Midnight In Paris (Music from the Motion Picture)

iTunes Review

As per most Woody Allen films, 2011’s Midnight in Paris was scored with vintage recordings from the '20s and '30s, as well as modern-day musicians covering some of those old tunes. When blended, it makes for a beautifully assembled collection. The clarinet and soprano saxophone stylings of the late, great Sidney Joseph Bechet set the tone with “Si tu vois ma mere,” a simmering slice of old New Orleans jazz wrapped in Parisian elegance. Anyone who’s seen Wild Man Blues understands Allen’s deep love for this specific genre; Conal Fowkes from The Woody Allen Band lends his timeless voice to Cole Porter’s “Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love),” inflecting almost exactly like Porter sang it on the late-'20s 78 rpm vinyl recording. Actor Yves Heck played Porter in the film, so Fowkes also covers “You’ve Got That Thing” and “You Do Something To Me”—also apt recreations of the originals. But the brightest gems here are the original recordings in their scratchy, hissing fidelity. Josephine Baker’s “La conga blicoti” is a welcome time portal.