PARIS COMBO

5

pariscombo.com

Few musical terms can be more terrifying than “jazz fusion.” When supremely talented players go all crazy chemist and start mixing genres, things can get ugly fast. But that’s not the case with Paris Combo. The French five-piece hit big during the ’90s swing revival, but then, as now, they refused to be fitted for standard-issue zoot suits. On 5, their first album since 2004, these wily Parisians throw a fantasy cocktail party at their swanky space-age bachelor pad. They clink martinis glasses with Cab Calloway on “Je Te Vois Partout,” do shots with the British ska band Madness on “Tout Excusé” and blast ’60s mod-pop in between numbers. Shame the soiree only lasts 42 minutes.