Album Notes

Jacques Wayser

Remonter le Temps (turning back the time)

Jacques Wayser's music is special. It comes from a lineage of great French artists: Jacques Brel, Yves Montand, Charles Aznavour, Jean-Jacques Goldman, Charles Trenet, Gilbert Becaud, Edith Piaf and many other French singers that never made a career in the United States. In some ways it also relates to a French version of James Taylor.

Jacques' songs come from the heart and the true stories of his life. From his youth in Paris to his migration to Hollywood. Nothing gratuitous or meant to be catchy. It is just an expression of self and a mean to be a storyteller. His songs describe life, the time that keeps escaping us, the dreams, the sorrows and the emotions that carry us through. His love for his wife and children permeates throughout the album. Even though he sings in French and it is a good idea to read the translations in the beautiful booklet that comes with the CD, his voice is soothing, tender and calming to the soul. One gets easily transported to a French Country village by listening to "Remonter Le Temps".

This album is Jacques' first release in the United States. It was recorded "the old fashion way" on tapes and live at the "Sound Factory Studio" in Hollywood. Jacques is accompanied by great musicians (Cliff Hugo, Carl Verheyen, Andy Howe, Sinclair Lott) who appreciated being part of such an unconventional project, at a time where everything seems to be electronic, amplified and digital. Bernard Matthews, the Sound Engineer on the album, described it as an "organic sound". It is the type of album that one must get into and appreciate for its pure simplicity.