCE (unique enregistrement connu de Morgane) • GERMAINE SABLON - orch. dir. WAL-BERG : J’AIME UNE RIVIÈRE (inédite sur CD) • JEAN-FRED MÉLÉ - orch. dir. Michel EMER : MA VILLE (inédite sur CD) • HENRI VERTAL, TRIO VOCAL ET FRED ADISON - orch. dir. Fred ADISON : L’AMOUR M’A (inédite sur CD) • CHARLES TRENET - acc. piano et orch. dir. prob. Michel EMER : LE COURRIER DU FOU CHANTANT (rubrique radiophonique) • CHARLES TRENET - acc. orch. Quintette Léo CHAULIAC : LA MER (genèse historique, 1942) • CHARLES TRENET - orch. dir. prob. Henry LECA : POÉSIE (inédite) • COLIN-MAILLARD (inédite).

CD 2 : CHARLES TRENET - acc. pianonon identifié : LA FOLLE COMPLAINTE (maquette) • ENFANT, TA TANTE T’ATTEND (maquette inédite) • CLAUDE TRENET - acc. piano lui-même : FOLIE DU RYTHME (inédite) • CHARLES TRENET - acc. piano prob. Albert LASRY : LES GENDARMES S’ENDORMENT SOUS LA PLUIE (maquette inédite) • CHARLES TRENET - acc. piano et orch. dir. non identifiés : PROSPER... (YOP LA BOUM !) (extrait et poème improvisé) • CHARLES TRENET- acc. piano et orch. dir. non identifiés : HOW MUCH REMAINS OF ALL OUR LOVES ? • MARIE-LOUISE CAUSSAT-TRENET - acc. piano non identifié : C’ÉTAIT... C’ÉTAIT... C’ÉTAIT... (extrait) • CHARLES TRENET - acc. piano lui-même : LES MITES (première version) • CHARLES TRENET - Edición especial de Buenos Aires - Canta Charles Trenet - orch. dir. et acc. guitare non identifiés : BUENAS NOCHES BUENOS AIRES - CABOCLO • CHARLES TRENET : DANS LE BOIS DE CHAPULTEPEC (début de chanson, inédite) - LA BARBE (début de chanson, inédite).

CD 3 : CHARLES TRENET - Théâtre des Champs-Élysées - acc. piano Albert LASRY : UN AIR QUI VIENT DE CHEZ NOUS - AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE • CHARLES TRENET - Récital Salle Pleyel, 3 mars 1947 - acc. piano prob. Janine ROTANTE, orch. dir. Hubert ROSTAING : TOMBÉ DU CIEL (couplet inédit) - LE RETOUR DES SAISONS (version inédite) - SUR LE FIL - CHARLES TRENET - a cappella - LA MER • CHARLES TRENET - Concert Pacra - orch. dir. Ray VENTURA : N’Y PENSEZ PAS TROP • CHARLES TRENET - orch. dir. non identifiée : SEUL DEPUIS TOUJOURS - BERCEUSE - (ALL OF A SUDDEN) MY HEART SINGS • CHARLES TRENET - Théâtre des Champs-Élysées - orch. dir. Paul DURAND : BOUM • CHARLES TRENET - Moulin Rouge - acc. piano Freddy LIENHART : QUAND UN BATEAU BLANC. Sélection de titres parmi les 101 pistes du coffret (discographie complète à l’intérieur).

DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE : PASCAL HALBEHER ET VINCENT LISITA - COLLECTION : DANIEL NEVERS

Who was Charles Trenet, really? Behind the familiar image of “The Singing Madman” lies a complex figure: a visionary poet as much as the inventor of a distinctly French musical modernity. In this biography, Noël Balen offers far more than the story of a life; he invites readers into the world of a creator who transformed song into an art form in its own right. From Narbonne to Paris, from his earliest successes to his final performances, Balen retraces the journey of an artist who crossed the twentieth century while continually re-enchanting it.

Drawing on his deep knowledge of jazz and popular music, Balen sheds new light on Trenet’s work. He reveals its influences, its bold innovations, and its shadowed corners, while capturing the uniqueness of a style in which poetry embraces rhythm and words dance with music. Through a sensitive and thoroughly documented approach, this biography restores Trenet to his full stature: that of a bridge-builder between worlds, an inventor of new forms, and a free spirit.

Patrick Frémeaux

Noël Balen is a writer, musicologist, and former managing editor of the magazine Jazz Hot. He divides his time between literary work, record production, and lectures devoted to African American music. He is the author of the landmark volume The Odyssey of Jazz, now considered a classic, and has also published A History of Gospel Music. He is the co-author of the wine-themed crime series Le Sang de la vigne (The Blood of the Vine), which was adapted for television starring Pierre Arditi.

354 pages