Posts Tagged ‘jazz’

Memorial to Michel Petrucciani

Friday, January 18th, 2013
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Memorial to Michel Petrucciani by Edouard Detmer

Memorial to Michel Petrucciani
by Edouard Detmer
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

 

Michel Petrucciani was a French jazz pianist who was influenced by Duke Ellington at an early age and performed with Kenny Clark and Charles Lloyd. A memorial is dedicated to him at the intersection of rue Duhesme, rue Versigny, and rue Sainte-Isaure. Place Michel Petrucciani features a sidewalk mosaic dedicated to him by painter, sculptor, and life-long friend Edouard Detmer. The mosaic was inaugurated in 2003, four years after Petrucciani’s death.

 

Place Michel Petrucciani

Place Michel Petrucciani
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

 

Both the square and the mosaic were created thanks to the initiative of residents of the neighborhood, who wanted to embellish the then-unnamed square.

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Mra Oma & Brotherhood

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
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Good news for jazz fans! Mra Oma & Brotherhood will be performing at the Centre Tchèque this Friday at 8:30 p.m. The Czech center is located at 18, rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement. Entry is only 5€ for some great music!

Jazz Festival at Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Thursday, May 20th, 2010
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Jazz Festival at Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Jazz lovers will not want to miss the 10th annual “Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés” this year. The festival offers two full weeks of entertainment from May 16th through 30th, with concerts scheduled every day and free photo expositions that highlight several aspects of this musical genre in Paris and New York.

Sunday’s opening schedule consisted of a free concert at the Eglise Saint-Germain that featured new female talent. In fact, most of the concerts offered during the two week period are free of charge. Venues for these concerts include FNAC Montparnasse, Starbucks Coffee at various locations in central Paris, and the Sunset and Sunside jazz club (one drink minimum here), while ticket purchase is required for concerts being held at the Théâtre de l’Odéon, the Hôtel Meridien Montparnasse, and other grander sites. (Note that the venues are not restricted to Saint-Germain-des-Prés.)

Photo expositions are hung at the Hôtel Bel Ami (which is also celebrating its 10th anniversary this year), the Bibliothèque André Malraux, and the Hôtel Lutetia (which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year). The show at the Bel Ami, and one of the expos at the Bibliothèque, trace the history of the Festival. But the most spectacular exhibit will undoubtedly be the display of a collection of Philippe Levy-Stab’s photos entitled “Jazz, Spirit of New York” at the Brasserie and the Salon Saint-Germain of the Hôtel Lutetia. This expo will is scheduled to end on 31July 2010, long after the festival is over.

To see the entire schedule for the festival, click here.

Lionell Thomas Presents His Painting

Saturday, May 1st, 2010
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Lionell Thomas with Painting
Photograph courtesy of Troy Poplous

Shortly before a group of twelve young singers and actors from the McDonogh 35 College Preparatory High School left New Orleans to perform in the musical Ain’t Misbehavin’ at the Banlieues Bleues festival in La Courneuve, near Paris, they were invited by the French consul Olivier Brochenin to a reception at his home. It was there that Lionell Thomas, the twin brother of one of the performers, presented a painting that honors the twelve students and their director, Troy Poplous. Thomas’ work will be featured at this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Read about the great performance that the students gave at the Banlieues Bleues Festival in this month’s Paris Insights newsletter. To join our ever growing list of subscribers, click on the “Subscribe” link on the newsletter announcement page, just above the title of the article. (Access to the newsletter is by paid subscription.)

American Students “Ain’t Misbehavin'” in Seine-Saint-Denis

Thursday, April 8th, 2010
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McDonogh 35 College Preparatory High School Students of New Orleans
Photograph courtesy of Banlieues Bleues

Twelve students from McDonogh 35 College Preparatory High School in New Orleans, their director, and a supporting cast of student musicians, singers, and dancers from conservatories and colleges of Paris and the Parisian suburbs gave a spectacular performance of Ain’t Misbehavin’ last weekend at the Banlieues Bleues festival in La Courneuve, a commune in the administrative département of Seine-Saint-Denis. Xavier Lemettre, director of the festival, wanted the musical—the first performed in Banlieues Bleues’ 27 years of existence—to inject new, artistic energy into the multi-week celebration. Based on what I saw at the performance, he greatly succeeded!

Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a tribute to song writer, musician, and composer Fats Waller and other musicians of the Harlem Renaissance. The show’s director, Troy Poplous, has extensive experience in directing stage plays and musical productions, including Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun, as well as the musical version of this play. Among his current activities, he teaches Theatre Arts and Fine Arts at the McDonogh 35 High School. Funding for the American students’ trip to Paris was provided by the Consulate General of France of New Orleans.