Anthologie

An energetic and multi-talented singer and lutenist, Lili Boniche was born in the Jewish sector of the Algiers Casbah in1921 and died in Paris in 2008. He progressed from boy protégé of the great Arab-Andalusian master Saoud l'Oranais to teenage idol of his own Algiers radio show, creator of the new blend of Franco-Arabian popular music and a recording star, before becoming a Paris restaurateur and office supplies dealer. He was finally rediscovered in the 90s along with other contemporaries such as Reinette l'Oranaise and Maurice El Médioni. Like El Médioni, Boniche's musical amalgam evolved to include Latin dance styles of the 50s and French chanson, which he used to play towards the end of a concert when the long drawn out languorous old Andalusian pieces were putting the audience to sleep. This is the only CD retrospective of this important artist, and is equipped with a good booklet essay and some nice period photos. It contains an excellent range of songs, from his late 50s heyday classics such ‘Guitarra’ and Alger Alger,’ Orientalised French items such as Aznavour's ‘La Mamma’ (rendered as ‘Ya Yemma’) and Dalida's ‘Bambino’, to masterworks re-recorded in 1998, typified by the great ‘Je Chanterai Toujours La Musique Orientale, with its sinuous violin intro by Boniche's old colleague Maurice Sellem.