Archive for December, 2019

Paris Jazz Repertory Septet Performs Concert Climat in Paris

Monday, December 30th, 2019
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By Monique Y. Wells

On 17 December 2019, the Café de la Danse theater in Paris’s Bastille district was transformed into a magical space where the Paris Jazz Repertory Septet (PJR7) and singer Joseph Langley invited the public to focus on climate change through the lens of jazz.

Café de la Danse
Café de la Danse
© Entrée to Black Paris

Pianist/trombonist Joe Makholm of PJR7 is the composer of Concert Climat, a musical trilogy dedicated to this environmental crisis.  After reading three books on the topic – This Changes Everything by Naomi Klein, Eaarth by Bill McKibben, and Storms of My Grandchildren by James Hansen – Makholm set about adapting them into music.  Read his account of how he approached this by clicking HERE.

Joe Makholm at Café de la Danse
© Entrée to Black Paris

After Makholm finished the first two parts of the trilogy, the septet performed them at the Sunside/Sunset jazz club in Paris on December 1, 2015.  Makholm completed the third part of the trilogy a few months later and PJR7 performed the entire trilogy on May 29, 2016 in a 4-hour concert at the 45° Jazz Club in Paris’ 10th arrondissement.

For the December 17 concert, the septet regaled a practically full house by performing This Changes Everything, the second suite of the trilogy, in its entirety for the first time since a January 2017 rendition at the Sunside.  It is composed of five sections: “The Extractivists: Hot Money – Laughing at the Science”; “Blocadia”; “In the Sacrifice Zones”; “Magical Thinking”; and “Extraction to Renewal.”

After the intermission, the septet performed excerpts from Eaarth, the first suite, and Storms of My Grandchildren, the third suite.

Makholm conducted the group from the piano bench as he played, just as Duke Ellington used to direct his orchestra. 

Each member of the group had the opportunity to showcase his unique talent.   

Upper left: Detail of Concert Climat flier
From lower left to upper right: Joe Makholm (conductor and pianist), Philippe Nadaud (alto and soprano saxophone), Pascal Baselli (drums), Stéphane Renard (bass), Claudio Pallaro (tenor and soprano saxophone), Jean-Christophe Vilain (trombone), and Franck Delpeut (trumpet)
Photos © Entrée to Black Paris

Vocalist Joseph Langley closed each set with a song – “Breaking the Rules” for This Changes Everything and “Leave It in the Ground” for Storms of My Grandchildren.

Joseph Langley (vocals)
© Entrée to Black Paris

It was an extraordinary evening!

The recording of the full Concert Climat trilogy is available in a 3-CD box set.  For information, contact Joe Makholm at contact@concertclimat.com. 

Listen to Makholm’s World Radio Paris interview about the December 17 concert HERE.

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Making Gumbo the Easy Way

Friday, December 27th, 2019
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Gumbo on Rice
Gumbo on Rice
Photograph by Entrée to Black Paris

Gumbo is a soul-satisfying, deeply flavorful dish that originates from southern Louisiana.  It is a cross between a soup and a stew, and Creole and Cajun varieties abound.  Monique included her family’s Creole recipe for it in her cookbook, Food for the Soul.

I knew that making gumbo requires great effort because of the time-consuming process of making the roux (stirring flour in fat until it gets the right color).  But that was before I met Monique’s cousin, Rozetta Kaufman, who invented a gumbo mix that makes “almost instant gumbo with perfect homemade flavor every time.” 

Here’s how you do it:  boil water, add the seasoning mix, meat, and okra, and voilà!  Easy-peasy.

To make it even easier for me, I asked my wife Monique to make it while I sat back and watched.  Here’s how she proceeded:

Gumbo Ingredients
Gumbo Ingredients
Photograph by Entrée to Black Paris

First, she sat the ingredients out on the kitchen table. From left to right: okra, chicken wings, gumbo seasoning, Morteau (a smoked sausage from the Franche-Comté region of France), and okra.

Making the roux
Making the Roux
Photograph by Entrée to Black Paris

Then, she made the roux by simply adding Rozetta Kaufman’s magic gumbo seasoning to a pitcher of cold water and stirring. Easy-peasy!

Adding roux to boiling water
Adding Roux to Boiling Water
Photograph by Entrée to Black Paris

Then, she added the mix to boiling water.

Sausage and Chicken Wings in Roux
Sliced Sausage and Chicken Wings in Roux
Photograph by Entrée to Black Paris

Then, she added the chicken wings and sliced sausage to the roux.

Gumbo and Okra
Gumbo and Okra
Photograph by Entrée to Black Paris

Then, she added sliced okra to the chicken, sausage, and roux mix.

Ladeling Roux into Bowl
Ladling Roux into Bowl
Photograph by Entrée to Black Paris

Then, she took a chicken wing and two slices of sausage from the pot, placed them into a bowl containing cooked white rice and ladled roux onto it. And voilà! A delicious bowl of gumbo.

Rozetta Kaufman with her Gumbo Mix
Rozetta Kaufman with her Gumbo Mix
Photograph by Entrée to Black Paris

We thank Rozetta Kaufman for bringing her wonderful Gumbo Everyday Seasoning Mix to our attention. Information about her product can be found at the following link: gumboeveryday.com.

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