the ultimate 60s french jazz group
The unexpected bonuses to moving to a new country keep coming and this time, it’s in the way of learning about a new group that I just love. Though I consider myself decently well-versed in music, I keep coming across music that was unknown to me until moving to France. My husband has grown to know my tastes and my affinity for obscure jazz. And when he played me an album by the group Les Double Six, I was hooked.
I found their vocal styling recognizable but unique. What probably felt similar was that many of the songs I had heard were written by Quincy Jones and Horace Silver—names I have in my vinyl collection. Besides using their voices to mimic instruments, I learned that the sextet used a double tracking technique in their recordings to enhance the sound, which was a similar effect that Brian Wilson used with the Beach Boys. The group would all sing one recording of a track, then duplicate the song to a second track, "doubling" each individual vocal part. Fascinating!
The group only lasted between 1959 and 1964, recording 4 different albums. The vibe of the music truly puts me in a French mood. It just oozes cool. I can totally picture putting on these songs while making a yummy meal, dreaming about my next French road trip.
Find more of their wonderful music on spotify.
