Issue No.26

Autumn Leaves was composed here
In the 1940s, French poet and screenwriter
Jacques Prévert rented a house in
Tourrettes-sur-Loup. Together with his
friend Joseph Kosma, a composer, he wrote
the film “Les Portes de la Nuit”. In the movie,
Yves Montand hummed along to a tune
named "Les Feuilles Mortes". The song
crossed the Atlantic and became a jazz
standard. Johnny Mercer wrote the English
lyrics and gave it the title "Autumn Leaves".
It has been covered by many huge names
from Bing Crosby, Chet Baker, Nat King
Cole, Tony Bennett, Miles Davis, Doris Day,
Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand to Eric
Clapton.
This song is recognized as "the most
important non-American standard" and has
been recorded some 1400 times by
mainstream and modern jazz musicians. It’s
the eighth most-recorded tune by jazzmen.
The Village of Violets
For over a century, the village has been
famous for its cultivation of violets, a type
commonly known as "Victoria". The “Violet
Village”, is the only village in France to grow
them so intently.
The violets grow all year round. The spring
flowers are picked and used in confectionery.