How the Moulin Rouge Became the Most Famous Cabaret in the World  

One hundred and thirty years ago on October 6, 1889, the Moulin Rouge opened, and Paris hasn’t been the same since.

It’s made dances and dancers famous, been extensively depicted in art — paintings, films, music — more than any other cabaret, and brought smiles to the faces of the tens of millions who have passed through its doors. The Moulin Rouge boasts an international reputation, a rich history, and top-notch performances; how did it become the most famous cabaret in the world?

The Moulin Rouge began with an audacious bet that it would become “the palace of dance and women” that was “more luxurious, bigger and more elegant” than any other location at the time. Success came fast thanks to a dance that debuted on opening night: the French cancan, previously known as the quadrille. Revolutionary movements, screams, boisterous rhythms decorated by frills and flowing skirts that were scandalously lifted to show the young dancers’ legs — and their underwear. Continue reading “How the Moulin Rouge Became the Most Famous Cabaret in the World  “ →

Reviews: Berlioz, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Paul Jost, Pomme

Listen to this week: unforeseen timbres, refined country arrangements, airs that incite farandole, French songs to savor …

[Google translation of Le Monde reviwer Stéphane Davet]

Pomme
Pomme’s first album, bore her name. Almost successful, but still too smooth and nice. Les Failles again baptizes precisely the second album of Claire Pommet, 23 years old, called “Pomme”, covered with cracks that give relief and open on more depth. Nicely served by the realization and play of Albin de la Simone, these acoustic songs avoid the facilities of folk naivety to live voice and instrumentation of a proximity both vibrant and rich in mysteries. Guitars, piano, but also omnichord, autoharp, organ (as funereal as Californian in Why death scares you) and sounds of strange objects weave a frame where ballads and nursery rhymes transcend their fragility, sometimes recalling the atmospheres that haunt the records of Quebec’s Safia Nolin – former companion of Pomme- to evoke love, doubts, disappearance, refusal of a normed life ( Grandiose ) … With probably two of the most beautiful French titles ( Anxiety and I do not know how to dance ) heard this year [ . . . ]

Read original en française at LAMONDE: Album selection: Berlioz, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Paul Jost, Apple …

Municipal in Paris: the ex-LR mayor of the 5th arrondissement joins Benjamin Griveaux

Florence Berthout is the second ex-LR mayor to support the official candidate for The Republic on the march for the March 2020 municipal elections.

In early June, she still chaired the group Republicans (LR) and related to the council of Paris. But for the municipal elections in March 2020 Florence Berthout, the mayor’s 5 th District, decided not to support Rachida Dati, invested candidate by the party of the traditional right, with which it has relationships appalling. This Friday, November 22, she announced to rally to Benjamin Griveaux, the official candidate of The Republic in motion (LRM). Without taking her presidential party card, she plans to present in her district a diverse list right backed by LRM. [ . . . ] Continue at : Municipal in Paris: the ex-LR mayor of the 5th arrondissement joins Benjamin Griveaux

The Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived – along with Trump’s tariffs

Beaujolais New lovers uncorked this year’s first bottles on Thursday

Beaujolais Nouveau lovers uncorked this year’s first bottles on Thursday, but producers face the sobering truth of a dip in margins due to the new tariffs on EU products imposed by the United States,…

Barrels of this season’s vintage, a red wine made from Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region, were rolled through the streets of Lyon in a traditional torchlit procession.

As the clock struck midnight on the third Thursday of November, bottles were popped open for late-night drinkers, some wearing “I Heart Beaujolais” T-shirts.

This year’s Beaujolais Nouveau Day celebrations come just a month after the US imposed a 25 percent tax on French wine and other EU goods in response to illegal EU aircraft subsidies.

“This is going to be a hard blow, we will need to work hard to bounce back,” said Jean-Baptiste Duperray, a producer of the popular young wine, which is fermented for just a few weeks before being exported to shelves around the world.

Americas Beaujolais lovers will see little impact on their wallets, with prices remaining between $10 to $15 per bottle as dealers dug into their own pockets to hold prices steady, according to David Ratignier, vice-president of the Inter Beaujolais Association.

“This is what has enabled us to maintain our volumes, to maintain the Beaujolais Nouveau’s release in the United States. So we can say it’s gone pretty well after all,” he said.

Huge in Japan, US

The US is the second-largest export market for the light-coloured red, with 13,337 hectolitres shipped in 2018, accounting for more than 15 percent of total exports and almost 8 percent of production.

In Japan, the top importer of Beaujolais Nouveau, men and women in straw hats, swimming shorts and bikini tops, and their children in floaters, soaked themselves in a “wine bath” to mark its 2019 launch.

Beaujolais Nouveau winemakers said they had little choice but to absorb US President Donald Trump’s additional tariff, monitor sales and hope it was short-lived.

“We realised [US policy] can change in a morning with a simple tweet from Mr Trump. If Trump changes his mind overnight, everything will be OK,” Ratignier said.

Source: The Beaujolais Nouveau has arrived – along with Trump’s tariffs

Get to Know Accordionist Vincent Peirani, Winner of France’s Most Prestigious Jazz Prize

Vincent Peirani is an accordionist and composer who, earlier this month, won Album of the Year in the prestigious Victoires du Jazz, an annual awards

Vincent Peirani is an accordionist and composer who, earlier this month, won Album of the Year in the prestigious Victoires du Jazz, an annual awards ceremony in France. On this edition of My Music, we’ll join Peirani on a listening tour of his winning album, Living Being II – Night Walker (ACT Music).

Like the Grammys, the Victoires du Jazz are determined by a large body of voting members in the music industry. Peirani has now won three of these awards in his career, including one in the category of “Instrumental Revelation,” in 2014.

Vincent Peirani receives his Victoire du Jazz Award in Paris
CREDIT QUENTINPROD

As that phrase implies, one thing that makes Peirani unique, and also distinctly French, is the instrument he plays. The accordion has a firm place in the history of French popular culture, specifically with genres like chanson — but the instrument isn’t typically associated with jazz. In modern times, it has often been characterized as gauche.

As we’ll hear in the episode, Peirani amusingly addresses these obstacles, admitting that he didn’t have much say in his musical fate. His accordion-infatuated father demanded he play the instrument, despite Peirani often feeling like the laughingstock of his peers.

Through his focus and his fearlessness, often charging the stage at Parisian jam sessions, Peirani began winning audiences over. He eventually received invitations to play in a hodgepodge of musical settings — with African griot masters, thrash metal rockers, flamenco serenaders, and everything in between.

Peirani’s true passion for rock, classical music, and, of course jazz, are delicately woven together on his Living Being II – Night Walker. He is currently on tour in Europe; see his website for details.

Source: Get to Know Accordionist Vincent Peirani, Winner of France’s Most Prestigious Jazz Prize | WBGO