Kat’s choice to perform “Dance Me to the End of Love” was a quietly striking moment. It’s a Leonard Cohen song, not a French chanson, yet the way she delivered it made it feel completely at home in the set. Her phrasing softened the edges of Cohen’s writing and let the song drift into the same smoky, late‑night emotional space as the Piaf and Trenet numbers. It worked because the show isn’t really about strict national borders in music; it’s about mood, intimacy and the timeless pull of torch songs. In her hands, Cohen’s piece became another thread in that tapestry, surprising but entirely fitting.
Posts Tagged La Vie en Rose
A Relaxed, Charming Hour of French Chanson and Jazz at the Fringe
August 15, 2026 at 6:46 am · Filed under Jazz, Music ·Tagged Cabaret, Edith Piaf, French chanson, Fringe 2026, Jazz, Kat Brooks, La Vie en Rose, Live Music, Moulin Rouge, Tenement Jazz Band, The Jazz Bar
Kat also performs one of my favourite songs, the French chanson Moulin Rouge (the Georges Van Parys / Jean Renoir song, later covered by Rufus Wainwright). It is a romantic and sensual cabaret-style song sometimes described as sexually suggestive (at least in the French version). The lyrics describe:a woman’s allure, the intoxication of desire, physical closeness, the feverish, overwhelming feeling of attraction and the atmosphere of Parisian nightlifeIt’s suggestive, but in the classic French chanson way — poetic, metaphorical, and intimate rather than explicit.
Between numbers, Brooks reflects on the challenge of singing in French, and why she believes the translations soften or distort that meaning. It’s a fascinating aside that becomes part of the show’s charm. She’s joined by John on guitar and piano, and Steve on sax. Both from Edinburgh’s Tenement Jazz Band. Their playing is tasteful and understated, giving Brooks room to breathe, but adding colour and swing where it counts.
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