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"Leslie Lewis and Gerard Hagen" Bonjour de Paris 11 Juillet 2024

Bonjour de Paris...
 

                Peter Giron: “I’m starting to realize how difficult I am!”                                                                                

Chers Amis,

We are into July which means the sun is out on a more regular basis.  There has been plenty of rain lately but it usually gives way to sunny skies. Our schedules are considerably more calm now.  I have been able to find the time to read again. This summer I plan to make a dent on the reading list that I compiled over the winter. I have been listening to music with no agenda other than enjoyment. Leslie has been all about her garden.  She has been spending many hours working on our terrace. It’s getting very green out there. In terms of places to sit and enjoy the space, there is a wooden bench and Acapulco chair.  At the moment the bench is more like a plant holder but the chair is still available for sitting. The other day when I was using that chair it felt like I was camouflaged due to the number of plants in the surrounding area. It’s all good though.  She informs me that she has to buy two more terra cotta pots and she’ll be done for the summer.  News flash: she’s never done!  But she really loves creating something beautiful for our home so I’m happy that she has this ongoing project. 

Fourth of July dinner in Paris with Peter Giron.
 
More photos of Leslie's Garden.
Even more photos of Leslie's Garden.
The summer Olympic Games will be starting soon. Leslie read where 15 million people are expected to visit during that time.  Most of you know that the majority of the residents of Paris are gone during July and August.  Normally the city feels pretty quiet during the summer. Although I’ve been hard pressed to leave home of late, when I do go out I notice that the streets are more crowded than usual.  In anticipation for the crowds for the Olympics a number of streets are going to be closed as well as some of the metro stations.  I think that it’s going to be a nightmare to get to the venues.  All of that adds up to having a good reason for staying close to home during that time.  During the first week of the Olympics Leslie and I want to go to a concert at a venue near Place de la Concorde. In order to get there we need to visit the Préfecture and get passes to be able to move freely in that area.
Speaking of concerts we were able to attend the Fred Hersch solo piano concert which was part of the Saint Germain des Prés Jazz Festival.  http://festivaljazzsaintgermainparis.com/accueil/ Based on how many local pianists were in attendance there must have been a lot of guitarists working in town that night.  The concert was unbelievable.  His sound was pristine. There was no intermission,  he played about a 90 minute set. The tempos were medium to slow. There was nothing played at a fast tempo.  Normally this is not a good idea but his harmonic and melodic language was filled with so many surprises that every tune was unique even though some of them were very well know to jazz audiences. The concert was so well received that he did 4 encores.  People just wouldn’t leave. We were both really glad that we had that night off so we could attend.  A couple of weeks later I got to hear pianist Danny Grissett. https://dannygrissett.com/ I’ve been wanting to hear him ever since I first became aware of him in LA almost 30 years ago. He moved to New York City before I had a chance to hear him live. Now based in Vienna, he’s been to Paris a few times but I’ve always been working. Two weeks ago I finally heard him with Wayne Escoffery’s Black Art Jazz Collective at Sunside Jazz Club here in town.
https://blackartjazzcollective.bandcamp.com/  He did not disappoint.  He’s got a quiet demeanour at the piano which is a good way for a pianist to approach playing in a band with three high powered horn soloists.  The rest of the band included Josh Evans, James Burton III, Jason Weaver and Ali Jackson. The music we heard that night was composed by members of the band except one tune that was by Jackie McLean who had been an influential teacher for several band members. I went home and promptly began a listening session with that band’s recordings which lasted till the first signs of daybreak.  Leslie was working in Dijon that night which means that I can often be counted on to lose track of time.
Waiting for the Fred Hersch concert to begin.
Black Art Jazz Collective.
Danny Grissett.  Photo by Roberto Cifarelli 
In June Leslie and I traveled to Rouen to play a concert at La Grotte which is a private venue started by drummer Stéphane Moureu.  We were joined by Spanish guitarist Carles GR.  I brought my Yamaha YC61 keyboard and used it mostly for organ sounds.  It was a nice concert resulting in the possibility for some touring work with that group in the future.  Later in June Leslie went to Dijon (as referenced above) for two private concerts with some local musicians lead by Nicolas Fourgeux.  So now we are home for a few weeks until we leave for 2 nights of concerts with our quartet at Jazz Au Phare on the Île de Ré in early August. https://jazzauphare.com/off-jazz-au-phare-2024/ Later in August we will be traveling to Bordeaux, Majorca and Collioure to enjoy some downtime.  Those trips are all about vacation so no instruments or concerts to be concerned with there.
Venue in Dijon, FR where Leslie performed and stayed at in June 2024.
Leslie and Gerard "organ" concert in Rouen, FR.
Several clubs in town where we play on a regular basis are on a modified schedule due to the Olympic Games. As a result we’re still not sure of our schedule for the rest of July and August.  So if you’re in town please continue to check our gig page on http://www.surfcovejazz.com for any last minute additions.  This week we are playing at Chez Papa on Thursday, Friday and Saturday July 11, 12 & 13. As usual Thursday we are in duo and Friday we are excited to be working with Ronald Baker (trumpet and voice) http://www.ronaldbakerquintet.net/en/ and Saturday with our Funky Ella bandmate Jean-Philippe Naeder (percussion).
Ron Baker will work with Leslie & Gerard at Chez Papa on July 12th.
Setting up our quartet for a concert which we played on July 3rd at Cercle Seudois in Paris.
Paris at night, crossing the Seine on our way home.
My student ensemble getting ready to start their set during the IMEP Paris College Of Music ensemble concert at Sunside Jazz Club.
 
The 2024 graduating class from IMEP Paris College Of Music. They had just received their diplomas after having performed on a concert of their compositions and big band arrangements. No video yet but here's a link to last year's concert.  https://youtu.be/Kt_j4XtULOI?si=Yt77482W9krRR9ft
This spring seemed to never end with the gloomy overcast skies and rain showers.  We came across this rainbow on our way home from dinner one night in June.  It's July and summer is finally here! 
Our friend Iris Alter had a showing of her art work at the Galerie de l'Europe near our home in Saint Germain des Prés. https://www.irisalter.com/

I am doing the ground work for Funky Ella bookings for next winter and beyond. Leslie and I are working on new music and I have begun sketching out some arrangements for Funky Ella.  I feel a bit rejuvenated and have more time and energy to put into our creative projects.  Funky Ella is playing at Maison la Feuilleraie in Varennes-Jarcy on Sept. 12th. https://maisonlafeuilleraie.fr/les-jeudis-jazz/  We are also playing at Jazz Club Etoile in Paris on October 12th. https://www.jazzclubetoile.com/fr/concerts  That concert is part of the festival Jazz Sur Seine 2024 which is a series of concerts taking place in numerous venues in Paris and the surrounding areas between October 11th and 26th.  For more info on Funky Ella please visit www.funkyella.com

The Funky Ella CD can be streamed on any number of platforms but the main ones are: 

"I Put A Spell On You" first recording by "Funky Ella". 
 
 
Funky Ella will play for the Thursday Night Jazz Series (Sept. 12th) at La Maison la Feuilleraie in Varennes-Jarcy, FR.

Thank you for giving us your time and attention, we appreciate it very much. Please check our website for news and updates. While you are there please sign up for our weekly email to learn where you can hear us. http://www.surfcovejazz.com   If you have any comments feel free to contact me. I enjoy hearing from you. This email appears on our website where you may also comment. http://www.surfcovejazz.com/blog/ As always thanks for staying in touch with us. 

Until next time,  Leslie et Gerard

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