Picture this: a glass of delicious wine, a starry night and songs of Edith Piaf and other great artists, delivered in flawless French.
And that’s what Elsie Parker and the Poor People of Paris will deliver as they highlight the third annual Wine & Jazz under the Stars event to benefit Classic 107.3-FM.
Parker’s acumen on saxophone, clarinet and flute, along with her knowledge and delivery of the French language and music (even though she’s American) is remarkable.
For audience members, it doesn’t matter if they actually know French or not, they enjoy the sound of the language and the music. Parker often fills the crowd in on the meaning of a song she is about to sing, providing clues of some of the words that will be repeated, reminding audience members of words they learned in high school French class or giving them a means of understanding the overall message of the tune.
Parker became interested in French music when she was introduced to some of Piaf’s early recordings. Piaf had a low voice for a woman – similar to Parker’s. They had the same range, so the songs were something that she thought would fit her voice well.
And Parker soon became entrenched in French music. Piaf’s songs tend to be very dramatic, some are sad, but they are always very powerful. “La Vie En Rose” is one of her most popular and probably one of the most “covered” songs around, recorded by a range of singers from all genres.
After falling in love with Piaf’s music, Parker began adding songs of other French singers to her repertoire, and has written her own original material.
Many people are familiar with songs like “Autumn Leaves,” and maybe don’t realize that it was first a very popular French song. And some songs, like those by Michel Legrand, were written in French and English, so she does sing some in English.
But people generally love to hear the beautiful music and listen to the words because they’re so pretty – even if they don’t understand the French.
Parker also plays the tenor saxophone, incorporating it into her French performances. Her main instrument is clarinet for which she holds a master’s degree, and she also plays the flute, bass clarinet and alto flute.
She is one of the few non-French individuals to be featured on the French television program, “La Chance Aux Chansons (The Luck of Songs),” hosted by Pascal Sevran and filmed in Paris.
Growing up in New Mexico, Parker herself took only a semester of college French and later a series of French lessons that she won. But she has many native French friends who have helped her become fluent in the language, and her accent is impeccable.
In addition to Parker, members of The Poor People of Paris are Ken Kehner (piano/keyboard), Bill Lenihan (accordion and guitar), Wayne Coniglio (bass) and Alan Schilling (drums and percussion), all talented and experienced individuals.
Co-chaired by Babette Meiners and Peggy Ritter, the Wine & Jazz event will run from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20, at the Columbia Foundation for the Arts at 5333 Columbia Ave., St. Louis, MO 63139. Cost is $95 per person, which includes the music, the wine, appetizers and valet parking. For reservations, visit classic1073.org/wineandjazz. All proceeds will benefit the radio station and its mission to support classical music programming.
About Classic 107.3
The station operates on analog radio at 107.3-FM and on hybrid digital radio at KIHT 96.3-HD2. In addition to classical compositions, Classic 107.3 plays chamber music, vocal music, choirs, opera, symphonic, jazz, blues and Broadway show tunes as part of its programming lineup, and features national performances from organizations such as the San Francisco Opera, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Chicago Symphony, among others.
Nationally syndicated programs such as “Concierto (a weekly program of classical music presented in Spanish and English that highlights Latin American composers and musicians)” and “Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin” also air on the station. For more information, live streaming, archived interviews and podcasts, visit rafstl.org.
