Musique Pour Tous

For only three euros, I was able to attend a concert entitled “Jazz Pour Tous” (Jazz for all) at the Grand Theatre d’Angers. The theater was smaller than I thought it would be, but it was very beautiful and ornate. The light cast by the chandelier glittered on the ceiling and bounced off the gilded walls, creating a magical atmosphere. The concert was an hour and a half and it was really good, though the only piece I recognized was George Gershwin’s “Soon.” The Joe Cohn-Dimitri Baevsky Quartet was comprised of a guitarist from New York, a bassist from France, a saxophonist from Russia and a drummer from I don’t know where. It was really wonderful, except jazz always makes me feel like dancing and you can’t exactly dance in your seat. I hope the people behind me weren’t annoyed that I was swaying side to side. Grandma and Grandpa, you would have loved it.

I also saw my first film in France a bit ago. It was about the life of Serge Gainsbourg. I didn’t have a clue who he was because I know almost zero French musicians. Luckily, the French girl sitting next to me was able to tell me a lot before the film started. Gainsbourg was a famous/infamous singer-songwriter who led a rather sordid and worldly life during the sexual revolution of the 1960/70s. “Sex, drugs and rock and roll” describes him perfectly; he’s not someone I’d call a good role model. The funny thing is I watched an episode of the new 90210 last Tuesday and in the background of one of the scenes I heard a Gainsbourg song playing. I honestly couldn’t believe it. I would have never guessed I’d be hearing a French song on 90210. It was so bizarre, but pretty cool that I was able to recognize it. I give whoever found that song major props because it fit the scene perfectly. I doubt very many people watch the show, but in case you want to look it up, it was in Season 2, Episode 14 with Jasper and Annie.

This brings me to the subject of French music. I hadn’t been exposed to much French music in the States other than famous pieces like Bizet’s Carmen, Debussy’s “Le Claire De Lune,” Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose,” Joe Dassin’s “Aux Champs Elysee,” “La Marseillaise” and “Frère Jacques” so I was hoping to learn a bunch more. I knew a little about Claude François, who I really like despite the fact that he earned his living ripping off other people’s songs, but that was the extent of my musical knowledge. (Claude François was famous for doing covers of Motown music by the likes of The Four Tops, Herman’s Hermits, The Beatles, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Creedence Clearwater, Barry Manilow, and Don Mclean. His one original work was “Comme d’habitude” the original version of “My Way” which was made famous by Frank Sinatra. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Fran%C3%A7ois)

I quickly found that today’s French music is completely dominated by the American music industry, with the exception of French house/techno artists like Daft Punk, Bob Sinclair and David Guetta. Within a half hour of listening to the radio, I heard The Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Owl City, Taylor Swift and Elvis—all on the same station. So if you listen to KIISFM back home, you’ll feel right at home. However, if you’re more like me and like a wider variety of music that spans the decades, or just want to expand your musical knowledge, popular French stations just aren’t going to cut it. I’m going to have to ask Madame what stations play the Breton music she’s always listening to, or just resort to youtube.

The cool thing about music is that it transcends language barriers. Music connects all sorts of people because you don’t need words to express yourself, just a beat or a rhythm.

A plus!

Heidi

P.S. See if you recognize this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWRVpiXHl0Q