La Journée de la Jupe revisited

On the Triangle, near the Polygone.

Sur le Triangle, près du Polygone, en octobre dernier.

Music Festival 2011

Some of the musicians who played at a music party I attended in Oakland on June 11th. Thank you, Al, for inviting me! Thanks a lot to Helen Holt who "gave me a ride" to that magnificent old house near Lake Merritt

Fête de la musique 2. J'ai été invitée à assister à une autre jam session à Oakland, dans une magnifique maison ancienne dont toutes les pièces étaient occupées par des groupes improvisés de musiciens. La cuisine, l'arrière-cuisine, les chambres à coucher y comprises.

Street Scene on the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle

The children looked fascinated by the musician and its instrument... These photos date back to last summer.
Les enfants semblaient fascinés par le musicien et son instrument. Les photos datent de l'été dernier.

FETE DE LA MUSIQUE 2010

The Fête de la Musique celebrates the summer solstice every year. The accordion was one of the party last night in Montpellier.

In the top photo, musicians playing in front of the Fitzpatrick's café. In the other photos, Lisa Shawley playing in the Globe bookshop. Lisa is an American music therapist and musician. Her band is The Just Desserts.

La Fête de la Musique a été un peu moins cacophonique que les autres années à Montpellier. J'ai bien aimé les petits groupes que l'on pouvait entendre dans les rues de la vieille ville. L'accordéon a été de la partie cette année. Dans mes photos, on peut voir les musiciens irlandais qui jouaient devant le Fitzpatrick's et Lisa Shawley, la jeune accordéoniste américaine que j'ai photographiée à la librairie Le Globe.

Ta Mère en Swing Quartet

Ta Mère en Swing ("your mother in swing," literally) played jazz manouche (gypsy jazz) in Montpellier yesterday afternoon. Gypsy jazz is the type of music that was made famous by Django Reinhardt. I love it.

I had never heard of Ta Mère en Swing. They are young and talented. You can hear some of their music on MySpace. If you have a few minutes, listen to it, it is really worth it (click on the previous sentence).

Ta Mère en Swing est un groupe de jazz manouche que j'ai rencontré hier dans Montpellier, devant la Chambre de Commerce (j'ai oublié le nom de la place). J'ai adoré leur musique. Je suis une fan de cette musique depuis que mon fils guitariste m'a fait connaître des gens comme Bireli Lagrene. On peut entendre Ta Mère en Swing sur MySpace et ça vaut le déplacement.

Musicians

I photographed these Romanian musicians on the Place de la Comédie on November 1st...

In the quarries of Junas

Last Sunday, I visited the quarries of Junas with my friend Mireille. I photographed this statue that was sculpted a few years ago to celebrate the abolishment of slavery.

Every year in July, sculptors and stone-cutters from all over the world meet in Junas and sculpt stones in the old quarries.

A jazz festival takes place in the quarries in July also.

Andante Macadam

Montpellier is one of the major "cities of art" in France. Festivals of all kinds take place here all year round: cinema, theater, music, dance. As soon as the temperature reaches 22°C (or maybe earlier) and people can sit at the terraces of the numerous cafés of the city, musicians start singing in the streets. Not in the rain like Gene Kelly as it doesn't often rain in Montpellier. Like trouvères and troubadours rather.

The other day, on the Place de la Canourgue, a cameraman from a Swedish TV channel was filming a group of musicians.

Actually they were street musicians, dancers, mimes, clowns. I watched them perform. I liked what I heard and saw.

Andante Macadam (name of the group) have a website :

http://www.musicanu.com/pages/andantequipe.html

You can even hear them :

http://www.musicanu.com/pages/andanteson.html

The last photo is a view of the Place de la Canourgue. I'd like to change the layout of my messages but I've been unable to do so so far.