Le Jazz Cette Semaine ...
Chers Amis,
Please if you have any comments feel free to contact me at <gerard@surfcovejazz.com>. I enjoy hearing your thoughts. This email also appears on our website where you may comment as well. http://www.surfcovejazz.com/blog/
This summer has been flying by. It is hard to believe it is already August. A year ago we were living in a short term rental near Bastille hunting for both an apartment and work. We had just gotten confirmation that we had indeed been granted work visas and were preparing to fly back to L.A. to receive our visas at the French Consulate. Now it is a year later and we are coming off of our best month here yet! Please forgive me if I sound boastful but I am happy to announce that we collectively worked seventeen jobs this month!
This has been an incredible year to say the least. I have probably aged three or more years while Leslie seems to be able to go with the flow more easily. I get tired just thinking of this year! Our trip to California and New Mexico will be great fun but not very relaxing so we decided to take a little vacation once we return to France. Aside from a short day trip to Normandy (which I missed, more on that later) we haven’t really traveled for fun here. I think I mentioned that I agreed to go to Bulgaria after having too much to drink. Well it gets worse! Not only are we going to Bulgaria, we are flying on “WIZZ AIR”. Yes it is a real airline! Anyway, we are going and hope to spend a relaxing week on the Black Sea later in August.
We have been blessed with visits from many friends from “the states”, (for a while we were averaging two a week). We have also made many, many new friends here in France. Often at the end of the night when Leslie and I are returning home from work we have moments when we ask ourselves if this is really happening. It still seems surreal that we live here.
We have been traveling quite a bit for work of late and have been experiencing the train system on a regular basis. It is a great way to travel except when it’s hot and the air conditioning breaks down! That combined with a delay along the route makes it not such a great way to go! Recently I worked near Lyon and ended up on the wrong train the next morning when I returned to Paris. When I got on the train I confirmed with a couple that this was indeed the train to Paris. Unfortunately I chose the only two people on the train who were more clueless that I. The three of us commiserated on the platform in some small town while waiting for another train back to Lyon to get yet another train back to Paris! Other than that it has been pretty smooth going. Oh yeah, I was supposed to meet Leslie that afternoon in Normandy where she had travelled with some friends. Because I missed my train in Lyon I was late getting to Paris and didn’t make it to Normandy. Leslie is just now starting to talk to me again!
We are very excited to be leaving for L.A. in the morning. We are packed and, I think, prepared for everything. We are really excited to see everyone and get to work again with Jerry, Domenic, Joey, Chuck and Ron. The Kobe Steak House job on August 11th is already a full house. We really hope that anyone who wanted to come has made reservations because they are unable to accommodate more people. If you missed KOBE please come and hear us at H.O.M.E. (House of Music and Entertainment) http://home90210.com in Beverly Hillson Saturday, August 10 from 7:30 -10:00 pm. Fellow musicians who have worked there are raving about it and we are told that this is a wonderful restaurant and they do a great job of featuring the music. Nice stage, grand piano, a very good sound system with a sound man. Also there is $5 parking is right next to the club. Please contact them for a reservation if you plan to be there. It will be the same band as Kobe and an equally nice setting to hear music.
On August 4th, Leslie is at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in a joint appearance of J.T. and California Dreamin’ with the Pacific Symphony. http://www.pacificsymphony.org/main.taf?p=9,5,6,6&productionID=9951&PerfID=9956
For those of you who are in New Mexico or know someone there who would like to hear live jazz, Leslie and I will be working three concerts with drummer Cal Haines and bassist Jon Gagan. On Wednesday, August 7th we are playing a home concert in Santa Fe. I can get you more info if you would like. We are at the Arthur Bell Auditorium in the Harwood Museum of Art http://www.harwoodmuseum.org/events/index/date:2013-08 in Taos on August 8th and in Albuquerque at the Outpost Performance Center. Tickets are at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/359561
Please take a moment to add our Facebook page to your “Likes” https://www.facebook.com/pages/Leslie-Lewis-Gerard-Hagen-Trio/151399944884337
As always you can find more info about us at http://www.surfcovejazz.com
This email is on the BLOG page on our website www.surfcovejazz.com with a share icon at the bottom of the page if you are so inclined. As always if you want to be spared from anymore emails please reply with an unsubscribe request. <gerard@surfcovejazz.com> I promise there will be no hard feelings.
Until next time ...