Category: Music

Manhã de Carnaval

Bonfa

“Manhã de Carnaval,” the lovely theme song from the classic 1960 film “Black Orpheus,” seemed to follow us around France for three weeks, first hearing it played from a saxophone echoing through a busy Paris Metro station, and later sung beautifully by Vakia Stavrou at an outdoor concert we found in Uzes, and finally sailing through the open air of the Avignon train station, as we began our journey home (the Avignon station features a piano that travelers can play while waiting for a train – good idea, non?)

Vakia

Ms. Stavrou’s concert began with “Manhã de Carnaval,” but she added chansons in French, Greek, Portuguese fados, and a few jazz standards sung in English. Singing under a tree in an open field, if she was concerned about the wild electrical storm in the sky above, she never showed it. The flashes of lightning through blue-slate sky over Uzes, made it all feel like being in Maxfield Parish’s “Daybreak.”

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Outdoor concert in Uzes

 

“Manhã de Carnaval” isn’t French in origin, but a Brazilian bossa nova written by Luis Bonfa. The film “Black Orpheus” was directed by Paris’ Marcel Camus, who won the Academy Award in 1960 for Best Foreign Film.

The upper video clip is from the film with subtitles. Below is a great cover by Paul Desmond, who played sax with Dave Brubeck. Earlier in the week, we stayed at a villa owned by Brubeck’s son.

Imagine that!

Francis Cabrel Concert in Nimes 7/22/2016

Francis Cabrel’s concert last night at the arena in Nimes was one of the most wonderful evenings of music I’ve ever experienced. The cloudy sky threatened rain throughout the evening, yet the only drops of moisture were in the eyes of les madames et monsieurs sitting next to me in the magnificent Arena de Nimes.

Continue reading “Francis Cabrel Concert in Nimes 7/22/2016” →

Wanted the French “In Your Ear” But instead got “Luke/Satre’s Record Exchange ”

I found a large used record shop in Paris, in the the cool Saint Germaine neighborhood.

There were boxes, and boxes of worn-out vinyl records, as well as CDs. However, there was no organization whatsoever! I was in the middle of all this great music, but a bin might have some horrible French K-Tel record type albums, mixed in with Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”, a Fabian, a Dolly Parton, Dora the Explorer, Sinatra, Teletubbies, Bowie, Beyonce, Maurice Chevalier, Jacques Brel, Shania Twain and “Yogi Bear et Amis!”

IMG_1045It was like being in “Luke’s Record Exchange” back home in Pawtucket, with record bins organized by Luke and Jean-Paul Satre, when what I needed the precision of  “In Your Ear” Records, formerly on Thayer Street, now in Warren.  C’est la vie.

After some frustrating bin searches with Linda pacing outside the shop, I found a Thomas Ferson CD for $1.50 I really like Ferson, and have never seen this one in the states.

Here’s a catchy song from the CD, “Les Papillions” Listen once and you’ll be singing it all day!

Philharmonique de Marseille avec le James Brown de Musique Classique

Last night we saw the Philharmonique De Marseille perform a concert of Bernstein/Gershwin in an outdoor venue that would rival anything you might see on “Game of Thrones,” and featuring a conductor that is the “James Brown de Musique Classique!” It was one of the best concert experiences I’ve ever had. And the gorgeous terra cotta half moon shining above was God’s opening act and encore. This video shows the hardest working maestro in show business doing his thing, leading the Philharminic de Marseille.

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Saint Merry rocks it out baby bubbah to the boogie da bang bang the boogie to the boogie da beat … with Mendelssohn!

By Michael Stevenson, aka Dai Bando

“Serendipity” means “finding something other than what we were looking for.” That’s what happens much of the time when we travel, and serendipity struck again when we found St. Merry’s Chapel the other night.

I had actually read about St. Merry’s Chapel months ago, and intended to pay a visit when we got to Paris in July. St. Merry was a Catholic monk who became the patron saint of Paris’ Right Bank in the year 884. Saint Merry church, built in 1500, is now known as “petit Notre Dame” for the building’s marvelous architecture.

After a great afternoon at The Pompidou Musee, experiencing a fantastic exhibition on Jack Kerouac and The Beat Generation (more about that later) Linda and I sat in a nearby cafe to eat and drink some wine, and to figuratively and literally recharge. That’s when I spotted nearby Saint Merry.

Once there, I felt a connection to this place in ways I did not feel at Notre Dame. The chapel is beautiful and the church’s mission is, as well. There’s a great spirit here, and that spirit does not have white hair, dentures, and vote Republican.

St. Merry focuses on helping to promote local young artists, in their words – “promoting the word of God in the language of our time.” They have hip hop and grafitti artists perform at the church, as well as classical musicians. (Read specifics on their Arts program here )

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After finding St. Merry, we quickly hustled into the building and asked a woman when the next concert would be? “Maintenant!” she whispered and pointed towards the assembling group of musician near that church altar. And then the music started, with organ, cello, and beautiful French voices performing Minteverdi, Purcell, and Mendelssohn. No Sugar Hill Gang, but maybe next time.

It was really beautiful, as serendipity often is.

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