In summer, driving around the by-ways of France,  you’re sure to spot posters promoting concerts – often in out of the way places – and what a treat they are!

With wonderful classical French composers from which to draw inspiration, many of these concerts feature wonderful music. Joanna Leggett shares some of her favourite musical events and venues…

Church concerts

It seems amazing how out of the way places almost overnight translate into concert venues – churches open up their doors to provide perfect impromptu ‘pop up’ venues. When you hear glorious chamber music echoing around the stone walls of an ancient church as the setting sun sends shafts of light through stained glass windows refracting many coloured patterns over flagstones dating back many centuries, it adds another altogether memorable dimension – especially if you remember to take a cushion to soften the equally ancient wooden chair upon which you are likely to be seated.

Those closest to where I live are usually in early August. Each year a baroque concert is held in the local church, fortified in the 14th century to shelter villagers from marauding soldiers. Musicians come from across the Dordogne bringing music to the masses with little fanfare. Just imagine strolling a couple of hundred metres from home along the village street (clutching the cushion I only forgot once!) to be regaled with an almost out of body experience – truly magical.

But this is classical music on a smaller, more intimate, scale. All around France, throughout the year, there are musical festivals, of greater and lesser size, all designed to captivate and entrance.

La Folle Journée, Brittany

One of the first of these each year is held in Nantes in Brittany – La Folle Journée (the crazy day). For five days there are usually around 250 classical music concerts, each normally fairly short of just 45 minutes duration. Perhaps best of all they’re eminently affordable. The aim is to promote classical music while making it accessible to a wide audience. Each year a new theme is chosen – a tribute to a composer or a universal theme such as Harmony or Nature.

Paris

Of course Paris holds concerts year round and the Philarmonie de Paris alone performs more than one hundred concerts each season. Housed in a magnificent, state of the art building, its 2400 seat auditorium has outstanding acoustics and, since its inauguration in 2015, has hosted performances by some of the world’s greatest orchestras. Other venues in Paris include the Salle Wigram and the Louvre auditorium. There’s also the Musée d’Orsay, Palais Garnier and the Opera Bastille. Church concerts include the Église de la Madelaine and Sainte Chapelle. Outdoor concerts include those held on the edges of the Bois de Vincennes every weekend during August and September. And there’s a festival Chopin in the Bois de Boulogne, which is also the venue for an autumn festival each year.

Chopin

Speaking of Chopin, an eponymous festival celebrating his works is held each year in Nohant in the Indre in central France. It takes place at the familial home of the infamous novelist, George Sand who was once his lover! They spent each of their summers here between 1839 to 1846. Surely it provided inspiration as he composed many works in Nohant, including his Polonaise in A Flat Major.

Monte Carlo

In early Spring Monte Carlo holds an Arts festival during March and April. Founded by Prince Rainier and Princess Grace this festival quickly made a name for itself. It’s considered remarkable for its scope, not least for the variety of unusual venues which range from concert halls to the Oceanographic Museum. Again the programme tends to focus upon different ‘portraits’ each year. You can expect works composed by everyone from Ravel and Bartok to Mozart and Beethoven.

Top Summer music events

Over the summer in Lyon, Nîmes and Orange it’s possible to indulge in wonderful concerts staged in former Roman arenas.  Lyon plays host in the Gallo-Roman theatres of Fourvière in June and July to a festival which mixes internationally reputed with lesser known artists. Now the oldest festival in France, the Chorégies in Orange in Provence started back in 1869. It’s held in the perfectly preserved Théâtre Antique. The original stage wall standing 37 metres high guarantees exceptional acoustics and a fabulous atmosphere. Everyone who is anyone has performed here – including glorious performances from The Three Tenors.

 A multitude of concerts

There are other annual festivals all over the country – including in Colmar and the Flâneries Musicales in Reims (both in Eastern France). The Saint Riquier festival takes place on the Somme Bay in Northern France. And the Berlioz Festival is held in Berlioz’s birthplace at La Côte St André each August (near Lyon).

Then there’s the 1001 notes festival held in the Limousin in a variety of venues. You can take your own picnic and feast during the interval. I went to one such concert once and a couple next to me produced a low table. They set it with white linen and a candelabra before producing champagne in a wine cooler! Taking their enjoyment to new heights – much to the envy of all!

In the South of France best not forget the Pablo Casals Festival celebrating the famous Catalan in Prades. And the Menton Music Festival held overlooking the Mediterranean under the stars on the forecourt of the Basilica. Plus magnificent festivals in Aix en Provence and Nice.

The Saint-Céré festival hosts 40 events in all sorts of historic settings around the Lot in South West France. Productions staged here go on a tour of France the following winter – a springboard for many a young singer!

From cantatas in ancient churches to philarmonia in large concert halls around the country, the choice is as large and wide as France itself!

Joanna Leggett is marketing director at Leggett Immobilier – you can view their full portfolio of properties for sale in France at www.leggettfrance.com

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Apéro, or apéritif, is a French way of life. It’s both a drink and an event, a time for getting together and enjoying a chat and pre-dinner drink. These days it’s just as likely to be an online reunion – but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun or funky! Preparing for apéro is part of the ritual: the drinks, whether it be wine, a glass of mellow Bardinet brandy, one of the leading French brandies in the UK, or a delicious cocktail. Plus the nibbles and music.

Chill out to the sound of France with playlists that are perfect for funky apéro, ambient apéro or old school apéro, you’ll find plenty of choice on your favourite music channels …

Funky Apéro music

1. French 79 Lovin Feeling – Feat. Kid Francescoli with Julia
2. Elle me Dit Mika 2011
3. C’est la Vie – Khaled
4. Maitre Gims – Bella
5. Stromae – Alors on Danse

Ambient mood apéro music

1. Arc de Trimphe – Paris Café Society
2. Madeleine Peyroux La Vie en Rose
3. YouTube Indila Derniere Danse 2013
4. I Love Paris Ella Fitzgerald
5. Frero Delvega Ton Visage

Old school French apéro music

1. Madeleine Peyroux La Vie en Rose
2. Souvenirs Johnny Hallyday
3. La Mer CharlesTrenet
4. Non, Je ne Regrette Rien, Edith Piaf
5. Django Reinhardt I’ll See You in My Dreams

Perfect French cocktails to enjoy with your music

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Tucked away in the small valleys of the Gers in south west France is the classic bastide town of Marciac. It’s not huge, it has a population of around 1300, a central village square with the town hall as its main feature and the four sides of the square are lined with shops and cafés.

But one thing makes Marciac unique amongst the many bastide towns of France and that is Jazz.

The Jazz Festival of Marciac

Back in 1978 a small group of friends led by school teacher Jean-Louis Guilhaumon started a small jazz festival. Nearly 40 years later, it has become one of the most important jazz festivals in the world.

Over 250,000 people visit the Marciac Jazz Festival over its fifteen days. 65,000 attend concerts in the Chapiteau (a huge marquee) erected on the town’s rugby pitch. It’s here that not just some, but nearly all of the biggest names in Jazz have played over those 40 years.

Now I have to confess that though I am not a jazz fan I am a huge fan of music. However, two days in Marciac converted me.

The highlight of the 2016 festival for many people was a performance by the legendary Ahmad Jamal. At 86 years old he came out of retirement to play his only concert in the world that year in a little bastide town in Gascony, when I asked him why he said “when Jean -Louis asks, you say yes, he is a very special man.”

One time school teacher Jean-Louis Guilhaumon is now mayor of Marciac and President of the Marciac Jazz festival. He is also Vice-President of the regional council of the Midi-Pyrenees.

He is immensely proud that the college he taught at now has Jazz on the curriculum. 20 pupils from the area have gone on to be professional musicians and the town has a permanent concert venue, the very modern 500 seat L’Astrada , which hosts music, theatre and dance throughout the year.

Music is everywhere when the festival is on. Every bar, street corner and alleyway has musicians playing, the square is one free festival, vibrant, exciting and great for the trip jazz fan or not. Over the year’s luminaries such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Nina Simone and Ray Charles have played Marciac.

But Marciac is not just a town for the jazz festival. It’s worth visiting anytime of the year with a great street market and warm evenings from Spring to Autumn, perfect for late night dining and talking under the stars. The Jazz Museum Les Territoires du Jazz makes for a great visit as do the local Armagnac vineyards and those of Plaimont wine growers where you can sponsor a vine named after a jazz musician.

Marciac turned out to be a bit of a surprise, a very pleasant surprise.

Read about the artists of Marciac Jazz Festival – bringing joie de vivre to the town and its visitors!

Find more fabulous things to do in France at: uk.france.fr

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Le Cabaret Vert is famous across France for its surprising and varied line-up of musical talent including internationally huge bands. It’s also popular for the way in which it mixes some top international acts with plenty of local food and beer.

Eco-friendly and eclectic

It’s one of the most eco-friendly and highly eclectic music festivals on the planet. Cabaret Vert this year takes place from August 24 to 27. Based in Charleville-Mezieres  in The French Ardennes, in 2016 the festval attracted a new record of 94,000 festival-goers.

Le Cabaret Vert

The event is named after a poem written by one of France’s best-known poets, Arthur Rimbaud – who was born in the region. Cabaret Vert might be slightly off the beaten track, but it is on the rise as one of Northern Europe’s best festivals, featuring both new and established artists, as well as an equal measure of street art and cinema.

For more than a decade, Le Cabaret Vert has managed somehow to unite several musical genres, including rock, pop, electro and urban music.

Previous names to have performed here include the likes of The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Damian Marley, Franz Ferdinand and Public Enemy.

Where to see Cabaret Vert

Located on the banks of the River Meuse in the town centre, Le Cabaret Vert also stands out thanks to its eco-friendly approach.  Organic food and craft beer can be enjoyed at the refreshment stands; and the festival as a whole also offers environmental awareness and recycling workshops, screenings of short films, street art performances and painting and poetry exhibitions and performances.

This year’s line-up includes London Grammar, Cypress Hill, Korn, The Kills and Kate Tempest.

Ticket prices start from 38 Euros for a single ticket for the Thursday, Friday or Saturday, to 92 Euros for a four-day pass.

For further details, visit www.cabaretvert.com

Tourist information about The French Ardennes can be found at gb.ardennes.com

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France has always had a special place in its heart for jazz and indeed the world’s first international jazz festival was held in Nice, France in 1948. However France’s relationship with this music of jazz started some 30 years earlier during World War I…

Jazz comes to France

It was during The Great War (1914-1918) that African-American soldiers introduced France to jazz. After the war, this lively new sound was the perfect accompaniment to les années folles, or “the crazy years”, when all art forms were changing and tastes turned to the unconventional and exotic. This new African-American music made people feel alive again, just what was needed after the horrors of the First World War.

Jazz was especially appreciated by the young and in the early 1930s, a group of Parisian students formed a jazz club. At first they just met to listen to the music, but later they became ambassadors of this new sound. The Hot Club de France quickly grew into an important organisation working to promote jazz in France. Hugues Panassié was president and Charles Delaunay secretary, but in 1936 Louis Armstrong was elected Honorary President of the club and held that title until his death in 1971.

With the help of the Hot Club, jazz took root in post-war France. Although they appreciated the American jazz groups, the Hot Club was on the lookout for French talent. They “discovered” guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli who, along with others, became known as the Hot Club Quintet, the first “all French” jazz band.

Jazz during the occupation

When the Second World War was declared, most of the African American jazz musicians left France and the French bands were worried. However the Hot Club survived by claiming that their sound was “traditional  French music” which was allowed to be broadcast. They claimed that jazz was directly inspired by Debussy, an influential French composer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and circulated flyers detailing this invented pedigree. One music critic published a book explaining how jazz was intrinsically French and how it could become the new European music under the Nazi regime. Hugues Panassié, president of the Hot Club, published a book addressing the Vichy regime’s argument that jazz couldn’t carry a patriotic message. In his book he claimed that jazz had simply been misunderstood and he scattered biblical passages and political quotes throughout to make it sound convincing.

It’s not swing, it’s jazz

Music experts pointed out that the jazz musicians of the time were all French (the American musicians had left at the start of the war) and they made “adjustments” to make jazz seem more French. At the time the music was called “swing” in France so they started calling it “jazz” which sounded less American.

It’s not blues, it’s tristesse

The titles of songs were changed to French: “St. Louis Blues” became “Tristesse de St. Louis” and “I Got Rhythm” became “Agate Rhythm”. The names of composers were either left off or changed. Louis Armstrong’s songs were credited to Jean Sablon during that time. When they had finished, jazz looked as French as baguettes and brie. Their efforts paid off when the Nazis banned subversive “American swing” but permitted traditional “French jazz”.  Of course, it was the same music, just cleverly repackaged.

Jazz and the Resistance

Hot Club members weren’t just defying the Nazis with music, many of them were active members of the Resistance. They used jazz concerts and conferences as cover to pass information to England. In 1943 the Hot Club headquarters in Paris was raided and some of its officials were arrested. Delaunay, Hot Club secretary, was released after one month, but several of the others perished in Nazi concentration camps.

However, jazz survived and kept the French company during the occupation. And when the war was over, France remained faithful to the music that, by that time, really had become woven into French culture.

Video of Louis Armstrong singing in French…

Read more about jazz in Paris, Jazz in Normandy – Under the Apple Trees

Margo Lestz lives in Nice, France where she likes to bask in the sunshine, study the French language and blog as thecuriousrambler. Margo says “Life is never boring and I learn something new every day… and there are always surprises”.

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Our French music guru and London based French radio impresario Oliver Jauffrit of radio Paris Chanson continues his French Music Lessons with a look at Patrice and Mario…

When Olivier Jauffrit suggested that we feature Patrice and Mario in our French music series I must confess to thinking “who?”

I’d never heard of them before but then I find that this often happens when I talk to Olivier who seems to know just about everything and anything to do with French music. His radio station is based in London and plays only the best of French music – what you’d call the classics. Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Charles Trenet and Serge Gainsbourg – he plays them all, the songs and the tunes that many of us know well and love much. He also plays gems that are little known outside of France and Patrice and Mario fall into this category.

The pair were stars of the 1940s and 1950s, they met each other in 1938 at an amateur singing contest and forged a successful singing career in France although they came from Italy. Born Patrizzio Paganessi (1915- 1992) and Mario Moro (1918-2002), their music reflected a trend for Mediterranean style sounds at the time that made them hugely popular in France. These days they represent a nostalgic echo of the past and continue to sell albums in France.

Olivier has chosen this video of the song “Montagnes d’Italie” which he feels best gives a flavour of their soft, soulful and harmonious sound…

Read more about Olivier Jauffrit of radio Paris Chanson

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Olivier Jauffrit is the French music pundit who runs radio station Paris Chanson. One of his favourite films is “An American in Paris” which he calls a ‘Fantastic musical movie’ for its show stopping numbers and for the songs of Georges Guétary, a very popular singer and actor in France.

Guétary was born 8 February 1915 as Lambros Worloou in Egypt to Greek parents and studied music in Egypt and Paris where he made his stage debut in 1937. He sang and danced with the much loved Mistinguett at the Casino de Paris, she was the most popular French entertainer of her time and the highest paid female entertainer in the world.

Guétary appeared on the stage in London and New York and in films including the legendary and enduring “An American in Paris”. He played the part of Henri Baurel, a friend and unknowing romantic rival of Jerry Mulligan (the American in Paris) played by Gene Kelly. Leslie Caron plays the love interest – both Henry and Jerry are in love with her and she must choose between Henry who has been so good to her and Jerry who steals her heart.

In the film, Guétary and Kelly duet, without the other knowing of their love for the same girl in the fabulous “’S Wonderful”.

Georges Guétary remained popular in France and gave a farewell performance at the age of 80, known as “the eternal young man”; he died 13 September, 1997

To illustrate Guétary’s style Olivier Jauffrit has chosen a video showing an extract from “An American in Paris” in which Gene Kelly, Oscar Levant and George Guétary sing the words of George Gershwin’s “By Strauss”:

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These days the woman born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi 23 December 1967 in Turin, Italy is known as Carla Bruni-Sarkozy.

Born into a wealthy family which moved to France when Carla was seven years old, she became a model at the age of 19 and earned her own fortune modelling for the top fashion houses – Dior, Chanel and Versace amongst them.

Ten years later she quit modelling to concentrate on music and in 2002 released her first album “Quelqu’un m’a dit”. it was a success, her quirky style and mellow voice found popular acclaim and various tracks from this first album were used in films, TV series and an H&M advertising campaign.

More success followed in her musical career but in February 2008 she married Nicolas Sarkozy and for a while her musical work slowed down as chose to support her husband who was the then President of France (2007-2012). She did however continue to record with other artists such as Harry Conick Jr and to sing for Nelson Mandela at his 91^st birthday party in New York and appeared in Woody Allen’s film 2011 Midnight in Paris. She also says that during this time she never stopped writing even though she did not have the time to practice the guitar or to sing every day.

To illustrate her style Olivier Jauffrit has chosen a video of Carla Bruni’s song “Mon Raymond”  from her new album ‘Little French songs’ – her 4^th album and possibly her best – melodic, charming and very French. Olivier says “Although she changed the first name, this song is all about her husband… It could have been titled My Nicolas…”

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The sound of summer in France is definitely sweeter with jazz. Those melodies energize music-lovers from open-back stages overlooking the Mediterranean, waft over crowded terraces near Les Halles, or mellow out cool clubs in Normandy. Jazz has become an international language, influencing many cultures. It was introduced first in France by African American soldiers. Julia Browne Founder and CEO of Walking The Spirit Tours – Black Paris & Beyond tells the story…

During World War 1, segregated troops of black soldiers marched their lively music through 2,000 miles of tiny farm villages and big concert halls across France. Their leader was Lt. James Reese Europe, a well-respected New York bandleader. Everywhere he led his 369^th Harlem Infantry Regiment band and they created an exciting musical revolution. The story is still repeatedly told how the first time the French heard jazz they couldn’t fathom what kind of music it was, or how the instruments were making those unheard-of sounds.

After the war, many musicians, as well as dancers and entertainers, returned, settled and delighted cabarets and club audiences in Paris’ Lower Montmartre, which became known as Black Montmartre. Club owners and club-goers from all over the world couldn’t get enough of the syncopated rhythms. Numerous local musicians, on the other hand, weren’t thrilled to be pressured into learning this foreign American music.

Fortunately there were insightful fans who saw the future of French music in jazz and began the quest of elevating this so-called American ‘pop’ music to an art form. Two jazz lovers, Hughes Panassié and Charles Delauney, formed the groundbreaking Jazz Hot Club to promote the acceptance of jazz in France and abroad. They went on to launch the first Jazz Magazine in Europe. From their locale near Rue Pigalle, they invited eager young musicians into their workshop space where they could try out the new sounds and meet the American masters. It didn’t take long for two of their protégés, Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli, to form the first real French jazz band, the Jazz Hot Quintet, and tour the regions in the 30s, spreading the jazz gospel.

But the Nazi occupation of Paris forced the American jazzmen and entertainers back home and outlawed the playing of what they called ‘degenerate Negro music’ on the airwaves and in public places. The Parisian fans however, weren’t about to let go of their newfound passion. They simply took their well-worn New Orleans-style records and set up clandestine clubs in the soundproof underground cellars of St.Germain-des-Pres and the Latin Quarter.

But with no Americans around to show them the chops, and no new records being pressed and distributed, the young French musicians resorted to imitating their precious Jelly Roll Morton, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway records.

The Soundtrack of St.Germain-des-Pres

After WWII, thousands of French youth flocked to Paris. They gathered by day in the smoky literary cafés – Le Café Flore, Les Deux Magots – then around midnight headed for the jazz clubs.

Leading the pack was a lanky, balding, ambitious engineer, writer and poet Boris Vian. His nickname became The White Negro for his obsession with Black music and culture. Not surprising he was the one, in April 1947, to open the most infamous of the area’s clubs – The Tabou Club, on rue Dauphine.

Return of the Masters

African American musicians blazed a triumphant return to Paris, picking up where their 1920s predecessors had left off. Invited to perform in the first Festival International de Jazz in Paris, which began in1948, were luminaries like Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, and Kenny Clarke. The following year, fans and amateurs jammed the venues to hear their idols Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker Quintet with Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, and Mary Lou Williams. The fanatical reaction of their fans at these concerts and club dates brought the jazzmen a whole new perspective on the appreciation of their music and their fans.

Bechet, a New Orleans native, became one of the legends who got little recognition in the U.S. but enjoyed superstar status in France. He was admired for the melodiousness of his compositions and for his mastery of the saxophone and clarinet. But he was especially appreciated for being the only Black musician at the time to take young French musicians under his mentorship and nurturing the first generation of French jazzmen.

Miles Davis, too, stole the French public’s heart. A resident of the Hotel Louisiane rooming house made famous by Bertrand Tavernier’s film ‘Round Midnight’, Davis lent his Bebop genius to French film soundtracks including ‘Ascenceur pour l’Echaufaud’. But the celebrity press also adored him because he and iconic singer Juliet Greco were the Paris ‘it’ couple of the 1950s.

Jazz festivals this summer will feature the biggest names in jazz of all nationalities. Among them will be a strong contingent of musical descendants of those soldiers who made this music an international language.

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Olivier Jauffrit of radio station Paris Chanson chooses Michel Legrand as one of his favourite French composers…

Born 24 February 1932 to conductor and composer Raymond Legrand (he composed the hit Irma la Douce), Michel Legrand followed in his father’s footsteps.

A creative and prolific composer he has, in his more than half a century career produced in excess of 200 film and TV scores, is a musical arranger, a conductor and a pianist. His influence in the musical world goes far beyond the boundaries of his native France.

Nominated for an Oscar 13 times, he holds three of the golden statues, he has five Grammys and has been nominated for an Emmy. Among the most famous of his film scores are the Oscar winning “Summer of ’42″, “The Thomas Crown Affair”, “Ice Station Zebra”, “Yentl” and “Les Parapluies de Cherbourg” (“The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”).

His first album at the age of 22 entitled “I Love Paris” became one of the best-selling instrumental albums ever released.

He has made more than 100 albums, conducted orchestras around the world, worked with the greatest musicians of the world from Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Sinatra. Legrand does jazz, classic and other styles as a pianist and has composed scores for musicals including on Broadway.

You might think that this would all have left Michel Legrand satisfied and ready to hang up his conductor’s baton, put down his composing pen and drop the lid of his piano in his 81^st year but – you would be wrong.

He is one of France’s most well-known musicians around the world – and he is still touring (following his 80th birthday series of concerts in 2012!), with the show “Nathalie Dessay chante Michel Legrand”. One date that we’re particularly looking forward to is the 3rd of December concert which will be held in Prague’s magnificent Opera House. A fantastic concert in a wonderful city, sounds like a good plan…

Paris Chanson has selected the instrumental version (live) of one of Legrand’s greatest classics (Les parapluies de Cherbourg – Umbrellas of Cherbourg). You thought you knew how to play piano? Try this…

By Olivier Jauffrit

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