Petite Fleur celebrates the connection between New Orleans and France that was musically strengthened decades ago by clarinetist Sidney Bechet, who spent the latter portion of his life in Paris, earning legions of fans on that side of Atlantic. Appropriately, the album begins with the title cut, Bechet’s signature tune, softly performed by vocalist Cyrille Aimée, a French native, backed by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra under the direction of drummer Adonis Rose. The song naturally suits both the singer and the band with Ricardo Pascal offering a fine solo on soprano saxophone that works tonally and soulfully in lieu of the usual clarinet. The enchantment continues on “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?,” which Aimée sings in French. Her voice is enhanced by elegant orchestration with trumpeter Ashlin Parker providing a sharp solo.

In a total change of pace, the whole crew moves back to New Orleans for Jelly Roll Morton’s “Get the Bucket.” The guys in the band jump in on vocals with a bit of lively chatter. It swings and everyone’s having fun.

A step back to the heyday of the big band era fills “In the Land of the Beginning Again.” Here Aimée shows off her impressive scatting skills, referencing, perhaps, great vocalists of the era like Ella Fitzgerald. Aimée offers more scat, though at much faster pace, on “Undecided” where she picks up on the sax solo before trading bars with drummer Rose.

Despite focusing on material that many would consider retrospective, Petite Fleur remains bright due to the great local talent that makes up the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. These guys are hip and you can hear it.