22
Jun
Watch VIDEO of the Music Festival in Paris
Last night, a friend invited me to a concert at the Museum of Jewish Art. She ended up not showing up. And I got to discover Paris.
The band, Yemen Blues, was electrifying. Based in Tel Aviv and New York, the group perform Blues, Folk and Funk, singing in different languages, including Hebrew and Arabic. The song that simply blew me away was in Créole (you can hear a portion of it in the video above).
At the concert, I met a young French woman of Italian origin. After Yemen Blues, she showed me other musical scenes in the city. I found out this was a special night. It was La fête de la musique in Paris, one of the most popular musical events that has occured every year on June 21st for the last 2 decades. The event has become so popular that it is now happening all over cities in Europe.
As we walked on the streets, cafés were packed. There were bands playing everywhere! On George Pompidou plaza, we saw a group of Taiko drummers, competing for attention right next to a marching band. On the other side of the plaza, an Afro-Caribbean group was curled up in a tight circle, singing a cappella.
Even in alleys, there was music. I passed by an Asian band that was finishing up its performance by the side of la Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris. The band had ardent fans who jumped and waved as I filmed. Further up next to the sculpture pond, a rock band was blasting away.
This street music festival was set to go on until 5 a.m. Never mind that the next day was a workday in Paris! By 11 pm, my new friend bid me goodbye to catch some sleep and I continued wandering through the city. A poem I once read on the métro came to my mind:
“I have often dreamt of writing a book on Paris that is like an aimless long walk where you find nothing of what you’re looking for, but lots of things you were not even aware of.” _ Julien Green
That poem embodied the night of musical Paris.
In the streets, I mingled with a joyous crowd of people of all ages. Several young men were holding bottles of beer as they walked and chatted with friends.
Some people were even shopping while listening to music. Stores were still open, quite an exception to their usual 6 p.m.-closing time. At the door of a store, a young man greeted me by reciting a Fable of LaFontaine.
“Oh! You are the most beautiful of the guests in these woods.”
I laughed and headed home. Time to sleep. It was close to 1 a.m.