Cool Links for Black Culture in Paris

I'm traveling for the next two weeks and am not able to do any in-depth reporting on events, etc. in Paris during that time. To keep the blog active during the first week of my absence, I've put together a short list of Web sites that I think you'll find entertaining. Enjoy!

Art/Afrique, le Nouvel Atelier

The Fondation Louis Vuitton is hosting two exhibitions of contemporary African art plus a selection of works from the Foundation's permanent collection.

http://www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr/en/expositions/art_afrique_le_nouvel_atelier.html

La Fondation Louis Vuitton building created by Frank Gehry in Paris
2014 Valueyou (Creative Commons License)

Nothing but the Wax

A fashion, beauty, and lifestyle site for black francophone millennials. Don't worry - there's an English language version!

http://nothingbutthewax.com/en/editors-note/

Jamaica Jamaica!

This exhibition brings together rare memorabilia, photographs, visual art, audio recordings and footage unearthed from private collections and museums in Jamaica, the United States and Great Britain.

http://philharmoniedeparis.fr/en/jamaica-jamaica-exhibition

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Dawn's Early Light - A Retrospective of American Song and Dance

On February 12, 2016, artistic directors Asha Thomas and Crystal Petit staged a magnificent performance at the American Church in Paris that paid homage to American music.

Crystal Petit and Asha Thomas
© Discover Paris!
Called Dawn's Early Light, this roughly one-hour preview vividly showcased everything from blues and Broadway to gospel and contemporary tunes. Combined with inspired choreography, it stirred my soul. At times, it even took my breath away!

Opening number
© Discover Paris!
In addition to being one of the artistic directors, Asha Thomas is the choreographer for the show and dances in it as well.

Asha Thomas
© Discover Paris!
Never have I seen such expressive light in a performer's eyes as I saw when she danced to Stevie Wonder's "Knocks Me off My Feet."

Artistic director Crystal Petit is also the lead female vocalist in the show. She delivered a moving rendition of Nina Simone's "Work Song" as well as a beautiful interpretation of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" that was coupled with a powerful spoken word performance delivered by male vocalist Jua Amir.

Crystal Petit
© Discover Paris!

Jua Amir and Crystal Petit
© Discover Paris!
Amir joined the musicians on stage to give a rousing performance of Tracy Chapman's "Talkin bout a Revolution." He also dances in the show.

Josiah Woodson and Jua Amir
© Discover Paris!
Brian Scott Bagley of Looking for Josephine fame and Nicola Ayoub also shone that evening, with each dancer providing spark and fire to the evening's performance.

Nicola Ayoub and Brian Scott Bagley
© Discover Paris!

Brian Scott Bagley
© Discover Paris!

Nicola Ayoub
© Discover Paris!
Music was provided by musical director/trumpetist/guitarist Josiah Woodson,

Josiah Woodson
© Discover Paris!
pianist Daniel Gassin,

Daniel Gassin
© Discover Paris!
bassist Jerry Thompson III,

Jerry Thompson III
© Discover Paris!
Drummer Laurent-Emmanuel "Tilo" Berthelo,

Laurent-Emmanuel "Tilo" Berthelo
© Discover Paris!
and guest violinist Tarani Merriweather Woodson.

Tarani Merriweather Woodson
© Discover Paris!
The group is seeking funds to support the production of the full-length version of Dawn's Early Light.

For more information, visit the Web site www.dawnsearlylight-production.com.

Triumphant cast
© Discover Paris!
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Connie Fredericks-Malone: Passion and Talent in Paris

In 2001, at age 49, singer Carole Denise Fredericks died of a massive heart attack following a benefit concert at Club Med World in Dakar. She was buried in Montmartre Cemetery in Paris (in perpetuity, upon the invitation of the French Minister of Culture and Communication of the Chirac administration). Her legacy consists not only of a long list of enormously popular music recordings, but also a body of work that has been transformed into innovative French lessons for American and Canadian students of all ages, from kindergarten to college.

Screenshot from CDF Foundation Web site
The work of preserving Carole’s legacy has fallen largely to her sister, Connie Fredericks-Malone.

Connie Fredericks-Malone
© Discover Paris!
Connie has served as the director for Carole D. Fredericks Foundation Inc. and the official spokesperson for the Fredericks family since 2006. On behalf of the estate, she has successfully negotiated with SONY Music/France, BMG/France, M6 Interaction, and JRG Editions Musicales to bring French language music videos, recordings, and materials to the United States for educational purposes. In 2013, she negotiated license agreements with French producers and publishers for the entire catalog of French-language and English-language songs Carole recorded between 1989 and 1999. She frequently speaks about Carole’s life and legacy at international, national, and regional foreign language conferences.

Because of the work that she does for the foundation, Connie and her husband, James Malone, come to France every year. They spend part of their time in Carole’s apartment at 91bis, rue du Mont Cenis in the 18th arrondissement, where they organized the installation of a plaque in Carole's honor.

Crowd gathered for plaque installation ceremony - June 2012
© Discover Paris!

Connie speaking at the ceremony
© Discover Paris!

Taj Mahal (brother of Connie and Carole) and Connie standing beneath the plaque
Photo of Carole D. Fredericks in the foreground
© Discover Paris!

Carole D. Fredericks memorial plaque
© Discover Paris!
In June 2014, Connie spoke about the foundation in an exclusive interview with Femmes au Pluriel, a magazine for and about women around the world.

Connie is not a stranger to the stage and screen. She spent 20 years performing in musical theater, day-time and prime-time television, commercials and cabaret/night club venues. She also knows her way around behind the scenes, having served as a television writer and producer for KGO-TV in San Francisco, CA. She competed in the AARP Boomer singing competition in 2014 and made it to the Top 30 Semifinalist level out of 1200 participants.

Connie has made forays into singing on this side of the Atlantic during her last two visits to France. Last year, she sang gospel at the Journée Histoire et Renaissance (Day of History and Rebirth), a festival of African culture that was held in the Paris suburb of Achères.

This year, Connie made her professional singing debut in Paris at Club Rayé, an ultra chic New York-style piano bar in the 2nd arrondissement, on May 1, 2015.

Club Rayé
© Discover Paris!
A packed house was enraptured as she sang renditions of classics such as “Crazy He Calls Me” and “God Bless the Child.” She even included a few French language classics such as “La Vie en Rose” by Edith Piaf and “J’ai Deux Amours” by Josephine Baker.

Connie sings at Club Rayé
© Discover Paris!
The performance was such a success that Connie and Club Rayé proprietor, Kein Cross, are discussing having her headline at the club each time that she returns to Paris. Indeed, Connie is considering coming back to Paris more frequently precisely for that reason.

To learn more about the Carole D. Fredericks Foundation, visit http://www.cdfmusiclegacy.com/.

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Black Paris Profiles™ II: Toli Nameless

When I interviewed Toli Nameless last year about the phenomenal work that she does with Paris Girls Rock, I immediately knew that I wanted to feature her in a Black Paris Profile. Between her hectic schedule and mine, it has taken several months to gather the information that I present below. Enjoy!!!

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Toli Nameless
Photo courtesy of the artist
Toli Nameless studied music and dance on the competitive high school circuit in New York City. She went on to the New School Conservatory for Jazz & Contemporary Music in New York, making a stop at Goddard College in Vermont along the way. As a performance arts activist at Goddard, she was able to play along side the likes of Marshal Allen, Lester Bowie, Fontella Bass, and Mad Professor.

Toli learned to play six instruments while she pursued her music education, one of which is the trombone. I was impressed when I saw her playing this instrument at the 3rd Annual Brothers Spring Gala in May 2013, not only because it is unusual to see a trombone player in a jazz ensemble these days, but also because it is rare see a woman playing one. She began playing trombone as a means of strengthening her voice tonality when she was a music student in Vermont.

When I asked why she plays so many instruments and how she stays in practice on all of them, she replied:

Because it's fun and a great way to express yourself. Most composers will play a variety of instrument fairly well. At conservatory, additional instrument dexterity is compulsory. One is required to know one's main instrument, sight-read on piano and voice for solfeggio. So the average musician will play three instruments by the time they leave school.

In general, a little bit of practice each day goes a long way. Also, as I receive bookings or create projects, this keeps me going with the rehearsal schedule. It also helps to have a rehearsal studio where late night noise making hours are not only encouraged but the rule.

Toli came to Paris in 2008. She has found a comfortable home as an artist-in-residence at Le 6b, a cultural center in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis. Saint Denis has become a haven for musicians, artists, and other creative professionals and Toli attests to the fact that there are many attractions to living in the area:

For one thing, there is space to produce and perform serious art. We are welcomed by the people and community of Saint-Denis as well as encouraged by the support of the other artists in the building. We have created an intentional community and a legitimate association and collective. This helps us to not only take from the community, but also to give to our surroundings.

Our means of sustaining our creative endeavors are diverse. A few of the year-round activities include hosting expositions in our gallery, presenting workshops that develop the creative, and producing cinema in our onsite screening room. In the summer, we produce a festival every year called Fabrique à Rêves that is free and open to the public.

There are other spaces similar to ours elsewhere in Saint-Denis and also in Paris. But the 6b is truly a unique place that permits artists like myself to incubate.

Le 6B
Photo from Le6B.fr
Toli performs around Europe and in the U.S as well as in the Paris area. Her travel schedule varies - she says that some years her "feet can't seem to touch the ground" while others "are a bit slow going." Last year was an "up year" - she worked in Norway and New York and scheduled a recording session in London. In Paris, she loves performing at l'Olympia, l'Internationale, and at le 6B. She also loves working at local festivals such as Fabrique à Rêves, Sons d'Hiver, and Les Estivales Musicales.

Because Josephine Baker performed at L'Olympia many times and because Toli chose to name her Girls Rock Camp after Baker as a means of "honoring the first female international superstar and activist of France," I asked her whether her fondness of performing at the Olympia was due to the "Josephine connection" and whether she seeks to emulate Baker in any way. She replied:

Yes of course, that completely adds to the mystique of the moment. She, as well as Nina Simone and other artists that I consider major influences are the type of inspirations and vindications that make the moment all the more special.

Josephine was and still is an exemplary classic figure, who can be looked upon as the first, a pioneer. In my work and performance, I look to her as a model of how to strive and push past the impossible. So in that capacity, indeed there is an intentional emulation. As an artist based in an improvisational art form, the challenge is to reinvent yourself with in your art on a daily basis. That is to say, it's like playing a self-challenging sport like golf. Your greatest opponent is yourself. Because there will never be another Josephine.

Toli will host the 4th edition of Paris Girls Rock Camp in July & August 2014.

To finish our interview, I asked Toli what advice she would give to musicians who are thinking of coming to Paris to live and work. Here is her reply:

As with any new adventure, do your research, come for a visit of at least three months, and try to take a language class before and during your stay. Be prepared to enjoy yourself in a new place and culture!

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Toli Nameless and the Paris Girls Rock Adventure

I first saw Toli Nameless at the Brothers Spring Gala in May 2013. As the party after the award ceremony was heating up, Toli took up her trombone and hit the stage as part of the jam session that began just after midnight. Months later, I was delighted to receive her e-mail informing Entrée to Black Paris about a music camp that she runs for young girls each summer as part of a larger initiative called Girls Rock Camp Alliance (GRCA). I was fortunate to be able to attend the graduation concert for Paris Girls Rock Camp 11ème at the end of August and decided that the story of the camp merited further investigation. Here's the scoop!

************ETBP: What inspired you to create this music camp?

TN: There were several factors involved. It was mostly a culmination of the evolution of my career in music, education, and women's development, and the opportunity to provide this type of service in my community.

Toli Nameless and 2013 Paris Girls Rock Camp participants
© Discover Paris!
ETBP: How long did it take from conception to the first camp?

TN: We had 6 weeks.

ETBP: How did you find out about Girls Rock Camp Alliance?

TN: My first introduction to the GRCA was through the Willie Mae Rock-n-Roll Camp for Girls in Brooklyn, NY. A female musical force by the name of Tamar Kali asked that I perform on a benefit concert for the camp.

ETBP: How many girls have participated in the Paris camp over the years?

TN: Our participants over the past years include 30 girls and 5 women. We've logged 222 hours of public service.

Scenes from the 2013 Paris Girls Rock concert
© Discover Paris!
ETBP: How much interaction do you have with the parents in enrolling the girls?

TN: We know that parents are busy so we make every effort to answer every question. This can happen at a community event where we have a table, contact by email, or even meeting in a café. This is a combined effort between myself, our volunteers, and presentation partners like Le 6b*. We communicate with parents "by any means necessary."

ETBP: Who are your partners and what do they contribute to the camp?

TN: Our main year-round partners include Le 6b and the GRCA of which we are actual members. We also have project-based partners. This year our lead project partners include Bertie Ernault at the Maison de la Jeunesse in St. Denis and Jean-Christophe Arcos at the Cultural Department in the 11th arrondissement of Paris.

ETBP: Where does the camp take place?

TN:Our mission is to deliver our service throughout the Paris region. So far we have been able to present the camp in the northern Paris suburb of St. Denis and in the 11ème. PARIS GIRLS ROCK CAMP coming to a neighborhood near you!

ETBP: Is it in the same place every year?

TN: We have been able to work in St. Denis consistently, and that has been a huge accomplishment of which we are very proud. This year we expanded to give our first camp in central Paris and we have a long-term plan for expansion. Each time we give a camp in a different place, we hope to add it to our yearly plan. It take so much care and attention to foster the relationship with that particular community that it only makes sense to continue our presence in that location.

ETBP: Who does the teaching?

TN: Our teachers are the "TOP" of Paris and the world. The teaching staff are professional musicians and educators that come from Paris and beyond. Some receive a stipend salary and others give freely of their time. This is a huge part of why we are able to offer the camp at reasonable rates with large results.

Monique and Toli at the concert
© Discover Paris!
ETBP: What is the cost for participating?

TN: The camp costs 10 euros per hour @ 35 hours = 350 euros. Together with our partners, volunteers, and sponsors, we are able to offer reduced rates and bourses d'études (scholarships) to our public. This way ALL girls from ALL backgrounds can attend the camp.

ETBP: Why is the Mairie of the 11th arrondissement involved?

TN: The Cultural Department of the Mairie decided that this program would greatly benefit the residents of the 11éme, and enhance their notoriety for their arondisement as a leading provider of cutting edge public services.

ETBP: You include exposure to Josephine Baker during the camp. You took this year's participants to the Josephine Baker pool and they performed one of her songs during the graduation concert. Why this focus on Josephine.?

TN: Back in 2011, like many of the other camps in the GRCA, we wanted to choose an inspirational person to name our camp after. Josephine Baker is an historical and inspirational figure of epic proportions and we chose her as a means of honoring the first female international superstar and activist of France. Because she lived her life conquering all boundaries and accepting no limitations, she is exemplary of what we hope to instill in our participants. Although we were unable to support the estate of Josephine Baker with the contribution for the licensing of her name, they were very supportive of our efforts nonetheless.

*Le 6b is a new cultural center in Saint-Denis. It houses over 150 artists, musicians, craftsmen, and other creative professionals.

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Josephine Baker at Paris en Chansons Exhibition

The city of Paris has mounted a phenomenal, one-of-a-kind exposition called Paris en Chansons that features the celebration of the City of Light in song. The exhibition traces the history of songs about Paris since the Middle Ages. More recently, artists from Aristide Briand to Vanessa Paradis have crooned about Paris' monuments, social life, metro, and everything in between!

Among this group, black artists are few. But one of them remains larger than life: Josephine Baker.

Josephine's face graces the flier that publicizes the event. Inside the exhibit, an illustration of her by Jean Dunand and the program for her performance run in the show Paris qui Remue at the Folies Bergère are the first documents shown in the display table on the ground floor. On the lower level, where the majority of the exposition is mounted, you find numerous items that highlight Josephine's immortalization of Paris in song. Among them are the cover of the sheet music for her recording "Paris Paris Paris," the cover for her album entitled Joséphine Chante Paris, and a video of her singing "J'ai Deux Amours."

Of particular interest are the black & white photos of Josephine that were loaned to the exposition by Roget-Viollet:

Joséphine Baker et Charles Trenet. Paris, Olympia, March 1959
© Studio Lipnitzki / Roget-Viollet

Joséphine Baker (1906-1975), artiste de music hall, aux Folies Bergères,
February 1949
© Studio Lipnitzki / Roget-Viollet

A third image of Josephine in the street surrounded by a band of musicians provides a rare perspective for those who think of her only as an international star. In this photo, which was taken in May 1968, she is modestly dressed and wearing heavy-framed glasses and a wig. The text accompanying the photo says that during the time she was in Paris rehearsing for a comeback performance at the Olympia Theater, she took the time to go into the streets to distribute bouquets of blue, white, and red flowers and sing the melody "Fleur de Paris."

At the end of the exposition there is an open area where visitors can peruse several books that feature many of the artists whose songs are part of the exhibit. Among these books is the recently released biography of Josephine written by her fifth adopted child, Jean-Claude Bouillon-Baker. It is called Un Château sur la Lune. Le Rêve Brisé de Josephine Baker (A Castle on the Moon. The Broken Dream of Josephine Baker). Written in French, this book undoubtedly sheds new insight into the life of Josephine and her family at Les Milandes and Josephine's career.

Two other black artists are included in this exposition. Eartha Kitt's recording of "Mambo in Paris" is one of the songs that you can listen to in the section called "Paris est une fête." Sidney Bechet's "King Porter Stomp" is one of the tracks on a compilation album called Saint Germain des Prés that is displayed in the section of the exposition that focuses on this area of the city.

Listen to Eartha Kitt's "Mambo de Paris" here (#14 in the playlist). Watch Sidney Bechet perform "King Porter Stomp" by clicking here.

The exposition ends on July 29th.

Galerie des Bibliothèques de la Ville de Paris
22, rue Malher
Paris 4e
Métro : Saint-Paul
Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 1 PM to 7 PM, Thursday evenings until 9 PM

Entry 6€; Reduced price 4€
Free for children under 14.
Half price on Thursdays from 6 to 9 PM and on Saturdays from 4 to 7 PM

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Black Paris Profiles™: Joseph Langley

Each month, our Paris Insights newsletter presents the hidden jewels that comprise the "real" Paris – the people and places that are the true heart and soul of the city.
Click here to sign up for the Paris Insights newsletter announcements and to receive our free Practical Paris guide!

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Joe Singing
© Danielle Voirin
Joe Langley’s story is the most remarkable of all the expatriates that I know – African-American or otherwise! His love affair with the French language began when he found his brother’s copy of Saint Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince at home. He liked the “look” of the French words and loved the illustrations. These inspired him to pursue art and the French language as life-long passions. He went on to spend a year in the Dordogne region as an exchange student at the age of fifteen, and a year in Montpellier in the junior-year-abroad program at Davidson College.

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Black Paris Profiles™ is now available on Kindle.  Only excerpts are available on this blog.

To get your copy of Black Paris Profiles™, click HERE.

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Entrée to Black Paris!™ is a Discover Paris! blog.

Ten Days of Jazz at La Villette

La Grande Halle at Parc de la Villette

© Discover Paris!

“Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny!”

This quotation appears on the welcome page for the Cité de la Musique welcome page that advertises this year’s Jazz à la Villette festival. For the 15th time, La Villette is holding an extravaganza that showcases new talent next to tried-and-true music legends.

Don’t let the name of the festival fool you though – jazz is not the only type of music that you will be able to hear during the ten-day festival. Hip-hop, soul, and improv are also on the agenda this year. In fact, the festival opens on 31 August with a night of improvisation by bassist Meshell Ndegeocello and guitarist Mark Ribot.

Berlin-born Ndegeocello is utterly inimitable, with hip-hop, R&B, punk, and rock music influencing all of her recordings. She has played with the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Chaka Khan, Billy Preston, and The Blind Boys of Alabama.  Her Web site bio indicates that she was "the first woman to be featured on the cover of Bass Player magazine and remains one of few women who lead the band and write the music."

 

Meshell Ndegeocello performing in Leuven, Belgium – 2007

Photo by Yancho Sabev

Mark Ribot was mentored by Haitian classical guitarist and composer Frantz Casseus during his teen years. He has embraced numerous musical genres during his career, including free jazz and Cuban rhythms, and preserved many of the works of his mentor on a CD recorded in 1993. He has played alongside artists such as Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Wilson Pickett, and John Zorn. 

Mark Ribot

Photo by Webb Traverse

The duo appeared together for the first time at the Rose Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY on August 19th.

Several big names will grace the stage at La Villette’s Grande Salle during the festival, including Fred Wesley, Archie Shepp, Gil Scott Heron, and Chick Corea. Shepp will team up with Chucho Valdés for the Afro-Cuban Project, and Corea will perform with Roy Haynes and Miroslav Vitous as the “Now He Sings, Now He Sobs” trio.

For a look at photos of all the performers scheduled to appear, click here. 
 
For the complete program, click here.
 
Jazz à la Villette also offers a weekend program to introduce kids to jazz through film at the MK2 cinema and the Cité de la Musique at La Villette, as well as at Le Dynamo, a dedicated concert hall for jazz operated by the Banlieues Blues association in the suburb of Pantin. Films to be shown include The Aristocats, Bugsy Malone, and Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland.
 

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Each month, our Paris Insights newsletter presents the hidden jewels that comprise the "real" Paris – the people and places that are the true heart and soul of the city. Click here to sign up for our newsletter announcements and to receive our free guide called "Practical Paris"!

Entrée to Black Paris!™ is a Discover Paris! blog.