Leslie Lewis & Gerard Hagen "Jazz from Paris"

Bonjour de Paris...

Peter: “There were buffalos in tutus dancing in front of me while I played one of the worst gigs in my life."                                                                                                                     Gerard: “I’m just guessing, but I’d bet there were pharmaceuticals involved.”

Chers Amis,

Sunday night Leslie and I crossed our "summer concert"  finish line when we returned home from a Funky Ella band concert in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, FR.  It was the last of six…

Bonjour de Paris...

I’m going to miss seeing him there, playing pool in the bar of a Hilton hotel. At least I think it was a Hilton. I probably wasn’t the best role model!
 

Chers Amis,

 Over this past few weeks Leslie and I logged a few miles crossing a few borders and playing music together with our friends. Almost like that Willie Nelson song! Just today we returned from a Funky Ella concert at the Munster Jazz Festival in France. Leslie had a few hours to get herself together before going to play a…

Bonjour de Paris...

Auto-correct strikes again! 
Leslie's text: "I really enjoyed the vegetarian men (nem)."
 

Chers Amis,

So tonight Leslie and I went to an art show that featured the work of Carole Benzaken.  http://www.carolebenzaken.net/  Her work was an interesting combination of panels depicting everyday scenes such as waterfronts, or high-rise buildings, but each panel was cut in such a way that only portions of the scene was visible.  Each panel stretched the length of five storeys inside the…

Joyeux Noël de Paris ... 

Chers Amis, 

With hope for peace, wishes of goodwill, and the joy of giving, the world celebrates Christmas.  

We find joy and hope in the eyes of children on Christmas morning. It’s in the hearts of parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts, husbands and wives, friends and neighbours as we gather to celebrate, sing songs together, share presents, and a meal (or two).   

Leslie and I look forward to 2023 with the hope that, if the stars align, we will be able to…

Bonjour de Paris ... 

“We’ll be going back again at the end of January, but this time we’ll be prepared, I hope." 

Chers Amis, 

We have been freezing here for the past week or so.  Completely the opposite from last winter when I wore my winter coat perhaps twice. Today was in the low 50’s which is way more normal for winter in Paris and about 15 degrees warmer than it’s been.  It’s a slow week here, no classes and no gigs.  We have plans to hear some music this week. Most notably a Christmas Eve concert…

Bonjour de Paris ... 

“Maybe we thought it was a dream and we’d wake up in Niagara Falls with a hangover.” 
Robert Mitchum  “Out Of The Past” 

Chers Amis, 

Leslie and I were watching “Out Of The Past” when I was struck by how much was communicated in the above line. In our home, when it comes to music, we think a lot about what to communicate and how to communicate it. When it comes to this missive, I do the best I can to communicate through words, but I make no claim that I am, in any way, a writer. 

I…

Bonjour de Paris 

 “…the band was a bit amped when we started the concert…”  

Chers Amis,  

We returned to Paris from La Petite Pierre late this afternoon. We were there for the Au Grès Du Jazz festival.  It was our first time in the Alsace region of France.  La Petite Pierre is not far from Strasbourg which we are told is a very charming town that many people who travel in France will find the time to visit and after having spent a few days near there, we decided to find the time to return someday.  That…

 Bonjour de Paris ... 

  “She conducted the band with her ass.” 

Chers Amis, 

 So it was on this day, July 2nd 2012, that Leslie and I arrived in Paris with two suitcases and no clue what awaited us.  At that point we weren’t even sure if we would receive the visas that would allow us the rights of residency and work.  About two weeks later we received a congratulatory email requesting that we come to the French Consulate in L.A. to have the visas stamped into our passports. During that time I remember…

Bonjour de Paris ... 

           “I have never been nervous walking in Paris late at night.” 

Chers Amis, 

Last week I was confronted with a health issue which required an out-patient surgery at the American Hospital here in Paris. We had very little time to prepare and I was required to have a covid PCR test that was negative. It was quite the challenge to find a lab to do the test and produce the results in that short of a turn around. It was a very busy lab. They must have done 15 tests in the thirty…

                                  Bonjour de Paris ... 

                                 “We were home well before daybreak” 

Chers Amis, 

We have been very fortunate to end 2021 and begin 2022 with a lot of great music. Leslie and I worked with Bruno Rousselet at Chez Papa Jazz Club for the New Years celebration.  It was quiet this year (we were home well before daybreak)  but still enjoyable.  In fact maybe even more enjoyable. Recently Leslie has been working with Nico Peslier at the beautiful Hotel…