"Near the beginning of his career, Legrand was primarily known as a jazz pianist, so it shouldn't be surprising to learn that none of his compositions are present on these 1959 studio sessions, which originally were issued by Phillips. With bassist Guy Pederson and drummer Gus Wallez, Legrand covers songs by French composers of the day along with the ever-popular "Moulin Rouge" and a somewhat upbeat arrangement of the Edith Piaf's usually maudlin "La Vie en Rose," as well as standards from the Great American Songbook by Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Vernon Duke, and Mack Gordon. Most of the songs have a Parisian theme to them, Legrand's piano style is hard to define, as he shows a variety of influences without letting any of them overwhelm his sound. Michel Legrand's eventual fame as a composer would grow tremendously during the decades that followed the making of this recording, but this CD reissue from the Jazz in Paris series is well worth purchasing to get a taste of his early career." (Ken Dryden, Allmusic)
De beroemde Franse arrangeur stortte zich op geliefd kerstrepertoire en pakte vervolgens z'n rijkgevulde adressenboekje. En zo horen we een bijzonder gemêleerd gezelschap liederen als "White Christmas" en "The Little Drummer Boy" zingen. Hoogtepunt is het Franstalige "Noël D'Espoir" waarin we niet alleen Madeleine Peyroux, Emilie Simon en Rufus Wainwright horen, maar ook Carla Bruni en als klap op de vuurpijl, eh, poedersuiker op de kerststol, ook nog Iggy Pop. Hem in het Frans horen zingen is al mooi, maar hij zet er ook nog eens zijn diepstgebronsde stem bij op. Het punkrock-icoon in één song met de Franse presidentsvrouwe: gedenkwaardig. Solo brengt hij ook nog "Little Drummer Boy". "Gaat nog vele kersten mee." (Robert van Gijssel, Volkskrant; waardering; 5 uit 5 sterren!)
"This high-quality outing features composer Michel Legrand faring quite well as a jazz pianist. He performs six of his compositions (only "Pieces of Dream" is well-known) with a lyrical septet also including altoist Phil Woods (doubling on clarinet), tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims, trumpeter Joe Wilder, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Grady Tate. The music generally swings, has plenty of fine melodic solos, and gives listeners a taste of some fresh Legrand material." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)
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