Scentzilla!

Cananga di Java (Javanese Cananga) reminds me in feel of fragrances past, vaguely calling to mind vintage scents from fifty years ago. It’s new and old-fashioned in its way.

The fragrance is fairly linear. What you initially smell is what you get. Cananga di Java doesn’t particularly develop any unexpected surprises. Which is fine by me. A high sweet ylang ylang rises off rich honeyed wood notes. Warm ambers implying incense and soap create an ambience of candlelit rooms. Folded into the base is what I perceive as a wee touch of patchouli. I really noticed the patchouli during the summer when I tried to wear this, since with the heat of the season that note wore on me as “armpit” rather than patchouli. Cananga di Java is quite well blended, and for something that seems so simple it’s immensely satisfying.

J & E Atkinsons have shifted identity from an English to an Italian company. But their history in England is worth mentioning I think, because of of a quirky little historical footnote to WWII. To assist (and I suppose make money) with the war effort, they manufactured cakes of anthrax (!) under a military directive from Winston Churchill. This has nothing to do with this scent, but it’s so unusual I thought it worth sharing.

Rather than posting an image for Cananga di Java, I thought I’d share a song. Pink Martini’s Una Notte a Napoli is also new but old-fashioned and satisfyingly fun:

Pink Martini is a band based in Portland, and both their CDs get regular rotation on my player. I’d especially recommend listening to the original compositions U Plavu Zoru and Sympathique, as well as their cover of Jimenez’s Donde Estas, Yolanda? The music clip is from NPR, and here is their feature story on the band. To listen to all their recordings, or to purchase their CDs, visit Pink Martini’s site. I can’t emphasize enough how great they are, and if you like music that gives you “happy feet” then this is the band for you.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 6th, 2005 at 3:36 pm and is filed under Perfume Reviews, J&E Atkinsons. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.