Posted on

Jazz Pianist Lenore Raphael Swings into Paris

Lenore Raphael

One of the things we love about Paris is the opportunity to hear so many top jazz performers. Lenore Raphael, who jazz critics have compared to Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and even Thelonious Monk, will be in town playing her brand of modern swinging jazz (April 19, 2023) at the Cercle Suedois. Performing with Lenore is bassist Hilliard Greene who was music director for Little Jimmy Scott  and joining them is top guitarists  Wayne Wilkinson. Considered by many as one of great Steinway artists, she has performed at some of the world’s top jazz venues and festivals such as The London Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ronnie Scott’s (London) and the Blue Note. Continue reading “Jazz Pianist Lenore Raphael Swings into Paris”

Posted on

The Latin Quarter Revisited

Discovering the 5 & 6th district

Romantic myths of Left Bank intelligentsia which date back seven centuries are brutally shattered on today’s busy bd St-Michel, the main artery of the Latin Quarter, where the 5th and 6th arrondissements meet.

The venerable Sorbonne, the quarter’s historic seat of intellectual life, is still there, but these days the forlorn chime of its chapel bell, which has punctuated the studies of generations of scholars, is drowned out by the din of passing traffic. Indeed most people who stream past the place de la Sorbonne seldom notice its beautiful 17th century chapel with its graceful dome. Continue reading “The Latin Quarter Revisited”

Posted on

French Like Moi

Scott Carpenter’s memoir “French Like Moi” revisits B.C Paris (before corona virus) with wit and humor. Carpenter, who teaches French literature at Minnesota’s Carleton College, tells a traveler’s tale that is both funny and full of cultural insights. His saga is sure to evoke a chuckle from anyone
who has spent some time in Paris. As the French might say, the book is… “très amusant.” Continue reading “French Like Moi”

Posted on

36 Hours in Paris

Ruby Boukabou with her Paris notebook

Only in Paris for a few days and overwhelmed by the options? Follow this suggested itinerary for an unforgettable trip. The following is an extract from Ruby Boukabou’s “The Architecture Lover’s Guide to Paris” (White Owl Books), a fabulous new guide book catering to both armchair travelers dreaming of a future visit and those lucky enough to actually get to Paris during these troubled pandemic times. Available worldwide. More info and online orders at www.rubytv.net/books . Continue reading “36 Hours in Paris”

Posted on

Paris Valentine with the Midas Touch

Okay, fellas, it’s time to think about making an impression on Valentine’s Day. You can do like every other guy in town and take the love of your life flowers. Or, you can score lots of  points by offering her a gift of the gods that’s 18 karat gold. In Paris, prices range from a couple of hundred Euros for a modest bauble from Tati’s “fine jewelry” boutique, to two or three  times that at Galeries Lafayette, or maybe 50 times that for the Cartier dream. Continue reading “Paris Valentine with the Midas Touch”

Posted on

Edvard Munch… un poèm de vie

“Edvard Munch. A Poem of Life, Love and Death” is a large retrospective of the Norwegian painter’s work at the Musée d’Orsay (until January 22, 2023).  World famous for his iconic painting “The Scream,” Munch occupies a pivotal place in the birth of modernity. In 1892 about “The Scream” Munch wrote in his diary: “One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord – the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became “The Scream.” Continue reading “Edvard Munch… un poèm de vie”