Pétanque & Pastis

April in Paris

We just returned from a long weekend in Paris, which took just five hours by TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse - France's high-speed train) from Antibes to Gare de Lyon. After getting settled into the Hotel Des Jardins du Luxembourg in the 5^th arrondissement (5, impasse Royer Collard, tél: +33.1.40.46.08.88), our next order of business was to get some fresh air and stretch our legs, so we headed over to one of our favorite walking paths, the Promenade Plantée in the 12^th arrondissement.

Promenade Plantée

The promenade was completed in 1993, and is built on an abandoned 19^th-century train viaduct which stretches out for just about 3 miles, starting from the very modern l'Opéra de la Bastille and continuing on toward the entrance of the Bois de Vincennes, the 2,458-acre public park which flanks the east side of the city. The series of arcades that support the promenade from below on avenue Daumesnil have been turned into an area called the Viaduc des Arts, which consists of art studios, shops, and cafés such as the Viaduc Café (43 av Daumesnil in the 12^th) where we have been known to have a quick lunch before boarding the train at Gare de Lyon. And, if you continue on down the road, as we always do, being the nerds that we are, you will run into a computer store by the name of Surcouf (139 av Daumesnil in the 12^th), the French version of Silicon Valley's Fry's Electronics.

Caveau de la Huchette

In addition to all of our normal Parisian activities: eating, drinking, strolling, eating, museum visiting, drinking, eating, etc., we had another great evening of music at the self-proclaimed "temple of New-Orleans Jazz and be-bop", Caveau de la Huchette, which they claim "was the first club in Paris where jazz was played". This time we saw the Drew Davies Swing Band, whose smooth vocals and cool saxophone captivated the locals into the heights of a dancing frenzy that only professional bebop dancers can attain. Actually, I'm pretty sure that they were not professional dancers, but they certainly seemed to know what they were doing, and they knew how to have a great time doing it.

Drew Davies Swing Band and Bebop Dancers

And The Beat Goes On – The Nice Jazz Festival

We finally made it to the Nice Jazz Festival, after we had been talking about going since 2003.  The setting was magical in the hills of the peaceful Cimiez neighborhood of Nice, among the Gallo-Roman ruins and the groves of olive trees.  Our tickets gave us access to the three stages where the music continued all evening.  We were handed a program when we entered so we could keep track of who was playing when and where.  We started the evening on the terrace of a Festival café, where we had a light niçoise dinner while listening to Randy Crawford and Joe Sample on the piano just next door to us among the olive trees in the Scène Jardins.  Then we wandered over to the Scène Matisse to listen to some Socca Jazz before heading to the Scène Arènes to listen to Sonya Kitchell.  The main attraction for us was Madeleine Peyroux, who played in the ruins of the ancient amphitheatre of the Scène Arènes, where we got excellent seats for her performance.  The ambiance was sensational, even if her performance was a little slower than we prefer.  Things picked up quite a bit afterwards over at the Scène Jardins where we caught up with Laurent Voulzy performing his popular Rockollection song, with everyone singing and dancing along.

All That Jazz

July is all about Jazz in Antibes, starting with Les “Before” de Jazz-à-Juan in the beginning of the month, followed by Jazz-à-Juan taking center stage for ten days in the middle of the month, and ending with Les Nuits de Juan closing out the month of July.  And that’s not to mention the parades of music in the streets throughout the month.  Most notable in this category is the omnipresent Oscar Washington’s New Wave Brass Band, whose busy schedule has them marching all over the streets of Antibes and Juan-les-Pins in the warm summer sun, with their colorful parasol bobbing up and down and all around.  Another important aspect of the Jazz Festival is the Festival “Off” de Jazz-à-Juan, better known as, simply, Jazz Off.  These concerts are performed most evenings of the Jazz Festival under two different venues.  The first, and more casual, venue is outside, under the small grove of pine trees known as the Petite Pinède, where different jazz bands perform most evenings at 6:30pm, free of charge to the jazz-loving public.  The other Jazz Off concerts are performed in various hotels around town at different times in the evening, where, for a special price, you can enjoy the music along with an apéritif, or a buffet, or a full-fledged dinner.

  We enjoyed three nights in front of the main stage of Jazz-à-Juan this year, starting with Tigran Hamasyan at the piano & the Jazz-à-Juan Révélations All Stars on the 14^th, followed by a great night with The Ricky Ford Coltrane Project & Roy Hargrove Acoustic Quintet on the 17^th, and ending with Richard Bona & Gilberto Gil on the 20^th.

  We also really enjoyed a couple of Jazz Off performances, including the Jef Neve Trio, who hail from Belgium, and, from our old neighborhood in California, we got to see the Stanford Jazz Orchestra, directed by the animated trumpet player, Fred Berry, and featuring another trumpet player & Californian, Jon Faddis, who has played with Charlie Mingus and the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Band.

The Stanford Jazz Orchestra featuring Jon Faddis

Ravello – Città della Musica

We arrived into Ravello yesterday afternoon before sunset.  It is only about 5 kilometers uphill and inland from the town of Amalfi.  We checked into the Hotel Graal (Via della Repubblica, 8 – tel: +39 089 857 222), which appeared to be recently refurbished, and were quite happy with our room with a view (#344).  This was the smallest (approx. 2500 inhabitants) and the quietest of the villages we visited on the Amalfi Coast, and we weren’t sure that there would be enough to keep us busy on our short stay.  We were even more worried about finding restaurants open – food and wine always being our number one priority wherever we go.  The restaurant situation proved to be a bit challenging, although I think we fared pretty well.  Our favorite meals included dinner at Villa Maria and lunch at Hotel Parsifal, both with beautiful views overlooking the Amalfi Coast, and both are places we would consider staying on future visits to Ravello.  It turned out that we had enough to keep us busy for the day, starting with a visit to Villa Rufolo, the gardens of which were the inspiration for the German composer Richard Wagner’s “enchanted garden of Klingsor” in his composition of Parsifal in May 1880.  These are the same gardens that play host to the Ravello Music Festival each summer, with a stage that is extended out from the terrace grounds, appearing to be suspended over the water, so that as you watch the concert, you have the beautiful gardens in front of the orchestra with the stunning sea view as a backdrop.

Villa Cimbrone

The Cloister Courtyard at Villa Cimbrone 

Terrazza dell’Infinito at Villa Cimbrone

In the afternoon we visited Villa Cimbrone with its Arab-Sicilian-Norman style cloister, its Gothic crypt, its Doric temples, its domed gazebos, its expansive gardens with lovely pergolas and beautiful sculptures, including a glass-encased marble sculpture of Eve by Tadolini, which is placed in a natural cavern called “Grotto di Eva”.  With all the beautiful architecture, bas reliefs, sculptures, and flora, this palazzo situated on its perch with commanding views of the sea and the Amalfi Coast from very every angle, must have inspired the works of many of the creative people who, at one time or another, made their home here.  Such a list includes the names of E. M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, Greta Garbo, Lytton Strachey, Henry Moore, etc. 

One thing we would like to have done, but didn’t have time for today, was a hike to the town of Amalfi.  We saw a path with a sign marked - Amalfi 5 - but because of the rain and the late hour, we didn’t think we could make the 10-kilometer roundtrip before it got dark.

The Duomo of Ravello in the Fog

Our walk home tonight, after a most unremarkable dinner, was pretty spooky with the pouring rain and the thick fog obscuring the breadcrumbs we left to find our way back to the hotel.  One false step off the steep walkways could have been the end of us.  As we passed by the Duomo, I remembered that the blood of Saint Pantaleone is conserved inside, and each year on July 27th, the day of the Patron’s feast, his blood miraculously liquefies.  Fortunately, we made it back safely and soundly and without incident.   

Tourists in Paris

We spent some time strolling along the Canal St-Martin in the 10^th arrondissement today, examining the locks, and waiting to watch the barge traffic come through.  Unfortunately, there was absolutely no activity on the Canal.  It seemed like the only activity we witnessed was that of a few SDFs (Sans Domicile Fixe – the politically correct term for homeless people) in some of the seedy areas under some of the bridges.  It was Napoleon who first conceived of the Canal St-Martin, which was built in the 1820s for transportation and to provide non-drinking water to the City.  It still provides 50% of the water in Paris used for cleaning the streets, sprinkling public parks and gardens, etc.  The City is attempting to gentrify this area, which has great potential, but it seems to be a slow process.

Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie

We rode the Metro to the Parc de la Villette for a visit to the Museum of Science & Industry, which we had tried, unsuccessfully, to visit in the past.  We enjoyed seeing all the space exhibits and the interactive displays, but I don’t think any of us will be rushing back.  It really didn’t compare to other museums of this type that we have visited in other cities.

La Sainte Chapelle

We called ahead for will-call tickets for the 7:00pm concert at La Sainte Chapelle in the 1^st (4, boulevard du Palais - tél: 01.43.73.78.41).  The setting is so beautiful, surrounded by all the amazing stained glass.  The one-hour concert included Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Geminiani’s La Folia, and Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major.  The conductor had so much personality, as he played the violin and bounded from one part of the stage to the other, his ponytail swinging back and forth.

We had a 9:30 dinner reservation in the 6^th at Roger La Grenouille (26-28, rue des Grands Augustins – tél: 01.56.24.24.34), which seemed to be a very popular place.  Although there are other very good menu options, they are known, of course, for their frog’s legs, which are piled high on the plate, so it’s best to go in with a good appetite.  I don’t know if tonight was normal, but it was extremely warm inside, so dress in layers that can be removed if you go.

La Rentrée at Bar en Biais

Opening night of the jazz season at Bar en Biais in Antibes featured Hank Nobra on Piano with the Eddy Gaulein-Stef Quartet.  The place was packed and the musicians were indefatigable, playing for 2 ½ hours, with several of Hank Nobra’s orginal compositions played to perfection.  If tonight was any indication, this will be a season not to be missed.

Freddy Cole & Diana Krall

The Jazz Festival continued at Jazz-à-Juan tonight with Freddy Cole leading off with his smoky voice and smooth manner, performing many of the classics made famous by his older brother, Nat King Cole.  It was hard not to sing along to songs like Mona Lisa and Unforgettable.  Then Diana Krall continued on in the same vein, with her rendition of some Nat King Cole tunes, in her own laid-back, soothing style.

The Thrill is Not Gone - B.B. King at Jazz-à-Juan

Opening night at this year’s Jazz Festival was the 80^th-Birthday Tour of B. B. King.  This is supposed to be his last European tour, and we were happy to have great seats with a close-up view of him and his band.  In his 80^th year, he has become a bit rotund, and spent the evening seated with his guitar in hand.  He did a lot more chatting than we would have preferred, with a lot of his American-style banter slipping past the French-speaking audience.  But, when he played his guitar, he was amazing !  He also moved around pretty well from the waist up, with his face twisting and writhing with every note he squeezed out.  It was a great show, and I’m glad we didn’t miss it.

Niki’s Birthday Luncheon & Jazz

We met at my favorite beach restaurant, Les Pirates in Juan-les-Pins, to celebrate Niki’s birthday today. There were five of us:  (from the left) it was me, Jutta and Christine sitting in the photo, and Monique and Niki standing behind us.  We’re all holding the gifts we received from the guest of honor.  For lunch, both Monique and I had Tartare de Bœuf.  This was the first time I realized that there were two ways to serve it.  My Tartare de Bœuf Préparé was served as a single mound of filet de bœuf haché (uncooked ground filet of beef) with the condiments all mixed into it, sitting all by itself in the middle of the large plate.  Monique’s Tartare de Bœuf Non Préparé was served with small mounds of colorful condiments (mustard, capers, parsley, cayenne, salt, pepper, shallots, etc.) encircling a larger mound of filet de bœuf haché au naturel in the middle of the large plate.  Hers definitely won in the presentation department, but mine was absolutely delicious, so I can’t complain.

  After lunch, we went to a Jazz Workshop where we sat in for the first of several lectures discussing the origins of Jazz.  We got to listen to examples from the 1920’s, such as Bix Beiderbecke’s “Jazz Me Blues”, and Bessie Smith, and Louis Armstrong accompanied by his wife, Lil Hardin, on the piano.  It was kind of fun listening to a lecture about Jazz presented completely in French.

Bar en Biais Jazz Club

We went to a small jazz club in Antibes called Bar en Biais to hear our friend, Hank Nobra, jam with some other local musicians.  It’s a small, intimate, cave-like setting reminiscent of the New York and Paris jazz clubs of the 1950’s.  The owner of the club, a contre-bass player, asked Hank to come and sit in with about a dozen other musicians for an evening of improvisation.  Hank is a well-known local jazz pianist who often mesmerizes his fans at the Bar en Biais.

Jazz and Hank Nobra

After checking out the DVD of Hank Nobra’s performance as a featured jazz pianist at a beautiful villa in the hills of the Côte d’Azur, he and his always-chic wife, Jutta, and Dave and I walked across the street from our apartment to have a beachside lunch at Plage Royal.

Chapelle de la Garoupe – Soirée “La Harpe Enchantée”

The small chapel on the very top of Cap d’Antibes hosts two or three concerts each summer.  This was the first of only two this summer, and featured Magali De Coster as the soloist in a harp concert performing works by Rossini, Tournier, and Damase.  The acoustics are excellent in the church, and the music was beautiful.  The harpist added to the enjoyment by interjecting little bits of information about the harp between pieces of music.  She said that harps normally have 79 strings, but hers has only 49 strings; because of the heat in the church, she had to continually retune it;  the strings used to be made from cat intestines but are now synthetic; the harpist uses the fingernails on one hand to strum the strings and the pads of their fingers on the other hand. She also said that back in medieval times, people thought that the harp could be used to communicate with God; and to punish the people that committed certain types of misdoings, the officials would cut the wrongdoer's fingernails down to nubs so they couldn’t strum the strings, and, therefore, could no longer communicate with God.   I’m sure there were lots of other tidbits that we missed because, of course, everything was in French.  Fortunately, these are the things Monique remembered and interpreted for us.

Dave and I went to the concert with Monique sans François, Niki sans Fred, and Katarina, Niki’s 12-year old daughter.  François is boating and fishing on the Atlantic coast of France in Bretagne, while Fred is off the coast of Spain on a yacht right next to Majorca.  Niki surprised us all by bringing a bottle of champagne accompanied by hors d’oeuvres, of course; and the four of us sat in front of the church and toasted the beautiful evening before the concert began, while Katarina sipped her Orangina.

Another thing we always comment on regarding this chapel, is the fact that right next door is a bar with alfresco seating.  At past concerts, we’ve been able to have a drink before, after, and/or during the intermission of the performance.  We can’t think of any churches in San Francisco or the Bay Area that have bars on their premises.