Bonjour de Paris ...
Chers Amis,
After working away from Paris for much of July we are back in town for about a week before we head out again. It has been nice to be in our own home and to sleep in our own bed. The plan is to keep the work we do in August down to a minimum and try to maximize our free time into a vacation. To that end we are very excited to be spending some time with friends from California who are coming to visit France. Our first stop is Bordeaux and some down time at the home of Peter and Nicole Giron. While in Bordeaux we are playing a concert with Peter and Philippe Gaubert beyond that we are looking forward to some time spent with friends, afternoons by the pool, perhaps a game of golf if the spirit is willing. After Bordeaux we travel back to Annecy for three concerts, two in duo and one festival concert in quartet with Philippe and Christian Le Van. What follows next is a series of long sunny afternoons at the beach followed by evening BBQ's during what has become our traditional August hang in La Baule at the beautiful beach home of our friend Lois. We end the month the same way we will begin it, with three nights at Chez Papa Jazz Club in Paris. If you are in Paris, Thursday (Aug. 2nd) we start the first of three nights at Chez Papa Jazz Club. Bruno Rousselet will join us on Friday and Jean-Pierre Rebillard is with us on Saturday.
July was a blast if not a bit much with travel. We had five days vacation in Lisbon and Cascais, Portugal. We had never been there before so we didn't know quite what to expect. I am happy to say that we were thrilled with our choice to vacation there. The city is very lively with tons of things to do. Once you get used to the hills, it is very walkable. There are galleries, museums, a lot of outdoor music, a nice waterfront area, and many killer restaurants. We pretty much did all of it as well as spending some time in Cascais, a beautiful seaside town with a great beach. The people are very warm and we are hoping to get back there sooner rather than later. Upon our return we went directly to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and spent eight days traveling between concerts in Annecy, La Clusaz and Charancieu. We did have some days off and so we had an opportunity to visit some of the beautiful lakes in that area. From there we travelled through Lyon, Marseilles and Toulon on our way to Brignoles to play the "Jazz á Brignoles" festival. Following that concert I returned home while Leslie had a 4:00 am lobby call to catch a train to Cormeilles for a concert with Rhoda Scott. She joined me in Paris the next day.
View to the waterfront in Lisbon .
Streets in Lisbon.
Leslie hates getting her picture taken!
Gerard on a boat in Lisbon.
Leslie at the beach in Cascais.
The sun begins to set in Cascais.
Lake in Annecy.
The diva chair at the Imperial Hotel Annecy.
The piano in La Clusaz.
After the sound check at Jazz á Brignoles.
Pre-concert view from back stage Jazz á Brignoles.
Here is our August schedule if you are in France.
Aug. 2-3-4 we are with Bruno Rousselet and Jean-Pierre Rebillard at Chez Papa Jazz Club in Paris. http://www.papajazzclub-paris.fr
Aug. 10 the Leslie Lewis Gerard Hagen Paris Quartet is at Le Caillou du Jardin Botanique in Bordeaux, FR. http://lecaillou-bordeaux.com/jazzATcaillou/
Aug. 15 we are a duo at Hotel Beauregard in La Clusaz, FR. https://www.hotel-beauregard.fr
Aug. 16 the Leslie Lewis Gerard Hagen Paris Quartet is at the Festival at L'Impérial Palace in Annecy, FR. https://www.hotel-imperial-palace.com/fr/le-hip-bar-150
Aug. 17 we are a duo at Au Coeur du Village in La Clusaz, FR. https://www.hotel-aucoeurduvillage.fr
Aug. 29-30-31 we are a duo at at Chez Papa Jazz Club in Paris. http://www.papajazzclub-paris.fr
Thank you to everyone who has already downloaded "Fragile", our new recording. It is available as a download on CD Baby at this link. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/leslielewis5
Please check our website for news and updates. While you are there please sign up for our weekly email blast to learn where you can hear us. http://www.surfcovejazz.com
Thanks for staying in touch with us.
Until next time, Leslie et Gerard
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