Reprinted in part from "SHOWBIZ, PIONEERS, BEST SINGERS, ENTERTAINERS AND MUSICIANS FROM 1606 TO THE PRESENT", Volume IV of the WORLD WHO'S WHO IN JAZZ, CABARET, MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT", published by TimesSquarePress and the Federation of American Musicians, Singers and Performing Artists (FAMSPA). Pages 1920-1940. Author of the book: Maximillien de Lafayette
Photo: Jacques Brel
Cabaret cannot be studied, understood and felt by reading about it or occasionally watching a cabaret act in ritzy nightclubs and night-spots in New York, Chicago or California.
Photo: The legendary
Patachou, protégée of Edith Piaf.
In the United States, we misunderstood what an original cabaret was or is. In fact, there is no “true” cabaret in America. The majority of artists, performers and writers in the United States believe that if a singer sings the songs of Edith Piaf, Yves Montand, Jacques Brel, Juliette Gréco, Catherine Sauvage, Kurt Weil, Patachou, Mistinguett or Barbara, her/his repertoire by itself would de facto create a cabaret ambience, and the act would become a cabaret act. Unfortunately, this is not quite accurate, for cabaret demands more than singing French or German songs and communicating with the audience in an intimate manner and in cozy settings.
What makes a singer “a cabaret chanteuse”?
A female singer who sings “Ne me quittes pas”, “Mon Homme (My Man) or “La vie en rose” does not categorically become a cabaret singer! Sensually grabbing a microphone, wearing a long black satin gown, or leaning against a baby grand strategically positioned on stage, imitating Edith Piaf or Marlene Dietrich, wearing a top hat, a hairdo a la Parisienne “Des Années Folles”, singing the songs of Kurt Weil, Jean Constantin, Sacha Guitry, Jean Cocteau, Barbara, George Brassens, Jacques Brel, Charles Dumont, Maurice Chevalier, Patachou, Danielle Darrieux, Cole Porter, Gershwin and Sondheim don’t create a cabaret act, nor make her a cabaret singer. Continues Next