Brut de Bratsch 1973-2013

For their 40th anniversary last year, this veteran French group have released a blockbuster of a commemorative set: not only the four audio and video discs, but a 140-page booklet to go with them. There are 71 tracks from the Gypsy-Balkan- Mediterranean-jazz-folk-chanson stylists, delivered expertly via guitar, bass, violin, bouzouki, accordion, clarinet, trumpet and vocals. While it covers their familiar territory, there’s also a nice selection of Yiddish and Armenian laments and novel twists on familiar items: a strange Orientalised version of Renato Carosone’s ‘Caravan Petrol’ and a nice, small-combo arrangement of Jules Massenet’s ‘Méditation’ from his opera Thaïs.

The DVD provides a patchwork of live numbers and some archive interview material all intercut to a rambling group meal with lots of reflection, chat and joking. The booklet is somewhat heavy on family snaps but also contains interesting pieces by members of the group and other contributors revealing nuggets of history, such as the fact that the band originally started during an Andean folk vogue, playing charangos and Peruvian percussion, or that their bassist used to drive a black Citroën DS that was often mistaken for a hearse: it seems as if Bratsch’s career has not only been highly successful but also rather fun.