Wow

In May, Paris had its annual Festival Jazz Saint-Germain-des-Près, an event where all over the Saint-Germain area of the 6th arrondissement there were concerts of every kind of jazz, some expensive and some for free, in gardens and churches and concert halls. One beautiful, sunny Sunday I stopped by the Mairie du 6eme (the city hall of the neighborhood) and caught a free show, the Sidney Bechet Memory All-Stars.

I was surprised and delighted to see the place packed with people. Usually I hate crowds but it made me happy to see that there were still some people who love this old-style swing jazz. I sat next to an old man who told me with glee, in French, that he used to be a drummer and had actually played with Sidney Bechet back in the day. He reminded me of my Uncle Matt, but French. I think old people are neglected in a way, and I think they need to be heard. They need to have their wonderful stories of their adventures heard, because even with wrinkly skin and a frail walk, they are still important. We are lucky if we ever grow so old to be frail.

The venue was magnificent, a beautifully decorated hall with chandeliers and a ceiling ornately painted with a scene of the revolution. The concert began and wow! It was such fun to listen to. This was fun jazz, Woody Allen jazz, the kind that made everyone around me tap their toes and bop their heads. People - polite, old French people! - would call out requests between songs, even though the band had a set list. "Une Fleur!" "Dans les rues d'Antibes!" The band, composed of musicians who've been playing their whole lives and many of whom had also played with Bechet, were perfectly on-point, well-rehearsed and had a great chemistry together.

 

I marveled to watch, in particular, the old ladies in the room. This one lady had electrically bright red hair (a dye job, I think? haha) and moved happily in time to the music, bopping this way and that. In a way it made me think, wow, she's remembering these songs, she remembers when they were popular, the way the world used to be, the way she used to be, and how it feels to be young, and have a body to move.

It was a fantastic show. As with most concerts, it made me feel alive and happy and full. During one of the songs I thought to myself, Wow, maybe this is what it feels like to be in love. The feeling of a sunny afternoon, in a grand and beautiful hall, listening to jazz, for free, in Paris.