Art and Food Pairing™: Les Grandes Robes de Lamyne M. and Ivoire Gourmand - Part 2

After the superb guided visit of Les Grandes Robes de Lamyne M. at the Saint-Denis Basilica, Tom and I walked over to the "Quartier de la Gare" to have lunch at a restaurant that Lamyne recommended. Called Ivoire Gourmand, it is located across the tram tracks from the Saint-Denis SNCF station at 1, quai du Port. It is a bright and cheerful place where customers can enjoy take-out as well as informal dining.

Ivoire Gourmand
© Discover Paris!

Dining room and counter
© Discover Paris!

Ivoire Gourmand menu
© Discover Paris!
I ordered 7 ailes de poulet avec 1 accompaniment (7 chicken wings with one side dish) and selected aloko (plantains) as the side dish.

7 ailes de poulet with aloko
© Discover Paris!
Tom ordered Maffé Poulet (chicken in a peanut-based sauce). We both selected Jus Bissap (a soft drink made with hibiscus) for our beverage.

Maffé Poulet and Jus Bissap
© Discover Paris!
We both enjoyed our selections. My chicken wings were buried beneath a layer of slightly cooked onions and thinly sliced tomatoes. Brown gravy, hot pepper sauce, and a milder yellow sauce flanked the heaping portion of plantains served alongside.

Tom's dish consisted of a large chicken leg (thigh and drumstick) in a rich maffé sauce and an enormous helping of long-grain white rice.

The bissap was sweet and flavorful.

Our server was pleased to learn that Lamyne had sent us to the restaurant. As we tucked into our meal, he lingered at our table and told us the story of how he came to France from the Ivory Coast by way of Italy. He said that his father lives in Rome.

We could not finish the huge quantities of food heaped upon our plates and asked if we could take the rest home. Our server happily dished up the remaining chicken, rice, and aloko into a carry-out container. We were contented to have the chance to dine on the leftovers the following day!

Ivoire Gourmand has two locations:

1, quai du Port
93200 Saint-Denis
Tel: 01.48.41.56.46

and

47, avenue Aristide Briand
93240 Stains
Tel: 01.48.27.20.24

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Art and Food Pairing™: Les Grandes Robes de Lamyne M. and Ivoire Gourmand - Part 1

If you've never been to the basilica at Saint-Denis, famous for its royal necropolis, now there's a unique reason to visit.

The exhibition entitled Les Grandes Robes de Lamyne M. (The Giant Gowns of Lamyne M.) is one of the most extraordinary that you'll ever see. It's being held at the basilica. Originally scheduled through April 30, 2016, it is being prolonged through July 2 to coincide with the Festival Saint-Denis. Tom and I were invited to attend opening of the exhibition hosted by the designer of the gowns, Lamyne M.

Saint-Denis Basilica
© Discover Paris!

Les Grandes Robes information panel
© Discover Paris!
I first brought you news of plans for Les Grandes Robes in 2014, when I covered a fashion show of Lamyne's works that was held on a canal boat cruise. Professor Maya Thebault and students from La Source, a vocational high school in the town of Nogent that trains textile professionals, were on that cruise. They gave a presentation of the project before the fashion show began.

Les Grandes Robes is inspired by the medieval garments represented by the gisants (recumbent statues, or effigies) of French queens and princesses whose remains are located at the basilica. The garments have been created in contemporary fabrics commonly worn by Saint-Denis residents - examples include African wax, denim, jersey, and ceremonial cloths from North Africa. Students from La Source, as well as women from Saint-Denis' Floréal district, worked to create the gowns on display.

Blanche de France gown
© Images and collage by Discover Paris!
Eight gowns are being shown in the basilica. Seven of these fashion creations measure three meters (9.8 feet) in height; the eighth (Jeanne II de France) is an astounding four meters (13.1 feet) tall! Six are displayed in the crypt and the remaining two, including the tallest, are found in the apse.

Jeanne II de France gown
© Images and collage by Discover Paris!

Lamyne M. looks up at Marguerite de Flandres gown
© Images and collage by Discover Paris!
Lamyne's intent in creating these garments was to pay homage to the grandeur of women and to begin a dialogue between the historic and the contemporary. He notes that many of the citizens of Saint-Denis would never think of coming to the basilica because they do not find themselves reflected in it. His gowns bridge the gap between France's monocultural past and the numerous cultures that intermingle in the city of Saint-Denis today. (Over 120 nationalities comprise the current population of Saint-Denis.)

Each gown tells a story. For example, the vibrant red of the gown that represents Constance de Castille recalls her death from excessive hemorrhage during childbirth. The cloth is African Wax.

Constance de Castille gown
© Discover Paris!
The numerous shirt collars and ties that comprise the gown representing Isabelle d'Aragon evoke the white collar workers who commute to Saint-Denis' Plaine district but who know little to nothing of the community that lives outside their office windows.

Isabelle d'Aragon gown
© Discover Paris!
The exhibition was curated by Franciade, an association dedicated to promoting the cultural heritage of Saint-Denis, and the Saint-Denis Basilica. Additional information about the exhibition can be found on the Saint-Denis national monuments Web site.

Following our visit to the exhibition, a reception was held where we spoke with Lamyne, the designer of the gowns. He told me about an African restaurant called Ivoire Gourmand that is roughly ten minutes' walk from the basilica. Tom and I went there for lunch immediately after the reception. I'll tell you all about it in Part 2 of this Art and Food Pairing™ post next week.

Monique and Lamyne M. at reception
© Discover Paris!
For information about Lamyne M., visit his Web site at www.lamyne-m.com

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Toli Nameless Performs at the 6B Open House

By Tom Reeves

When Jamaican-born musician Toli Nameless performed at the 6B open house in mid-May, Discover Paris! was there!

“6B” is the name of a vast office complex in the Paris suburb of Saint Denis that was transformed in 2010 into a six-story residence and workshop center for artists, architects, musicians, film makers, designers, and other creative types. On May 17, it held an open house to allow art and music lovers and the simply curious to explore the studios there.

Le 6B - garden and façade
© Discover Paris!
Arriving by train from Paris, I found the complex, made my way around the artists’ garden, and entered the building.

I was given a map at the welcome desk, which allowed me to find my way up to the third floor where I found musician, singer, and dancer Toli Nameless relaxing between musical sets.

Toli Nameless
© Discover Paris!
She gave me a tour of her studio, which she shares with video artist Nicolas Baillergeau.

Artist Nicolas Baillergeau and Toli Nameless
© Discover Paris!
Nicolas had arranged a screening of his work, which he projected onto a wall.

Art by Nicolas Baillergeau
© Discover Paris!
Following the screening, Toli sang her latest number "Sexy Time" and played the trombone.

Toli playing trombone
© Discover Paris!
Every year Toli organizes a one-day training session for girls ages 8 to 16 who want to gain performance experience. Entitled “Paris Girls Rock,” the workshop and concert will take place this year at the Palais de la Porte Dorée during the Fête de la Musique (Paris' annual all-day music festival) on June 21st.

The photograph below was taken at last year’s concert. It was held in September on the square in front of the town hall of the 11th arrondissement.

Paris Girls Rock 2013
© Discover Paris!
Read about it here: Toli Nameless and the Paris Girls Rock Adventure.

For additional information about Toli, visit her Web site at tolinameless.com.


Tom Reeves is the co-founder of Discover Paris!

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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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Senegalese "Demigod" in Concert: Baaba Maal

September 11 marked the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. The Festival d’Ile de France, a multicultural event that has taken place in September and October every year since 1990, provided a special treat for the occasion—a feast comprised of dishes from Senegal, Congo, and Guinea, followed by a concert featuring Senegal’s Baaba Maal.

The meal and concert were held at the Académie Fratellini in Saint-Denis, a site dedicated entirely to circus arts. Dinner was served in a large hall, and the concert was held in a round theater located just steps away. When we arrived at 7:30 PM, the entry lines were already long. Fortunately, we had pre-purchased tickets to the concert, so we were among the first of several persons allowed to enter when the gates opened.

Family going to celebrate the end of Ramadan
© Discover Paris!

We made our way to the hall, where dinner was served church-bazaar style. Attendees purchased meal tickets for an 8 euro formule (entrée, main dish, and dessert), or selected their dishes à la carte. They then passed through a line to collect their orders. I dined on poulet boucané (smoked chicken) and alocco (fried plantains), and a dessert of beignets (similar to fried doughnut holes) of coconut and ginger. My husband Tom chose the shredded carrot and corn salad, beef maffé (made with peanut sauce) and alocco, and a milk-based dessert called déguié. The food was simply presented, and quite tasty!

After dinner, attendees did not waste time getting over to the theater to claim a good place for the concert. Seating was not assigned, so the early birds got the pick of the benches on the lower level. The upper tier of the building had only broad, wooden steps to sit on. We sat in the upper tier, but were fortunate to find a place almost directly in front of the stage. We had a great view of everything!

The concert began with Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck singing a ballad of sorts, while the rest of the band waited in the wings. The crowd went wild over this song! Maal then addressed the audience with welcoming, yet sober words of how gatherings in Africa traditionally begin with dinner, followed by a regrouping of attendees in a central area where important issues are discussed with discrete musical accompaniment. He wanted to open the concert in this tradition. He then spoke of the youth of Africa—of how so many children suffer from lack of education, violence bred from the lack of democracy and effective government, AIDS… .  He asked the audience to think of these children, and to send them something to make their lives just a little better.

Baaba Maal and Mansour Seck

© Discover Paris!

A guitarist and a percussionist then joined him on stage, and the group began to play again.

A third song brought out the remainder of the band. The entire group consisted of:

Baaba Maal – vocals, guitar
Aliou Diouf – drums
Mbara Cisse – bass
Mohhamadou Sarr – percussions
Cire (Barou) Sall – hoddu
Mama Gaye – acoustic guitar
Mansour Seck – chorus

At one point between songs, Maal addressed the audience in a language that Tom and I did not understand. The crowd responded with shouts, cheers, and raised arms. Maal definitely struck an emotional chord! He would elicit the same response with his songs again and again throughout the evening.

The band took no break as the concert proceeded. The few security guards on duty had their hands full trying to keep people from coming onto the stage to photograph Maal and the band. It soon became apparent that people also wanted to access the stage to give Maal money, presumably in response to the plea that he made for Africa’s children at the beginning of the concert. Many sought to touch his robes or his head as well. One woman was so overcome with emotion that she broke down and sobbed in front of the singer, who crouched down to comfort her. 

Money in Maal’s lap and on the floor

© Discover Paris!

Emotional Encounter

© Discover Paris!

Soon, there was a pile of money at Maal’s feet! The guards then had a doubly difficult job because they had to watch for would-be photographers admixed with the joyful contributors who periodically crowded onto the stage.

Pile of money at Maal’s feet

© Discover Paris!

Guard trying to repel people on stage

© Discover Paris!

Eventually, one of the guards brought a small plastic bag onto the stage and stuffed all the money into it. And still, people came up to contribute. Several times, people also came onto the stage simply to dance. Maal and his crew were unperturbed, and they carried on amidst the commotion without missing a beat.

At the end of the evening, I had the feeling that I had witnessed a religious event, and that Maal was a demigod whose presence kindled the audience's fervent adulation!

Baaba Maal and His Band

© Discover Paris!

Baaba Maal is well known for his activism on behalf of Africa. He is the Youth Emissary for the United Nations’ Development Program, and his commitment to young people and families all over Africa is never far from his mind as he tours the world. He often performs in support of various social and charitable projects that he believes in.

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Bolt Victorious

Jamaica's Usain Bolt won the 100 meters at the Meeting AREVA last night with a time of 9.84 seconds. His countrymen Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake placed second and third, at 9.91 seconds and 9.95 seconds, respectively.

Bolt's footprints are to be installed on StadeFrance Boulevard at the Stade de France, where the meet was held, near those of French soccer star Zinédine Zidane. Inspired by Hollywood's Walk of Fame, StadeFrance Boulevard  was inaugurated in November 2008 in celebration of the Stade de France's tenth anniversary.

Photo by AFP

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Paris Parties Jamaican Style!

Yesterday, Paris celebrated speed, style, and song - Jamaica style!

Ad for the Jamaica Party in the Paris Metro

© Discover Paris!

 
Sprinter Usain Bolt, holder of the world's fastest times in the 100 m and 200 m dash, was the star of the day.  An event held at the place de l'Hôtel de Ville encouraged young and old to try their luck at outrunning a motorized, mounted cut-out of Bolt, and to clock their best time at the 100 meter dash.  These activities were a delight for lots of budding child athletes.

"Who Faster?"

Photo by Discover Paris!

Even the loss of a shoe did not dissuade this youngster from trying to catch up with the lightning-fast Bolt surrogate!

One-shoed runner

Photo by Discover Paris!

Participants received a set of inflatable "Bolt Arms," designed to mimic the pose that Bolt strikes during track and field events.

"Bolt Arms"
Photos by Discover Paris

Bolt held a press conference at the sportswear store Courir on the Champs Elysées at 3:00 PM, before joining friends and fans at the Hôtel de Ville to introduce the free concert held there in the late afternoon and evening.  Reggae greats such as Winston McAnuff and Alpha Bondy performed on a huge stage against the backdrop of the silhouette of a puma, symbol of the sponsor of the affair. 

Winston McAnuff and his band

Photos by Discover Paris!

Tonight, Bolt will run the 100 meters against Asafa Powell, compatriot and the man from whom he took the record in 2008.  Bolt, Powell, and several other contenders in this race have run the 100 meters in less than ten seconds, so it will be a closely observed contest. The competition is part of the Meeting AREVA, a track meet to be held at the Stade de France in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis.  It is scheduled for 9:46 PM.

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