Music — the sound of the Continental life
The Sound of the Continental Life
Music for long lunches, late nights, fast cars, quiet bars and beautiful places. From Sinatra and Chet Baker to Gainsbourg, Italian cinema, bossa nova and the finest contemporary recordings — a carefully curated soundtrack for the Continental Man.
Chet Baker Sings
Chet Baker · 1954
The most persuasive argument ever made for doing absolutely nothing before dinner.
Seven o'clock, the ice going into the glass, the light leaving a room you have not yet bothered to switch a lamp on in.
Read the note →The Series
Soundtrack To… & the shelvesSoundtrack to a Weekend in Lake Como
Twelve records for two days of water, cypress and doing considerably less than you planned.
The Collections
Twelve roomsThe Riviera Sound
French chansons, Italian classics, bossa nova and sophisticated lounge — the music of Mediterranean summers, on land or on water.
Six until nine. Martinis, terraces, hotel bars.Cocktail Hour
Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Julie London, Chet Baker. Records that raise the temperature of a room without anyone noticing why.
Smoky jazz, piano, torch songs.After Midnight
For the hours when the guests have gone and the conversation finally becomes interesting.
The great sound of Italy.Italianissimo
Paolo Conte, Mina, Battisti, Celentano, Morricone, Piccioni, Trovajoli — famous recordings and the discoveries nobody at your table will recognise.
Elegant French music.La Vie Française
Gainsbourg, Hardy, Aznavour, Brel, Gréco, Montand, Salvador — and the film music that made Paris sound like Paris.
Excellent jazz, no homework required.The Jazz Room
Chet Baker, Miles, Bill Evans, Peterson, Getz, Brubeck, Coltrane, Ellington — with instructions on when and where to play them.
Coffee, newspapers, slow hours.Sunday Morning
Jazz, classical, acoustic and bossa nova for mornings that nobody has scheduled.
Beautiful, and happy to be talked over.Dinner Music
Records that hold a table's mood up for three hours and never once demand attention.
Music for driving.The Grand Tour
Riviera Drive, Alpine Pass, Midnight Autobahn, Italian GT, French Coastal Road and the Sunday classic-car run.
An introduction without the pretension.Classical for Men Who Don't Listen to Classical
Bach, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Satie, Vivaldi, Puccini, Verdi — explained by mood and occasion, not by musicology.
Scores that outlive their films.Cinema
Morricone, Rota, Legrand, Barry — Italian and French cinema, Bond, and classic Hollywood.
Contemporary, and it passes the test.Modern Continental
Would it sound right at eleven at night on the terrace of an elegant hotel above the Mediterranean? If not, it is not here.
The Continental 100
One hundred recordings every gentleman should hear at least once, with an explanation of why each one belongs.
- 01Chet Baker SingsChet Baker
- 02In the Wee Small HoursFrank Sinatra
- 03Un gelato al limonPaolo Conte
- 04Studio UnoMina
- 05Histoire de Melody NelsonSerge Gainsbourg
- 06La questionFrançoise Hardy
- 07Getz/GilbertoStan Getz & João Gilberto
- 08Sunday at the Village VanguardBill Evans Trio
On the Shelf
Recently added
After MidnightIn the Wee Small Hours
Frank Sinatra · 1955
ItalianissimoUn gelato al limon
Paolo Conte · 1979
ItalianissimoStudio Uno
Mina · 1965
La Vie FrançaiseHistoire de Melody Nelson
Serge Gainsbourg · 1971
La Vie FrançaiseLa question
Françoise Hardy · 1971
The Riviera SoundGetz/Gilberto
Stan Getz & João Gilberto · 1964
The Jazz RoomSunday at the Village Vanguard
Bill Evans Trio · 1961
The Jazz RoomKind of Blue
Miles Davis · 1959
The objects worth owning
Walnut, leather and brushed aluminium: turntables, speakers, headphones and storage handsome enough to leave out in a good room.
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