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Well I've been a little
lax on the Journal updates as there isn't one for all of
August. My excuses? A nice little trip of my own to
Switzerland, Austria, Germany (again), and The Netherlands.
I've been busy playing with a really cool British-Rock type
band that allows my funky jazz additions to thrive in the
mix. My friend Mychelle is here from San Francisco, renting
Jean-Luc's place, my Mom was here with my niece for a couple
of weeks, and there's all that red wine...
Jess'upThese are the boys in the band. It's a cool, funky, "punchy Brit rock" band. Tim Jessop is from London, Massimo Trassenté is from Italy, and I'm American. So what the heck are we doing here? I dunno but the music is cool and they like my playing as I add my jazz-funk impressions to the rock-and-roll sound. They're both real nice guys too as we spend time eating and drinking together often, talking about music and other worldly things. We've been doing some real great gigs in Paris, and next week we play Les Duc des Lombards which is a famous jazz club here in Paris!
Things I've Learned:After spending time here I've realized some things... The first thing is that I realize that I'm not as good at just relaxing as I thought I was. I don't know if it's because I've been working in downtown San Francisco for the last five years, or if I'm just a product of my culture (California). We tend to be so on the move all the time, without taking the time necessary to just "be." Here in France, many people are on vacation and take lots of time and move slowly doing everything: Eating, drinking, sunbathing, EVERYTHING. They take LOTS of time. I often find myself getting ancy and feeling the need to move and get something done and stress about something that I'm not getting done. RELAX! Have your coffee and just "be" for a bit. Others from the States who have been here feel the same way. If we spend ten minutes waiting around for some people to go eat or see a movie or whatever, we get all bent outta shape. We feel the need to fill every minute of every day getting something done. Why? I dunno. Maybe it's not Californians, maybe it's just ME. Maybe because I've been working in stress-land downtown for the past five years. Maybe I'm riddled with Catholic guilt all the time. But I definitely think I'm getting better at it, although I still need to work on it, especially if I'm going to be a damn Jazz musician! Women are, in general, second class citizens here as most of them have trouble walking down the street by themselves at any time of day, but especially at night, without some man verbally harassing them. Many men feel the need to say something to just about any woman who is not dressed in a gunny-sack. I've been oblivious to it for the most part, but the more I realize the problem, the more obvious it is. Most women here seem to have just learned to deal with it. Always bring some
1
Franc pieces with you
on the Metro as there are many quite excellent players who
perform there with great expertise. It's like they've been
playing there all their life. It's better to see someone
actually trying to EARN a Franc or two from you rather than
just having their hand out looking for change. • Autumn Leaves - Otherwise known as "les Feuilles Morte," is actually originally a French tune adapted by Johnny Mercer with English text. Surefire way to quit biting your fingernails, as well as other annoying nervous habits: Start smoking!
I'm OK with the
goatee
here, but it's often itchy and scratchy, so I shave it off
every month or so. I've lost about 20 pounds and just hope I
can keep up the lifestyle when I get back to the good ol' US
of A. Walking a lot seems to help the metabolism...
What have I learned/gained from this trip? Well, since I'm not famous or rich, I guess I'll have to say that the pluses of this trip have been the people. The jazz has been great, but the contacts I've made here and the just plain wonderful friends I've made here have been incredible. I can come back here just about any time and have lots of people to see and spend time with. I also have lots of contacts regarding future gigs if I can get back with an ensemble soon. I also know for sure how Paris works! If you're coming to Paris, I can get you in, out, and all around, that's for sure. Who knows? Maybe someday I'll have a business where I just get folks in and out of Paris for a living... I've also realized how much I love my country, my culture, my way of life. The European way is different and wonderful, but it's not what I've grown up with and I love my own comfort zone. I'm sure there are Europeans who come to America and just don't dig the way we do it. It's wonderful for them, but it's not the way they grew up! And the Parisian way just ain't me for life. I can do it for 2 - 6 months at a time, but I gotta have some San Francisco mixed in in the middle somewhere. I mean it's just nice to talk to some Americans once in awhile! And I can handle Paris at two or four or six months at a time. I just gotta have a dose of my own culture once in awhile! Also, the travel has been the plus of this trip. I've seen Copenhagen, Denmark; Cologne, Nuremberg and Rothenburg, Germany; Madrid and Barcelona, Spain; Venice, Italy, Lucerne, Switzerland, London, England; Salzburg and Halstaat, Austria; Brussels, Belgium, and many other crazy spots in France. I'm lucky and feel privileged to have traveled so much this summer! |
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