La Mauvaise Reputation
French gypsy swing virtuosos, regarded as Australia’s most authentic interpreters of the beautiful melodies of classic French chanson, hot jazz and up-tempo 30’s swing. Take a trip through time to La Belle Paris.
“La Mauvaise Réputation” formed in Melbourne in early 2009, with the aim of recreating the beautiful French music of the 1920s 30s and 40s. Their repertoire features the songs of the greats of that period: Trenet, Aznavour, Brel, Brassens, Piaf, Ulmer, and more modern additions such as Serge Gainsbourg and the contemporary Chanson group “Les Ogres de Barback”.
They perform in the Jazz Manouche style made famous by Parisian gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. The music is joyous and infectious, the rhythms will make everyone in the room feel like dancing, and the melodies are plucked out of the heart of old Europe.
The repertoire is performed in French, staying true to the tunes as they were originally conceived.
“La Mauvaise Réputation” has a commitment to acoustic music, made possible by the special design of gypsy guitars, which only require amplification in large settings. Thus the band requires minimal setup, has next to no venue requirements, and blends naturally into the space in which it plays – never too loud or too soft.
The members of “La Mauvaise Réputation” are skilled professionals, with many years of performance experience behind them. Between them they have played all the major jazz clubs, bars, and function venues around Melbourne, as well as interstate and internationally, from regional Australia to the streets of Paris.
this was totally brilliant. We bought 3 CDs just as gifts for people