Summer music around Paris

There are many hundreds of musical festivals throughout France all year, but especially during Summer - many of them outdoors. Paris has more than its fair share.


From June to September, on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, there are concerts in the Parc Floral near the Chateau de Vincennes - some classical, some jazz, some world music. The stage area is delightful, and people also sit on the grass or in other areas near the performance area and have picnics during the concert.
This was a Palestinian group called "Orientale Music Ensembe" - superb! Very political themes with haunting and uplifting rhythms and textures ...

One of my old favourites, Anouar Brahem - composer and performer on the oud. This is the first time I've seen him live ...

The base clarinet was fantastic too.Some of the outside audience ...

Neighbours who are Swedish invited myself and another neighbour to go with them to the regular Wednesday night jazz session at the Swedish club. The Club is in the flat where Alfred Nobel used to live, and where he signed the document willing the early Nobel Prizes. It was a top evening.

The La Défense Jazz Festival - at The Big End Of Town - was a mixed success for me. Lots of music that was more rock than jazz. But many people enjoyed it. There were concerts every lunchtime for a week and some night ones.

Reflections in the towers during the concerts ...

Evening concert on the last night ...

Wayne Shorter was the Big Act for the last night ...

Fading sunset reflected in the towers during the evening concert ... Down market a bit with some lively youngsters in place des Vosges ... And then again - the Gay Pride concert at place de la Bastille ...The final concert in this year's series of free monthly jazz concerts in my local Mairie (4th); they'll start again in September. Franck Avatabile is a seriously emerging and talented young pianist ...

In the Jardin du Luxembourg, the bicentennary of Chopin's birth was being celebrated ...

Not ideal conditions for listening to Chopin, though:

Bastille Day and Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower

Friends advised me that it wouldn't be worth going to the Champs Elysées to try to watch the Bastille Day parade, because the crowds are so huge that it's hard to see anything; better to watch on TV. But in any case, the rain bucketed down so staying home until later in the afternoon when it cleared was a good idea.

The theme this year was fraternity with the African countries that were former French colonies. Leaders were guests and troops from those countries marched. There were rumblings in the media about French politicians sitting alongside some murderous dictators. I philosophised that maybe the rain was symbolic - to wash away the sins of the past - those colonial ones and the recent massacres by African leaders.

I captured the first two images on my TV screen. Call me a sucker for macho stuff, but I'm so impressed by the expert military parachutists who always manage to land right in front of the presidential grandstand.

The evening enticed us to the Champ de Mars to watch the fireworks display. Shoulder-to-shoulder crowds built up early...

Gradually getting darker ...

Then time for the pretties ...

Apologies in advance for the videos. My bright idea of conveying some atmosphere through the videos wasn't so bright when I turned the camera to portrait view, to ensure that I captured the full height of the Eiffel Tower! So - here are two videos, but you'll need to turn your head or your monitor to see the correct view ... sorry !

Bastille Eve at Issy-les-Moulineaux

This year I've learned from locals that most of the best fun activity happens the night before Bastille Day, rather than on the day itself. Certainly, the familial ambiance in the park at Issy-les-Moulineaux (on the south-western outskirts of Paris) bore witness to that. Picnics on the grass preceded the wonderful display of music and fireworks. Other outer areas have similar events.
Everyone was issued with a Chinese-style lantern to light their spot after the floodlights were turned off in preparation for the display.

Our picnic spot at sunset.

Our picnic spot after we received our lanterns. I chose my red one.

The festive atmosphere building up.

Ready for the display to start:

And there it goes ...

I find it difficult to take good photos of fireworks, but hopefully you can sense a bit of the atmosphere from these. The video at the end gives more of an idea.

Now for the video ... it's short but lively ...