In the early 1950s, West Coast jazz took shape in California through the cool, luminous sound of musicians like Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker. Characterized by clarity, contrapuntal writing, and a relaxed pulse, the style soon became a defining voice of modern jazz. Though it never achieved great popularity in France at the time, it left a deep impression on several musicians who found in it a fresh idiom—sophisticated yet lyrical—that resonated with their own sensibilities.

This compilation brings together some of the finest French jazz artists of the period —Christian Chevallier, Claude Bolling, Roger Guérin, William Boucaya, Bob Garcia, Raph Schecroun (Erroll Parker), Christian Bellest, Fernand Verstraete, Jean-Louis Chautemps, Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, Marcel Bianchi, and others— musicians who, each in their own way, absorbed and reimagined the Californian sound. From imaginative arrangements to relaxed and swinging improvisations, from quartets and quintets to larger ensemble textures, their work reflects both homage and originality.

Here, the western winds blow across the French scene, carrying the vibrant breath of West Coast Jazz—fresh and bracing, like a breeze from the Pacific that has crossed the Atlantic to mingle with the spirit of Paris.

—Jordi Pujol (Taken from the back-liner notes of the compilation FSRCD 1166)