It is Paris, 1961. Word has flashed through the city that royalty is in town.
Jazz royalty. Duke Ellington is staying at the Hotel de la Trémoille, off
Avenue George V, as is Louis Armstrong. Both men are at the height of their
fame and powers, so a photographer is dispatched from Paris Match to capture
the meeting of the giants.
They agree to appear on adjoining balconies, while, in the street below,
members of their respective orchestras play – a friendly battle of the
bands. In the ensuing photograph, Duke is regally raising his hand, as if
greeting his subjects, while Armstrong is waving his trademark white
handkerchief (originally used to hide his finger movements from rival
trumpeters who might try to mimic his formidable technique), and both wear
smiles of great glee.
Forty-seven years later, the woman standing next to me in front of the same
image, which hangs in the foyer of La Trémoille, points at Satchmo: “My
mother was a dancer with Louis Armstrong. Not when this was taken, but
earlier. My parents always promised to bring me to Paris. They never did, so
I thought I’d better get myself here.”
Ricki Stevenson is a journalist and broadcaster who runs black-history tours
of Paris. And a lot of that has to do with jazz. “All round here,” she says,
waving her arms, “was jazz central.”
By “here”, Ricki means the golden triangle of the Champs-Elysées and Avenues
George V and Montaigne – these days associated with exorbitantly priced
shopping, sleeping and eating. “Duke loved this hotel. Armstrong would stay
here or at Powers, on Rue François, because they let him cook his own food
in the kitchen.
“Josephine Baker lived on this very street after the war. In the Fifties,
Sidney Bechet had his own club across on Rue Pierre Charron.” In the
Thirties, he had a gunfight with his bass player on stage because the
bassist wasn’t keeping time. Three people were wounded in the crossfire and
Bechet spent a year in jail. He was a hard taskmaster.
The photograph of Duke and Louis we are staring at was stored in La
Trémoille’s basement for years. When the hotel was renovated, the neglected
picture was uncovered and the management subsequently decided to create two
new “jazz suites”, one named after Ellington, the other Armstrong, which
opened this year.
When not occupied, they sometimes form part of Ricki’s tours. Both are
elegant, understated and huge: there is room to swing a very hep cat in
there.
But why is Paris steeped in jazz history in a way that, say, London isn’t?
“That’s because of the Harlem Hellfighters,” Ricki says, and she tells the
story of the Afro-American infantry unit from the first world war and James
Reese Europe, its band leader, who brought to Paris what Alex Ross, in his
masterly book on 20th-century music, The Rest Is Noise, calls “syncopated
music that was a step or two away from jazz”.
Europe was one of the first people to travel back to America to tell a story
of a promised land, where black players were welcome and their music taken
seriously. You could argue that it was Europe who first released the musical
virus of jazz that found such a perfect host in Paris.
Later that night, sitting at the bar of a crowded club called the Duc des
Lombards (see info below), watching astonishingly assured young French
pianist Baptiste Trotignon captivate the audience, I ask the same questions
of expat Mike Zwerin. In his own way, although he would bristle at the
description, Zwerin is Parisian jazz royalty.
A stellar writer on the subject, including the excellent Parisian Jazz
Chronicles, and friend of Dexter Gordon and Miles Davis, he is also a gifted
trombone player. When Zwerin was 18, Davis recruited him for what is known
as the Birth of the Cool band.
When I mention this, he shakes his head: “Yeah, that was 60 years ago. How
long can I keep playing that card? It gets a little embarrassing.” I remind
him that in his book, he says everything always comes back to Miles.
He nods, smiles at the truth of it, then answers my question: “I think jazz
took root in Paris because American musicians could get work permits here
easily and they were well looked after. The French got to play with them,
which encouraged and influenced the local musicians. That was very
important. It’s still possible to go out and hear good jazz in this city
almost every night.” He cocks an ear: “Why do saxophonists always have to
play in double time?”
He’s right, not only about sax players, but that there’s excellence to be
found, not just in the clubs but also over the next few weeks at the Paris
Jazz Festival, one of the great bargains of the genre. This year, it takes
place every weekend from June 7 to July 27 at Parc Floral, an attractive
area of woods and lakes at Château de Vincennes.
There you can see artists of considerable standing for the price of admission
to the park: a whisker under £4. In previous years, I’ve watched well over
2,000 people being mesmerised by the ruminations of Brad Mehldau and the
trumpet of Wynton Marsalis.
This time round, the trumpet stars du jour are Erik Truffaz (June 7) and
Tomasz Stanko (June 15); and there are performances by the likes of the
James Taylor Quartet (June 28), Dianne Reeves (July 20) and Angélique Kidjo
(July 19). The main concerts start at 3pm; if you want one of the 1,200
seats (plastic, bring cushions), you need to get there early, but it’s as
much fun to bring a picnic and enjoy the jazz in a city where it feels right
at home. James Reese Europe’s benign virus is still here and thriving.
Travel details: Hotel de la Trémoille (00 33-1 56 52 14 00, www.tremoille.com)
has an And All That Jazz package to tie in with the festival. A night in a
jazz suite, with breakfast, cocktails, the Complete Louis Armstrong &
Duke Ellington Sessions CD, a picnic blanket and bottle of wine, costs £780
for two. Less starry rooms are £380.
Ricki Stevenson’s Black Paris tour can be booked on 01 46 37 03 96 or at rickis@club-internet.fr,
and costs £40 for a half-day, £72 for a full day. Getting there: Eurostar
(0870 518 6186, www.eurostar.com)
operates up to 17 daily services from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du
Nord; from £59 return. There are flights to Paris from more than 20 UK
airports; try Air France (0870 142 4343, www.airfrance.co.uk),
EasyJet (www.easyjet.com), British
Airways (0844 493 0787, www.ba.com) and
Flybe (0871 700 2000, www.flybe.com).
Further information: Mike Zwerin’s The Parisian Jazz Chronicles is published
by Yale at £16. Read him at www.mikezwerin.com.
For details of the Paris Jazz Festival, go to www.parcfloraldeparis.com
and www.parisjazzfestival2008.com.
— Robert Ryan’s latest novel, Empire of Sand (Haadline, £13) is out now.
The jazz joints
Mike Zwerin’s advice for anyone wanting to hear the best jazz the city can
offer is simple: “Go down to Rue des Lombards, where you have a choice of
three clubs straightaway.”
The Duc des Lombards (42 Rue des Lombards; 00 33-1 42 33 22 88, www.ducdeslombards.com)
has recently been renovated and has “a great sound system”. There are
usually two sets, at 8pm and 10pm; get there early at weekends. Admission
from £15 up.
“Then, just down the street, you have Sunset-Sunside.” These two
clubs at 60 Rue des Lombards (01 40 26 21 25, www.sunset-sunside.com)
are stacked above each other; upstairs tends to be electric, downstairs
acoustic jazz, but they mix and match. Prices from £8.
He also rates Autour de Midi (11 Rue Lepic; 01 55 79 16 48, www.autourdemidi.fr;
various prices). A “jazz cave” in Montmartre, it’s “a really nice, intimate
place – you won’t see big stars, but good local players”.
Elsewhere, if you like female singers or tango, take a look at the programme
at the Swan Bar (165 Boulevard du Montparnasse; 01 44 27 05 84, www.swanbar.fr;
often free with one-drink minimum).
The celebrated and somewhat spartan New Morning (7-9 Rue des Petites
Ecuries; 01 45 23 51 41, www.newmorning.com;
from £15) is still going strong, although with more world music in the mix.
If you want smoother jazz and swing music – or a good Sunday “jazz brunch” –
the venerable Jazz Club Lionel Hampton, at Le Méridien Etoile (81
Boulevard Gouvion St Cyr; 01 40 68 30 42, www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien;
£20, £36 with brunch), is a large, upmarket supper-club-type room.
To fully appreciate the robust flavor of Ricki's tour you have to experience it for yourself! Ricki provides an unforgettable introduction to Paris --the city, the people, and the culture. Your trip will be far more meaningful than I can describe here. THIS is how you begin the trip of a lifetime!
Faye Sigers, Chicago, United States
Black Paris Tours made my first trip to Paris truly memorable. Ricki's narrative was a delightful journey into the past giving me the opportunity to experience the culture, history and jazz scene of Black Paris. I highly recommend that anyone visiting Paris make Black Paris Tours a MUST DO!
Vicki, Fort Lee, USA
Taking one of Ricki's tours is like stepping back in time with Madame Stevenson as your personal guide. She is a wealth of information and she continues to keep the history of the ex-patriate African American musicians, writers, painters alive.
Kat StThomas, Houston, USA
Ricki's Black Paris Tours is steeped in Black History? It's one of the main attractions in Paris. For anyone having thoughts of vacationing in Paris for a week, a month, or however amount of time you plan to spend there; BPT is a must! This is one of the hidden jewels of traveling to Paris France.
Nathan A Jones, Oakland, USA
I can truly vouch for Ricki Stevenson and her Black Paris Tours. I lived in Paris for almost 2 years, met and went on Ricki's tours several times, believe me it was an adventure into the culture and history of Paris. I saw and learned something new on every tour.
Carole, Atlanta, USA