Music on the Metro
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
This young man was playing what appears to be a hammered dulcimer on the metro a few nights ago.
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Archive for the ‘music’ Category
Music on the Metro
Thursday, February 16th, 2012 Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Here to Stay
Sunday, January 29th, 2012 
Matthew Lee at the Piano
Photo from the Matthew Lee press kit
Rock ‘n’ roll was alive and well in Paris last Friday evening, as Italian singer and pianist Matthew Lee belted out old standards to a wildly appreciative audience at the Jazz Club of the Hotel Méridien Etoile.
Backed by five superb musicians, Lee sang such classics as Johnny B Goode, Good Golly Miss Molly, Blue Suede Shoes, What’d I Say, I Got a Woman… the beat just kept on rocking!
Lee surely must have been cut from the same cloth as early rocker Jerry Lee Lewis, because, like Lewis, his hands flew over the piano keyboard at blinding speed. He even played the upper notes with his right foot, just like Lewis!
A popular singer in Italy, Lee speaks and sings in flawless English and has an easy-going, personable style. For the moment, all of his performances are in Italy and France; if he makes it to the United States, I am sure that he will win over large audiences there.
Matthew Lee, thank you for bringing the music forward. You have admirably claimed your place in the rock ‘n’ roll firmament.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Here to Stay!
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Bazar et Bémols – A Joyous Group of Musicians
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011 
Bazar et Bémols
Photo courtesy of Bazar et Bémols
Last week while riding the metro, I was delighted to see a joyous trio of musicians get on the car and begin singing in…French. Their performance was particularly entertaining because I do not usually hear singers perform French songs in the subway. Called Bazar et Bémols, they maintained exhilarating enthusiasm throughout their merry music-making. They will be performing in Paris at Stand’Art café on December 20, Caminito on January 13, and Hideout La Station on January 19.
Listen to their music on Facebook!
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The Princeton Roaring 20 at Dorothy’s Gallery – American Center for the Arts
Sunday, November 20th, 2011 
The Princeton Roaring 20
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
The Princeton Roaring 20, an a capella group from Princeton University, performed recently at Dorothy’s Gallery – American Center for the Arts. Click on the image below to watch them sing!
Video produced by www.DiscoverParis.net
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The Floating Market of Paris
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011
View of Marché Flottant and Brass Band from Bridge
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
On the weekend of September 16 – 18 an event called Les Marchés Flottants du Sud-Ouest was held at quai Montebello, a quay that lies across the river from Notre-Dame Cathedral. Over fifty food producers from southwest France were there, displaying their products and offering them for tasting and for sale. Three French administrative départements were represented: Gers, Lot-et-Garonne, and Tarn-et-Garonne. It was an excellent occasion for tasting some of France’s regional produce!
I did not get there until early Sunday afternoon, but nonetheless arrived at a good time. Stopping at pont de l’Archevêché, a bridge that overlooks the quay, I watched and listened to the brass band Beni Can Podi playing like there was no tomorrow. This link to their tune Il a fait de la moto will give an idea of their music. I watched them for the longest time!
Beni Can Podi Brass Band
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
From the bridge I could see that the market was not floating as its name would suggest, but rather was on dry land. In spite of this disappointment, I resolved to find the stairway leading down to the quay so that I could join the festival.
When I arrived, I could see tents set up along the quay where the producers were displaying their products. Although there were lots of people milling about, it was fairly easy to move from one stand to another. I was surprised about this, because these kinds of events can attract a big crowd, making it difficult to progress.
People at the Stands
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.com
I came upon Glosek Gourmet, which sold desserts from Gascony including babas, canelés, and crêpes all soaked in syrup made from sugared Armagnac. What a great idea! I decided then and there to start my lunch with dessert and purchased a plate of the confections for 2€. A good price for three sweet treats!
Baba Gascon
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Next, I came upon cheese producer Tome du Ramier selling (and offering tastings of) two kinds of cheeses: Ramier Roux and Tome du Ramier, both made from raw cow’s milk. Ramier Roux is a soft, slightly sweet cheese and Tome du Ramier is a rustic cheese with a strong flavor. I ordered a tartine (not pictured) made of the latter for 2€. It was a country-style, open-faced sandwich consisting of a slice of cheese atop a thin slice of bread. A hearty snack!
Assiette Dégustation
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Then I came upon the stand Melon de Lectoure, selling beautiful melons called Les Puits d’Amour. I purchased a plate of diced melon for 2€ and enjoyed the orange-colored flesh that seemed similar to cantaloupe but was sweeter and juicier. Food always tastes better when you are in Paris!
Le Puits d'Amour
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Following this wonderful meal, I got in line for a free distribution of fruit from the region. The queue was long, but it moved quickly. I received a bag full of produce containing two bunches of grapes (probably Chasselas), four apples (they looked and tasted like Pink Lady), and two bulbs of garlic.
Distributing Grapes
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
People sat all along the quay drinking wine and enjoying the food that they had purchased. It was a perfect day for a picnic!
Picnic on the Quay
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
We participate in Wanderfood Wednesdays. Head over there to explore food from around the world!
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An Afternoon with Goran Bregovic and His Orchestra
Tuesday, September 27th, 2011
Goran Bregovic and Orchestra
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
I must admit that before the afternoon of Sunday, September 25 I had never heard the music of guitarist, singer, orchestra leader, and composer Goran Bregovic. This is also an admission that I have not seen the award-winning movies Time of the Gypsies (1988) and Arizona Dream (1993) for which he composed the musical scores.
The concert that I attended on Sunday changed all that.
The event was held at the Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione, a building that looks like a circus tent located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Bregovic performed in the arena with his Orchestre des Mariages et des Enterrements (Marriage and Funeral Orchestra), a group consisting of a women’s choir (two Bulgarian singers), a men’s choir (six Slavic singers), a brass section, a string ensemble, and a drummer (who also sang). Altogether there were about twenty performers on stage!
Bulgarian Women's Choir
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Slavic Men's Choir
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
They began the concert with a slow piece, somewhat dreary, which belied the kind of explosive music that they were capable of. All of a sudden they stopped and broke into pulse-pounding fanfare of what sounded to me like raucous gypsy music. This brought screams of delight from the audience, whose enthusiasm demonstrated that they were already quite familiar with the music that Bregovic would perform that afternoon. For the rest of the roughly two-and-one-half-hour concert Bregovic and his orchestra played music that provoked emotions ranging from high excitement to sober reflection, oftentimes all in the same piece!
Audience Reaction
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
To my ear, the sometimes strident and volatile brass pieces resembled mariachi music of Mexico; the temperate and restrained singing of the Bulgarian women’s choir resembled music from Arabia. For the longest time, Bregovic was a guitarist in a popular Yugoslav rock band. The music that his orchestra performed on Sunday reflected not only the influence of hard rock, but also polyphony from Bulgaria and gypsy fanfare. What a fantastic combination!
Goran Bregovic
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
The people at Festival d’Ile-de-France deserve commendation for bringing this marvelous group to Paris to perform. Click here to learn about its program.
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Musical Duo Is Off to Africa
Friday, September 23rd, 2011
Jeff Hoffman and Keri Cryst
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
I met Keri Chryst and Jeff Hoffman at a U.S. State Department Africa Regional Services cocktail party yesterday evening and learned that they will be leaving soon for Swaziland. They will spend a week there presenting a series of workshops and concerts to local musicians, school children, as well as the general public.
This will be the first in a series of collaborations between the Jazz Vocal Academy International, Keri (vocals) & Jeff (guitar and vocals), and Africa Regional Services, wherein they will present a variety of concert programs, including the The French Connection, an educational program developed by Keri.
The party was in honor of the new Regional Bureau Chief, Dale Prince.
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The Terres de Bretagne Music Festival
Part 5
The Music
Friday, September 16th, 2011
Part 5
The Music
Alan Stivell Quartet
From left to right:
Gaëtan Grandjean, guitar
Alan Stivell, Celtic harp
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
In parts 1, 2, and 3 I wrote about the spectacular setting for the Terres de Bretagne music festival, and in part 4 I wrote about the food served there. In today’s post, I discuss the music, which was my principal reason for attending the festival.
Hundreds of people (as well as some eighty performers) braved uncertain weather to hear fifteen groups play traditional Breton folk music as well as jazz, and in the case of the group N’Diale, Breton-Malian fusion.
There were so many groups that I didn’t get to hear them all. The performances took place from 12:45 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at six different locations on the expansive domain. It took a considerable effort to walk from one spot to another. Also, I spent a lot of time exploring the grounds—especially at the top of the hill where the château d’en haut (château on the hill) is located—so I missed many of the concerts.
The first group that I listened to was Penndù Skoulm, a quintet consisting of two men playing the violin; one playing the flute; one, the guitar; and one, the uillean pipe. I found their music lively, but somewhat monotonous. This did not seem to be the opinion of the other spectators, because many of them got up to dance!
Jacky Molard, violin - Pennoù Skoulm
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Dancing to the Music of Pennoù Skoulm
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Another group that I watched was Trio Zon, which performed a jazzy kind of Celtic music in front of the château near the top of the hill. I guess that I don’t care much for Breton music because I wandered away after a few minutes to look for something else.
Trio Zon
From left to right:
Grégoire Hennebelle, violin
Faustine Audebert, vocals
Youen Parathoen, accordion
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Happily, for my taste in music, the group N’Diale performed later in the afternoon. I blogged about them on June 18, after I had seen them at a pre-launch concert sponsored by Festival d’Ile de France. N’Diale was formed through the collaboration of a Breton group called the Jacky Morland Quartet (Jacky Morland appeared with Pennoù Skoulm earlier) and a Malian group called the Foune Diarra Trio. The music that they play is a marvelous fusion of music from Brittany and Mali.
N'Diale
From left to right:
Yannic Jory, saxophone
Jacky Morland, violin,
Foune Diarra, vocals
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Toward the end of the day I saw the Trio Brou-Hamon-Quimbert, whose energetic call-and-response, a capella singing delighted the crowd. Watch them perform in my video below. And finally, I saw the musician who is probably the best-know performer of Breton music, Alan Stivell. I liked his jazzy music, but unfortunately, the concert was cut short by a torrent of rain.
Festival d’Ile-de-France sponsors fantastic concerts! Click here to learn more about its program.
View my video of the festival!
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The Terres de Bretagne Music Festival
Part 4
The Food
Wednesday, September 14th, 2011
Part 4
The Food
Making Cheese-filled Crêpes at the Ty Lichous Food Stand
Photo be www.DiscoverParis.net
In the last three posts about the Terres de Bretagne Music Festival I talked about the spectacular setting of the domain where the concerts were held. While walking around the expansive grounds, especially up and down the hill, the concert goers worked up hearty appetites. Fortunately, the event organizers had foreseen this and had set up a number of food and beverage stands at different locations.
I mentioned in the first blog that I arrived too late to get to the front of the line at the Ty Lichous stand to buy a Breton crêpe for lunch. Later, I returned and saw that the line was shorter. I decided then and there to purchase a butter-caramel crêpe and was delighted to watch it being prepared right before my eyes.
Making My Butter and Caramel Crêpe
at the Ty Lichous Food Stand
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
While the crêpe was being prepared, I asked the proprietor, Gilles Le Nestour-Mérelle, what the difference was between a Breton crêpe and crêpes that one could find in Paris. He told me that Breton crêpes are thinner and that they are made with blé noir (buckwheat flour). I did see some crêpes being prepared with darker flour, but my crêpe was not. (A blé noir crêpe can be seen on the griddle in the topmost picture.)
My crêpe was served in a folded paper plate. It was up to me to figure out how to eat it without a knife and fork and a table at which to sit! I bit into it and found that it was thinner and more delicate than those that I have purchased in Paris. It was a challenge to eat while standing, because I risked dripping the hot butter-caramel sauce on my clothes and camera. Happily, however, I was able to enjoy the scrumptious treat without transferring the sticky sauce to my personal effects.
There were other food stands at the concert, including one at which a man was making caramelized nuts in a copper kettle over an open fire.
Making Caramelized Nuts over an Open Fire
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
One stand was selling barbe à papa (cotton candy).
Cotton Candy
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
Later, as I was leaving the festival, I spotted a vendor selling freshly-harvested green apples and pears for only 3.50€ for two kilograms. I couldn’t resist the bargain and purchase two kilos of pears. They were slightly firm, like a crispy apple, but a few days later turned ripe and juicy.
Vendor Selling Apples and Pears in the Parking Lot
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
To be continued…
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The Terres de Bretagne Music Festival
Part 3
Tuesday, September 13th, 2011
Part 3
Guard House at the Northernmost Edge of the Domain
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
In Part 2 of this article, I described the château at the top of the hill and the thick woods around it.
Standing on the south side of the manor and turning my back to it, I had a beautiful view of the valley below. A stage had been set up mid-way down the slope, where two bands would play later that afternoon.
View of the Valley
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
I walked down the steep hill to explore the lowland. Later that day, I saw some kids taking the fast way down, sliding on the wet, slippery grass. What fun!
Kids Sliding down The Hill
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
The château in the valley is a fortified building sitting on the edge of a body of water.
View of Château du Bas
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
And behind the château lies a garden of sculpted, low-lying bushes (probably boxwood) that form an embroidery-like, box-hedge parterre. Surrounded on three sides by water, the garden looks as if it were floating on the pond.
In 2005, the garden was classified as a “jardin remarquable” (remarkable garden) by the Ministry of Culture. The domain itself was classified as a “Monument Historique” (Historic Monument) over sixty years ago.
Château with View of the "Floating," Sculpted Garden
View of the Château du Bas from across the Pond
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
To be continued…
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