The City of Paris was a favoured settlement for our ancestors over two thousand years ago, no doubt due to its position on the River Seine and the rich agricultural conditions in the surrounding area. All this contributed to a pleasant lifestyle, and it was hardly surprising that it became the largest city in the world by the 12th century, a position it retained until other developing nations eventually overtook it in size at the turn of the 18th century. But size is not always everything, and for centuries Paris was at the forefront of Europe’s leading centres of learning and the arts. As such it attracted the best scholars and artists, and this was certainly true in musical terms. Today’s inheritors of this proud tradition still carry on the unique French style that is not afraid to adapt, yet still manages to retain that certain ‘je ne sais crois’. This tribute to Paris confirms the spell it still exerts not only for its own musicians and composers (Franck Pourcel, Roger Roger and Michel Legrand are prime examples), but also the countless admirers from around the world who have fallen for its charms.