Paris Journal 2014 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
Find me on Facebook 2013
Paris Journal ← Previous Next
→ << Back to the beginning
|
As we were dining by the front window of Le Christine, Tom faced inward, and gave me a running commentary on what he saw happening in the resto. Mostly what he saw were many tables being filled with American tourists, mostly coming from the hotel next door and the Hotel Aubusson down the street.
Tom
waiting for foie gras at Le
Christine. I had a view of the rue Christine, and its near constant flow of pedestrians – mostly American tourists. I saw a woman who looks like our friend Deborah L. from Sanibel. I said so to Tom. The woman turned so I could see her profile. “That IS Deborah L.!” I exclaimed. I jumped up and went out the front door to greet Deborah and John L., and their two friends (who are also from Sanibel). What are the chances of this happening? Sanibel, population 7 thousand. Paris, population 13 million. John and Deborah and their friends are among the American tourists staying at the Hotel Aubusson. “That’s where we’re going after dinner,” I said. “To hear live jazz.” They said they’d be there later, and we’d see each other then. “How’s the food here?” Deborah inquired about Le Christine. I waited until the door for the resto was closed, and then I said, truthfully, “Not as good as last year.” (Fish was undercooked; pork was overcooked.) Deborah said they’d had a really good dinner at Rotisserie d’en Face, which is across from Le Christine. Last year, we had a not-so-good dinner at the Rotisserie. Maybe they traded chefs? Later in the evening, after Tom and I had already enjoyed listing to the amazing Christian Brenner and his colleagues for one and a half sets of jazz, Deborah and John joined us for a drink. We stayed, chatting and catching up, until the music ended and Café Laurent was almost empty. I must share with you again what I wrote about this place last September 20: The Hotel Aubusson
is in one of those wonderful old 17th-Century hotels particuliers (stately homes) –
once called the Hôtel Mouy. Early occupants included a prosecutor and
his family, and then a professor of physics.
In the early 1940s, Simone de Beauvoir lived in the building. I had been told that the hotel’s Café
Laurent was named for the man who runs it, named Laurent. But that isn’t exactly true. Laurent may have come up with the current
concept for the Café Laurent. But in
reality, the café was established in 1690 by François Laurent, and it was a
hangout for literary types and artists. In 1946, it became a nightclub called Le Tabou
(Taboo) frequented by de Beauvoir, Sartre, Camus, and friends. It included the cellar level, where the
hotel now has meeting rooms. Taboo was
a real jazz club, with its own jazz orchestra, and people like Juliette Greco
began their careers there. It was
central to the Saint Germain jazz scene. But the neighbors on the rue Dauphine did
not like all the late night noise generated by the club. Soon, it was forced to close at midnight
(as Café Laurent does now). When another
cellar jazz club opened at 13 rue Saint Benoit (next to the place where we
dined last night), the demise of Taboo was hastened. I think Laurent had the right idea in
re-instituting Café Laurent as a smaller, more sedate, civilized,
street-level, comfy place to appreciate mellow tones of a jazz trio or
quartet. Before Deborah and John arrived, a female vocalist had sung a couple of tunes with the ensemble. She sounded like a young Ella Fitzgerald. So we may well go back tonight, when this young woman is booked to sing with the group for most of the evening. Because we rent apartments, Tom and I do not stay in Paris hotels. When people ask us for hotel recommendations, they usually want something reasonably priced, charming, and conveniently located. So we recommend the Hotel Des Grandes Écoles, the Hotel de l’Avre, and the Hotel Chopin. But if Tom and I were to stay in a four-star hotel in this most historic part of Paris, it would be the Hotel Aubusson. We love the old hotel particulier architecture, the ancient stone floors, the posh decor, and all the modern comforts of the place. Our friends are staying at the Aubusson briefly, and then joining other friends of ours for a Viking River Cruise. When they return from the cruise to Paris, those other friends of ours will be in the apartment where we are now (thanks to our telling them about it years ago). By then, we’ll be back in Sanibel.
Earlier -- The sun was shining in the afternoon, and the temperature was a perfect 72 degrees. I took my camera for a long walk in the Luxembourg Gardens. I noticed that the band called Musique de la Police Nationale was scheduled to play in the bandstand at 4PM. When I reported this to Tom back at the apartment, he said he’d like to go. First, though, we had a visit from our friends Ron and Elisabeth, and managed to work out a way for our friend Sue to rent their studio apartment in November. Hooray! We’re so happy for all concerned. We sat under the grand old trees and listened to the police big band, with a little consternation because they just could not swing. This is often a problem with big bands in Europe, we’ve noticed. There are percussionists who CAN swing in Paris; Olivier Robin, the outstanding jazz drummer who often plays at Café Laurent with Christian Brenner, is a fine example. If only Olivier could give the others some lessons . . . . But the police band did a good job on some of the pieces they played. I asked Tom, because I could not initially decide myself, “Which band is better: the Sanibel Community Band, or this French national police band?” He wrinkled his face in thought, and then replied, “I just don’t know; that’s a tough one.” The more I think about it, the more I conclude that the Sanibel Community Band is better. However, the members of the Sanibel Community Band probably would not be as good at policing. I’m just saying . . . .
|
Saturday, September 13, 2014
A beautiful Autumn day in the Luxembourg Gardens.
Christian Brenner Jazz at the Café Laurent in the Hotel
Aubusson, on rue Dauphine. Last night,
Olivier Robin played drums, Bruno Schorp played bass, and of course Christian
Brenner was at the piano. The American
vocalist Monique Thomas (below) made a surprise appearance. She will perform tonight.
The joues de lotte
on polenta looked good at Le Christine, but half of the fish was
undercooked.
Pigeons using the dog drinking fountain as a bird bath in
the Luxembourg Gardens.
|
