Local Expert
Kate Cyr
Originally from a small town in upstate New York and most recently living in New York City, I transferred to Paris for work in April 2007. I'll admit it: I came to Paris convinced that no city could…
Originally from a small town in upstate New York and most recently living in New York City, I transferred to Paris for work in April 2007. I'll admit it: I came to Paris convinced that no city could compare to New York. But little by little, day by day, Paris is winning my heart as I discover its beautiful art and architecture, its fabulous food and the unique attitude of its residents. I'll share these winning discoveries here.
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Jazz is not dead.
If America is the birthplace of jazz, Paris must be the place it moved after it grew up and left home. There seems to be a great appreciation of jazz as an art form here - I've met several musicians who have moved here from the US because it's actually possible to make a living as a jazz musician here. One great example of Paris' warm embrace of jazz is the Jazz a la Villette festival taking place now through September 14 at the Cite de la Musique in the Parc Villette in the 19th arrondissement. The theme of this year's festival is "Jazz is Not Dead", from the Frank Zappa quote: "Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny !", The festival's mission is to explore jazz in connection with other art forms: the visual arts, dance, cinematography and other musical genres. On the program are concerts, master classes, jam sessions and dance performances. Movies related to jazz, such as Clint Eastwood's 1988 Bird, will be shown at the Mk2 Quai de Siene and Quai de Loire cinemas on Saturday and Sunday evenings. The eclectic line up of performers includes Lalo Schriffin, DJ Spooky, the Bad Plus with the highlight of Joshua Redman closing the festival on September 14.