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Home (latest issue) | Recent Photography | Image Archives | Guest Photography | The International Desk | About This Site | Search This Site | Just Above Sunset Commentary |
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The Whole World |
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Our Man in Paris is Our Man in Paris no more. Ric Erickson, editor of MetropoleParis, has ended his many years there, and now you can find him in the South of France. He has relocated to Port-Vendres (département of Pyrénées-Orientales, Languedoc-Roussillon région), a fishing village on the Mediterranean, just north of the Spanish border, where the Pyrenees drop into the sea. This week – jazz in the south of France – versus the Eurovision Pop Song Contest – |
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The Whole World Port Vendres, Saturday, 16 May - The whole world, excepting Asia, North America, Africa, South America, Australia, is rooting tonight for their country to win the Eurovision Pop Song Contest. If there were winners I did not hear them. It was hard to see them too as Russian TV, the host country, pulled out all the pop stops, nearly obliterating the Ukraine's entry with explosions and fireworks. This year France's entry was sung, performed, emoted, by Patricia Kaas, who apparently lives in Moscow, where the pay is possibly better than in Las Vegas. Her turn I missed while catching the live jazz trio at Port Vendres' premier cabaret, Café Le France. |
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At the moment they are voting for the winner. This is the best part of Eurovision, when Malta votes for Italy and Bulgaria votes for Albania. The French have high hopes for France, but I think Germany should win because it was the only country that had music to go with the song. Not to be overlooked, some of those eastern, vaguely Muslim countries that have some nifty dancers. Thin but nifty. Malta had a solo big lady; should be worth 5th place. As far as I could tell some of the singers could sing. Too bad the lyrics were uniformly lousy and the music was worse. Particularly pitiful were Spain and Portugal. Spain sounded like Egypt and Portugal was folkloric. Several entries even brought their own violins. The Germans brought electric guitars. I missed the Irish, Dutch, Italians and Austrians; what I caught was more than enough. Try to imagine American Idol coming from 40 countries. Try to imagine MTV produced in 40 countries. What is on the Afghan hit parade these days? Meanwhile, over on Pierre Forgas the trio at the France were better than the crowd who turned out to listen. This was me and a guy reading a newspaper. A lady in black came in from the sidewalk drink and smokes area and got with it solo for awhile, quite a long while. Except for a dog and waitresses zipping through she had dance floor to spare. All in all I enjoyed it more than the Eurovision, but jazz in France is like that. |
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Safe harbor – |
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~ Ric |
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Text and Photos Copyright © 2009 - Ric Erickson |
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Home (latest issue) | Recent Photography | Image Archives | Guest Photography | The International Desk | About This Site | Search This Site | Just Above Sunset Commentary |