The "Jazz in Paris" series is an astounding mine of auditory gems. Each one is wonderful in its own right. These may not be definitive performances, but for someone looking to gain new material, they are a gateway to a lost world. This volume is a pleasant entry. Not too challenging for the beginning listener, but still rewarding for an aficionado. Excellent rendition of "Angel Eyes" makes this feel very Noir. It is Paris after dark after all.
Eddy Louiss has spent most of his career leading his own group in France, but twice has made particularly notable recordings, both on organ. He had sung as a member of the Double Six (1961-1963), played piano with Johnny Griffin in the mid-'60s, and worked at times with Kenny Clarke and Jean-Luc Ponty. But he is best-known for recording Dynasty with Stan Getz (1971) and for his duet set with pianist Michel Petrucciani (1994) on Dreyfus.

Drummer Daniel Humair's name might be listed first on this double CD, and organist Eddy Louiss may be the dominant voice, but it is the inclusion of violinist Jean-Luc Ponty as part of the trio that really makes it quite historic. Recorded in Paris in 1968, the live set features Ponty at the beginning of his career, before he came to the U.S., teamed up with the George Duke Trio, joined forces with Frank Zappa, became part of the second Mahavishnu Orchestra and had his long string of fusion albums for Atlantic. Not quite 26 at the time, Ponty is featured on the date mostly playing standards including "You've Changed," "Summertime" (which is taken double time), "So What," "Bag's Groove" and "Oleo." Sometimes his violin sounds a little like a saxophone and it is clear, even at this early stage, that Ponty had a great deal of potential in jazz…

Ce chemin va á Paris so get your shaker and put on your smoking jacket because now you can fill in the gaps to your Eddy Louiss collection with Récit Proche. The French keyboardist and organist delivers a grand musical adventure filled with contentment and bien de l'inspiration from his amis, Jean-Marie Ecay on guitar, Paco Sery on batterie (drums), Julio Rakotonanahary on basse (bass), Daniel Huck on alto saxophone, and Xavier Cobo on tenor saxophone and flute. The nine compositions are all instrumentals and allow you to envelop your musical tastes in the ambiance of a gay Parisian night. Be prepared to feel exceptionally comfortable with the melodies from "Pour Toi," "Incertitudes," and "Marilyn & Bronsky." The title track, "Récit Proche," is a revelation for those unfamiliar with Eddy Louiss' excellent piano stylings and provides many new avenues to the beautiful musical ideas on this CD…

French trumpeter, arranger, composer, and conductor Ivan Jullien paired up with organist Eddy Louiss for this expansive 1971 version of George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. An ambitious combination of small-group jazz, big band, and Gil Evans-style orchestration, Jullien's Porgy & Bess also found him eschewing stylistic traditions with charts that touched upon hard bop, old-school swing, and AM pop, and even made room for bursts of electric fusion. It remains a landmark of French jazz and one of Jullien's most memorable recordings.