For those unaware, Josephine Baker was one of the most extraordinary, individual and distinctive artists of her era, an American singer, dancer and actor, who adopted France as her home.

She established a reputation as an outrageous, stylish and provocative stage performer, defying all the norms of the day, as she appeared on the Folies Bergere stage wearing not much more than a bunch of bananas, and in the process of making music that was very particular to her persona.

Apart from that, she became a heroine during WWII as an active participant in the French Resistance, working with Allied Intelligence services.

This 75-track 3-CD collection covers more than three decades of her career, comprising recordings released in Europe on singles on the Odeon, Columbia, Parlophone labels, along with selected titles from her albums on Columbia during the 1950s, Chansons Americaines, Josephine Baker, Encores Americaines, and her US Mercury albums The Inimitable and Avec Josephine Baker, plus the RCA albums Paris Mes Amours and The Fabulous.

It features performances in both French and English. Her music encompassed jazz, sophisticated pop, French chansons and more as it developed with the trends across the decades. This collection offers a fascinating cross-section of her work, and an intriguing showcase for a remarkable artist.

Hailed as the world’s first black female superstar, Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald in 1906, in segregated St. Louis, Missouri. Baker’s parents were formerly enslaved and she grew up on the impoverished streets, often going hungry. It was her strong-willed nature that drove her to getting recruited for the St. Louis Chorus Vaudeville show, and at the age of 13, she was on her way to New York City.

Performing during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, Baker soon became an established part of the chorus line of a touring production of the groundbreaking Shuffle Along (1921), often drawing attention to herself by performing improvised, comedic bits on stage.

Baker made the journey to Paris in 1925, opening La Revue Nègre at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and became an instant hit for her unique style of dancing. Swinging her hips and using her entire body in ways Parisian audiences had never seen before, her cultural influence quickly spread throughout the country, and in turn, the world.

In fact, Baker’s influence was so widespread, historical dance teacher at RADA, Darren Royston credits Baker with bringing the Charleston to Britain. Though she danced it at the Folies Bergère in Paris in 1926 to a different tune, the energetic, rhythmic nature of the dance undoubtedly has Baker’s stamp all over it, and her influence didn’t stop there.

Baker’s meteoric rise to fame quickly established her as a household name, best known for her boundary-pushing ‘Banana Dance’: in which she danced wearing nothing but a skirt made of artificial bananas and a pearl necklace. Her characteristic rhythmic style was unmatched across the theatres of Paris.

Though it was her captivating dancing that thrust her into the spotlight, it was Baker’s unapologetic embodiment of black femininity and a strong sense of identity that cemented her as an iconic figure, not just in dance but across her many exploits.

Her legacy extends beyond her contribution to the arts and she can be credited with helping to radically redefine racial barriers and gender relations at the time through her dancing, her time in the French resistance during WWII, and through her impact upon the civil rights movement in the US.

Disc: 1
1. Who 2. That Certain Feeling 3. Sleepy Time Gal 4. Dinah 5. You Are The Only One For Me 6. Feeling Kind Of Blue 7. Then I’ll Be Happy 8. Pretty Little Baby 9. Suppose 10. Dis-Moi Josephine 11. La Petite Tonkinoise 12. J’ai Deux Amours 13. Pardon Si Je T’Importune 14. Aux Iles Hawai 15. King For A Day 16. You’re Driving Me Crazy 17. You’re The One I Care For 18. Love Is A Dreamer 19. I’m Confessin’ (That I Love You) 20. My Fate Is In Your Hands 21. Mon Reve C’Etait Vous 22. Madiana 23. Si J’Etais Blanche 24. Les Mots D’Amour 25. Sans Amour

Disc: 2
1. Haiti 2. C’Est Lui 3. Sous Le Ciel D’Afrique 4. Espabilate 5. The Loveliness Of You 6. Afraid To Dream 7. La Conga Blicoti 8. De Temps En Temps 9. Sur Deux Notes 10. Mon Coeur Est Un Oiseau Des Iles 11. O Mon Tommy 12. C’est Si Facile De Vous Aimer (Easy To Love) 13. C’est Un Nid Charmant (There’s A Small Hotel) 14. Toc-Toc Partout (Knock-Knock) 15. Vous Faites Partie De Moi (I’ve Got You Under My Skin) 16. J’attends Votre Retour (There’s A Lull In My Life) 17. Comme Une Banque (I’m Feelin’ Like A Million) 18. Bonsoir My Love (Goodnight My Love) 19. Besame Mucho 20. J’ai Un Message Pour Toi (A Message From The Man In The Moon) 21. Nuits De Miami (Moon Over Miami) 22. Brazil 23. Boneca De Pixie 24. Peg De Mon Coeur 25. Te Voyo Benn

Disc: 3
1. Paris Paris Paris 2. Chiquita Madame 3. Revoir Paris (Maria Bonita) 4. Princesse Sans Amour 5. You’re The Greatest Love 6. Romance Aux Etoiles 7. Olele Olela 8. Pecadora 9. Serenade Celeste 10. Santa Chiare 11. Minuit 12. Paris Mes Amours 13. Terre Sèche 14. La Seine 15. Avec 16. Moi ’Io’ 17. Le Marchand De Bonheur 18. Donnez-Moi La Main 19. Mon P’tit Bonhomme 20. J’Attendrai 21. La Ballade Des Rues De Paris 22. Clopin-Clopant 23. Je Voudrais 24. Sag Beim Abschied Leise Servus 25. Don’t Touch My Tomatoes

Official Purchase Link

www.josephinebakercommemoration.com