Message: 11 Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 20:31:13 -0700 From: "Dave R. Fertig" <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Jam in Paris - I mean Blues Jams, confiture oui! To: Mox Gowland <mox.gowland@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> Message-ID: <6.1.2.0.2.20050426202835.029ab200@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
At 0703 AM 4/26/2005, Mox Gowland wrote: no jam in paris? confiture oui
all harp-l lurkers listers and harpers are welcome Monday 30 May at the Utopia 79 rue de l'ouest, 75014 Paris it's not a jam as such but you'll be welcome to sit in on a tune or three.
Wow, Max, you're a gem, thanks for offering such a wonderful opportunity, I wish I was going to remain in Paris for yet another month, alas I leave April 30 for points South. but I'll be back! However, here's what I have learned about:
OPEN BLUES JAMS IN PARIS? Mais oui,beacoup confiture!
In the past month here in Paris, I have been searching for actual blues jams. So far, I have found three actual blues jams, and three other jams which I enjoyed and would recommend, but weren't no blues jams. Perhaps there are more, I've not searched with Sherlock-Holmes-ian assiduity, but I've been asking the lists and looking on the web and scouring the event guides.
The guides led me to a couple local clubs in the Latin Quarter, these were fun little caves with some great musicians, and another in an allegedly Irish bar near the Moulin Rouge. Thanks to fellow listmates I also found a tiny joint near the Bastille and a couple dives just outsid the Peripherique, or beltway, an easy fifteen-minute tube ride from central Paris.
I will note all had splendid musicians and I recommend all six. Alos, the first three were not really "blues jams" as I have experienced them (both in the US and France.), The latter three decidedly were. Thanks, listmates!
Of the non-blues-jams, the first two, both on Wednesdays, were either straight-ahead jazz (Caveau des Oubliettes, 52 Rue Galande, near Note Dame) or straight-ahead jazz with some rock'n roll standards (Cavern, 21 Rue Dauphine, near Pont Neuf), and interestingly there was a surfeit of horns, most of whom played from charts. Lot of fun, great music, but the orthodoxy of playing from the charts was intimidating, and I ain't a jazz player. Okay, I admit to being intimidated by written music, and those who adhere to it. Anyway, I'd rather be swamped by brass than geeterboxes! But these weren't no blues jams. They were fun and somewhat open, but very orthodox musically, in terms of playing jazz standards and pop tunes.
The jam at the Irish pub, (Cockney Tavern, 39 Blvd. de Clichy, near Moulin Rouge) was like most so-called blues jams in large taverns state-side, in that it was way too loud, focused on a couple guitar-stars (one really excellent!) and played more rock 'n pop than blues, but had some great blues tunes as well, and some fine singing, including by genial and hardworking host Erik. But it wasn't particularly welcoming or warm (there'd been lots of drinking before I got there) and it was really a loud bar crowd with a band in back sort of scene.
The latter three which I would call more traditional bar blues jams also ran the gamut.
Friday evenings (an unusual night for a jam, eh?) there's a great litle open jam near the Bastille called AperoBlues. I wrote about it before, appended below, and will hopefully go back this Friday. This was my favorite, because it was very hip, open, spontaneous and the coordinator (CJ) kept a list and made sure everyone, I mean everyone, got a turn and the vibe was very mellow and bluesy, very laid back.
With the help of Harp-L'er Christophe Minier of GOTOBUTTON BM_1_ www.harmonicasurcher.com (whom I look forward to meeting in a couple weeks at the festival he's apparently helped put together in the Loire) I was able to find two other great jams on the outskirts of Paris, in the area called St. Ouen, really only a short Metro ride from my centrally-located apartment near Notre Dame. After a one-kilometer walk I was able to choose between L'Art Puces Cafe, At 17 Rue du Plaisir (what an adress!) and the One Way Club, at 50 Rue Jules Valles.
These two joints were rockin' the blues real good.
I first went to the jam at L'Art Puces, hosted by Amar Sundy, a fine guitarist and vocalist. I was told he spent 3 years with Albert King, this from fine Spanish harp player Naco Goni, from Madrid. He played wonderfully, very nice tone, fine melodic work and great rhythmic support, and like most harp players he was very amiable. I had a few beers with him and his wife, while their young daughter was serenaded by a fun trombonist. Alas, the club-owner's mom had to be rushed to the hospital, so they closed early, thus I didn't play (Amar was really nice about it) but it's a great little venue, warm audience, nice room, with candles and some bizarre homemade guitars and basses all along the walls, good staff, etc.
The other joint, The One way Club, was really hoppin' when I got there. Again, lots of horns (actually, mostly the same ones from L'Art Puces) a great keyboardist, fine rhythm section and the leader was another excellent guitarist/vocalist (Boney Fields?) who was welcoming and let me sit in for a few songs. I had a lot of fun, the people were very friendly and supportive, the room was really packed and convivial, folks were dancing and fine singers were joining in.
It's sure nice to know the blues is alive in Paris, I had begun to have some doubts but no more. Again France proves to be one of America's best friends in a time of need.
Here's a repeat of my piece about the Apero Blues near the Bastille:
Thanks to Big Andy of the London Blues Jam E-list , I found what appears to be the only real regular open blues jam in Paris, and it's on a Friday night (6-9 pm) in a crowded litle pub near the Bastille. The genial host, "CJ" did a great job of coordinating a large group of quite eager and mostly quite talented blues hounds, running through blues classics, some soul standards and a few rock pieces but mostly git-down blues. The players were mostly mature, mostly quite experienced and all groovin'.
There were at least six horn players (alto, tenor, soprano, trombone, etc.) trading off a few seats at a time, all of whom seemed quite welcoming to my harmonica contributions, including traded horn-licks and fills, and there were some other harp players (including CJ), a fair share of fine, tight drummers and good, funky bassists, and some kick-butt singers (including CJ) who sang blues like it should be sung, with guts and comfort, in a welcoming and open group environment reminiscent of "the good ol' days." I shared my Tom Austin mic around to great satisfaction of the other harp players, and it was a welcoming space to play in, for all.
I had to leave early, regrettably, after only about an hour or so, as I had to meet family at a restaurant across town, but CJ admitted that this was really the only such jam in town, which is a shame in a city as vast as Paris. But it's a fine jam, by my lights, and I know where I'll be any Friday evening I'm in Paris.
Aperoblues at 27 Rue de Cotte, near metro Ledu Rollin, off of Rue Faubourg, Fridays 6-9.