The Paris Traveler

I spent an interesting afternoon with Martin Boumendil watching him work his keyboards and other instruments in an orchestration of sound, as images on a screen coordinated and blended the visual with the audio. It was quite fascinating to say the least! Martin is a young musician and composer with a nice melodic voice who also has that gift of imagination and creativity and doesn’t put himself into any one genre of music. Instead the versatility of his compositions is what I found to be most interesting.
Is it any wonder that Martin would be drawn to the film industry as …read more

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 Anyone who has ever spent time in France knows who this 64 year old rock singer is. His career spans almost fifty years and if Elvis were still alive today, they more than likely would have done a duet together! Now that would have been something to see!!!
Johnny is the French rocker of all rockers, or as some like to say, he is the biggest rock star you’ve never heard of!!! (Outside the French speaking world of course!!!) Johnny in certain ways could be compared to the likes of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones. Not only has he kept …read more

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Many know Vanessa as a fine actrice, others as the former representative of Chanel’s fragrance Coco, and still others as Mrs. Johnny Depp, although they’re not married.  Rumour has it that after being together since 1998, they will be tying the knot soon.
Vanessa, however, to many, including myself, is still the young girl who came onto the music scene singing Joe le Taxi. She was only 14 years old when she hit the top of the charts back in 1987 with Etienne Roda-Gil’s song, and it was impossible to turn on the radio or television back then without hearing or seeing Vanessa singing that song!
After a number of …read more

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If you can keep a secret, I’ll tell you about a great place to have a drink, listen to music (sometimes), have dinner, see a film, or just chat with other movie lovers, filmmakers, and sometimes celebrities. All this and at a price you can afford!
Le Bar à Vins du Cinéma des Cinéastes is located just off the Place de Clichy; not really a hot spot on the tourists’ “must see” lists, but a place that is always hopping both day and night. Tour buses pass by constantly on their way to and from Montmartre or the Moulin Rouge, but …read more

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Just a few more days left to enjoy an evening of jazz at the foot of the Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre. Tonight Rhoda Scott’s Hammond organ will fill the air. The ever versatile Scott gives a blend of traditional jazz classics, French tunes, as well as Negro spirituals and Gospel from her impressive repertoire.
Tomorrow evening Lemmy Constantine and his group will perform his Manouche music. When asked to define what style he plays, Constantine says, “I tell them to imagine Frank Sinatra meeting Django Reinhardt…..Manouche music is to jazz what punk was to rock. Rebel music.”
Friday is the finale and what …read more

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One of the best places to be this evening and tomorrow, is at one of the many local dances put on by the firemen throughout Paris.  Entrance is free at most of the fire stations, however many of the firemen will be asking for donations at the door.  You can give whatever you want, but there are a few exceptions where a cover charge ranging from 3 to 6 € is required.  
The evening begins with live music around 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. and is usually followed by a DJ in the second part of the evening for those who just want to continue …read more

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It doesn’t seem possible that twenty years have passed since Dalida’s tragic death. I can still remember hearing the news on television, as if it were only yesterday. Perhaps it doesn’t seem that long because we still hear her singing on the radio, and people still talk about her as though she’s never been gone. There were several articles written earlier this year in the tabloids about her secret affair with former President François Mitterrand.
In any case, there’s a wonderful expo at the Hôtel de Ville that pays hommage to this incredible entertainer and singer. Born in Egypt by Italian …read more

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Are you looking for something to do during the weekend while you’re visiting the City of Lights? If you love jazz like I do, then the Parc Floral is the place to be. What better way to spend the afternoon or early evening then to sit in the open air and listen to great jazz for the small price of 5 €. (2.50 € for those 7 to 25 years old, and free for those under 7.) Paris has always been known as a city that appreciates jazz; yes, even more so than New Orleans!
This year’s Paris Jazz Festival takes …read more

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Are you looking for a place where you can have a drink, listen to music, or perhaps just strike up a conversation with an interesting person? No, I’m not suggesting a trendy bar this time around, but you can drop into the Virgin Megastore on the Champs-Elysées where you’ll be able to do all three.
It’s one of those places where you can just hang out; put on headphones, listen to some great cds, all the while looking out the window, and watching the people strolling down the avenue. (Hundreds of thousands of people walk up and down the Champs-Elysées everyday!) …read more

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Okay, after my last blog, I thought it would be nice to do something a little more romantic and what can be more romantic than having dinner on the Seine? There are a number of cruise boats offering day and evening tours, but I find the Bateaux-Mouches near the Pont de l’Alma to be the best.
You are greeted with an apéritif, which is served in the lounge to each guest before dinner. There is a pianist and a violinist which only adds to the whole ambiance of romance. Seeing the monuments of Paris light up as you sail down the river will make you …read more

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