"Leslie Lewis et Gérard Hagen" Bonjour de Paris 27 Août 2019

Bonjour de Paris ...

Chers Amis,

It is often the case that we send out a newsletter upon returning home to Paris from time spent away somewhere.  This time it was a quiet few weeks spent with friends in the lovely seaside home of our friend Lois in La Baule, FR.  Over the past few years, as August rolls around, this has become an annual trip for us. Due to our lighter than usual work schedule this year, we were able to stay for a considerable amount of time. We spent our time at the beach browsing through the downtown stores, cooking dinners, reading etc.  Leslie and I worked on our French language skills. I played Lois' piano quite a bit. This summer Marcy and Pearl, friends from L.A., included La Baule in their French vacation so we were able to have lunch with them. Over the years that we have been going to La Baule, we have met quite a few people so it is good to catch up with them during our time there. Now that we are back in Paris and the forecast is for a few more days of 90º heat we are really missing the beach.

Early evening view of the beach in La Baule, France.
View of the beach in La Baule, France.
 
Almost time for sunset.
Enjoying la côte de sauvage near Batz sur Mer, France.
View of la côte de sauvage Batz sur Mer, France.
The home of our friend Lois in La Baule, France.
Lois' garden  La Baule, France.
The result of many conversations over a (few) glass(es) of wine.
I was asked to do a couple of solo piano dates at L'Hotel Lutetia in Paris. https://www.hotellutetia.com/bar-josephine Lutetia is a beautiful hotel in Paris that recently re-opened after a four year renovation. Since I have not had many opportunities to play solo piano dates since we moved to Paris, I needed to dust off my solo piano repertoire. Our time in La Baule gave me plenty of time to do just that. Last Friday I took the train back to Paris to play my first date there.  The room is unbelievably gorgeous. There are windows looking out on the street which after dark is even more beautiful as the city lights up.  There is a very modern looking Pleyel grand piano that plays well and has a warm sound.  I casually put out a little promo for these dates not expecting to draw many people.  Normally hotels have their own clientele. I did draw a few people, including a childhood friend whom I haven't seen since 1981 who happened to be visiting Paris. What I wasn't expecting was the number of people who after seeing the promo contacted me with congratulations on playing at the Lutetia. I've played in many, many venues, some grand and some not so grand, but I can't recall this many people congratulating me about a gig. I will be back there this Friday for another night of solo piano for that I am grateful.      

This week is about getting back into the real world, playing a few gigs and preparing for another year of teaching at IMEP.  
https://www.imep.pro/en/ 

In a few weeks we will be in Saint-Jean-de-Luz with Peter and Nicole Giron. More on that trip next month.
Fireworks looking toward the Pornichet south of La Baule.
I like this photo of Leslie from our time in Varenna, Italy.
Promo poster for the up coming jazz cruise this spring.

For those of you in Paris or if you’re planning to visit in the remaining weeks of summer, here is our late August and September schedule to date.  There are a number of dates in September that need to be confirmed so please check back.


August 30  Gerard performs solo piano at Bar Josephine in the Hotel Lutetia in Paris.  
https://www.hotellutetia.com/bar-josephine

Sept. 1 Leslie travels to Cherbourg-Octeville, to perform with Philippe Duchemin's trio at Jazz Sur Les Quais.  http://www.jazzsurlesquais.fr/event/philippe-duchemin-trio-invite-la-chanteuse-americaine-leslie-lewis/

Sept. 5  The Leslie Lewis Gerard Hagen Paris Duo performs at Chez Papa Jazz Club in Paris.  http://www.papajazzclub-paris.fr

Sept. 10 The Leslie Lewis Gerard Hagen Paris Duo performs at Café Laurent Jazz Club in Paris.  http://www.hoteldaubusson.com/en/cafe-laurent.html

Sept. 20  Leslie Lewis and Gerard Hagen perform at Monteverdi in Paris. http://www.lemonteverdi.com

Sept. 21 Leslie travels to Sérignan-du-Comtat to perform with Philippe Duchemin's trio at Jazz dans les Vignes.  https://www.jazzdanslesvignes.fr/programme-2019/philippe-duchemin-invite-leslie-lewis/

Sept. 27-28  Leslie Lewis performs with the Rhoda Scott Quartet at Jazz Café Montparnasse in Paris. https://jazzcafe-montparnasse.com/programmation

There will be more dates to be confirmed at Chez Papa Jazz Club.

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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