Eric Watson’s Jazz Flashbacks

The evening of the Fête de la Musique, pianist Eric Watson was surveying the crowds from the balcony of his Marais apartment when he had an epiphany. “I suddenly flashbacked to the ’60s and ’70s. I felt something was coming; things were finally changing … ” He’s talking about music and the way it’s offered to the public. And he’s talking about the conservatism of the ’90s. “In the ’70s you could deal with Cecil Taylor because of the dope.” He shrugs. “People don’t have that anymore … ” Ergo, they don’t deal with Cecil anymore. Instead they have to deal with being told “by people like Wynton what jazz is. What I want to see more of is truly crazy musicians.” And he’s ready to be one of them? “Absolutely.”

Continue reading “Eric Watson’s Jazz Flashbacks”

Let Them Eat Bread

The French government took drastic steps in January to protect the beleaguered baguette from cut-price rivals that sometimes sell for as little as 1.50F at supermarkets compared with about 4F at traditional bakeries. A new law aimed at safeguarding baker-artisans now restricts the name “bakery” to the establishments of bakers who bake their bread on the premises. The new law will require an estimated 5,000 shops selling bread made from factory frozen dough to take down their “bakery” signs. Continue reading “Let Them Eat Bread”

“Bonne Fin d’année, Monsieur.”

Chers readers – yes, you – as we converse, I look out into the near future, and see you there sitting pretty somewhere in the heart of a gleeful Paris December, the holiday season unfolding around you with its annual engorgement of foie gras, saumon fumé, huîtres d’Oléron, Veuve Cliquot and Christmas lights. But many of us time-warped journalists are still hovering over our monthly deadlines back here in ol’ forgotten November, the most joyless month in Paris. “It’s a Wonderful Life” flashes in the background of the imagination as this last column of the year falls into place. Continue reading ““Bonne Fin d’année, Monsieur.””

Is Drinking a Bottle of Wine a Night Too Much?

Q:  How can you tell when a person is an alcoholic and not just a social drinker?  My partner  (he’s French) drinks at least one bottle of wine every night at dinner, and I know he drinks at lunch, too, though he usually eats with business associates.  It really bothers me, especially now that the holidays are coming up, and I wonder if  there are any statistics about how much wine or hard liquor consumption qualifies one as an alcoholic?  I’m sure there is something wrong, but whenever I try to make him see that, he gets angry and accuses me of being a puritanical American who doesn’t understand French culture.

Continue reading “Is Drinking a Bottle of Wine a Night Too Much?”

Amiens… France’s Best Kept Secret

Life, we all know, isn’t fair. Amiens and Chartres are each only about an hour from Paris by train, and each has a spectacular cathedral. So when’s the last time you urged visiting friends or relations to make the trip to Amiens? Chartres – which, face it, is pretty much a one-site burg – hogs most of the tourists. Amiens languishes by comparison, in the unjustly maligned north, despite its charmingly restored artisans’ quarter, its ancient network of water gardens and, leave us not forget, its outstanding example of the French Gothic style in full flower, which happens to be the country’s largest cathedral.

Continue reading “Amiens… France’s Best Kept Secret”

Paris Fashion Skin Deep

Fashion has fallen on difficult times. A stagnant economy has weakened European women’s purchasing power. The more affluent American is no longer investing heavily in her wardrobe, and designers in markets from New York to Seoul are inching the French out of their own stylish ball game. With all this working against her, Madame Mode has done what any self-centered diva would do in a time of crisis: strip naked, get her picture taken and call it a return to femininity.

Continue reading “Paris Fashion Skin Deep”