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/
We are into the fall season, the cooler temperatures, changing colors, rainy weather, etc. All very different from California. Leslie has adapted better than I. I suffer residual trauma from my childhood winters in North Dakota! I lived many happy winters in California never once looking at the snow capped mountains with any desire to visit. I do enjoy the fall, it’s just that winter follows!
Here is a photo in Montmartre taken by our friend Gabriela Rosa Da Silva.
This weekend Leslie and I had a rare Saturday and Sunday without any gigs so we did our best to enjoy some time together not thinking or doing anything related to work. That was after we both got in a few hours of practice on Saturday afternoon. That night we got out for a dinner and a movie. It was very enjoyable even though we both at various times fell asleep during the trailers, they seem to go forever these days! Sunday afternoonI had a rehearsal and then we visited Bastille, the first neighborhood we lived in when we moved to Paris in July of 2012. We experienced a flood of memories and realized how much has changed and how, back then, we knew very little about what challenges we were about face. The phrase “What were we thinking?” repeatedly came up! We moved here before we were sure we would be issued proper work visas. How stupid was that? This adventure was, and still is, based on pure blind faith. One of many things we realized with the aid of hindsight was that we were so focused on work and getting connections in France that we really forgot about birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, all of the things that we all typically celebrate. We missed all of the joy, laughter and love celebrating these holidays can bring to our lives. This year we are determined to try to get some balance between work and play back in our lives. To that end, Leslie planned a night of bowling and pizza for my birthday last month. I say this with the utmost respect due to our Parisienne friends, if you ever have the chance to bowl in Paris, you should! It is a hoot! The technique used in France has very little in common with what I was familiar with from my very hazy memory of bowling when I was in college. Here it is not so much bowling as it’s “rolling”. Of course beer is a must, particularly since it helps to keep one unaware of all the soft tissue muscle damage one is inflicting upon oneself during the course of the game. Leslie’s birthday is later in November and of course Thanksgiving and Christmas are on the way so we look forward to making up for last year’s meager holiday celebrations.
Our infamous night of bowling in Paris.We are blessed with a great group of friends.
October was a great month work wise. November is looking good as is December with our Japan tour and quite a few dates that are booked in France around Christmas. We are very excited to announce we have booked some festival dates for the spring and summer. We will be traveling to Chamonix in the French Alps as well as back to La Baule which is turning into a second home for us. Festival dates are not easy to get so we are thrilled to have a foot in the door.
I have family visiting Paris in a few weeks. Leslie and I are very excited for that opportunity to share a bit of our lives here in Paris with loved ones. Russell and Joe, our friends from Long Beach recently were in Paris and came to hear us at the River Cafe. Russell, Joe, Leslie and I had an adventure getting to our respective home/hotel since the metro line we needed was not running, but these are the things that make life in France, ... well let’s just say a sense of humor helps. The good news is that there are more Californians on the way this month as well. It is always great to see you so please look us up the next time you are here.
Russell, Joe and me trying to get home on the metro.
This week Leslie is performing for a 1930’s themed party on Tuesday, those events usually provide some great stories. For those of you who live in France, I am working with Jules Day (a vocalist we knew in L.A.) at Chez Papa Jazz Club http://www.papajazzclub.fr in Paris on Thursday, November 7th. Leslie and I are at Chez Papa Jazz Club with bassist Peter Giron on Friday, November 15th. On Friday and Saturday, November 29-30 we are working at Chez Papa with bassist Pierre Boussaguet.
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Until next time ...