Saint-Germain-des-Prés ...

[olivier]

Here is a link to a pretty good text (and a petition) explaining that the Costes brothers have bought Le Bilboquet, a legendary jazz club in Saint Germain which was opened in 1947 by friends of Boris Vian, to turn it into a restaurant. Sorry, it's in French, and I don't have time right now to translate it (volunteer welcomed).

Vive le jazz au Bilboquet

A l’angle des rues Dauphine et Christine, il y avait le "Tabou". Henri Renaud y menait le bal et c’est déjà Juliette Gréco que l’on croisait en premier.

Puis, il faut remonter, prendre à droite la rue de Buci et entrer sur les terres des "Germanopratins". Au "Furstenberg", pendant plus 15 ans, André Persiani "Pepé" a habillé l’ambiance de ses accords et solos "block chords".

Traverser la rue de Seine. Avoir une petite pensée pour Prévert en quittant la rue qui sourit, ou en dégustant un verre de Sancerre au "Bar du Marché".

Prendre à gauche, descendre la rue Jacob. En ces lieux, des clubs, il y en a eu. La "Presqu’île", le "Bar Vert", "l’Echelle de Jacob". C'est dans ce dernier que Jacques Douai, chanteur, créa pour la première fois "Les Feuilles Mortes" de Jacques Prévert & Joseph Kosma. Plus loin dans la rue, on trouvait plus récemment "La Villa". Le nouveau patron de l’hôtel a fait fermer le club pour y installer la salle des petits-déjeuners... On avait pu y voir pour la première fois, grâce à Danny Michel (merci Dany), Brad Mehldau, Diana Krall, Joshua Redman, Bill Stewart…

Il faut faire défiler la rue Jacob pour traverser la rue Bonaparte et prendre à gauche dans la rue St Benoît, le Jazz Café chez Papa nous régale toujours avec sa formule - basse,piano -
Dans ce qui a été la 52ème rue du jazz français, il y a eu le "Latitude", on y trouvait souvent les plus grands comme Billy Higgins, Tommy Flanagan, Ray Bryant…
Cent mètres plus loin, il y avait le "Montana". C’est René Urtreger qui tenait l’affiche. Toute une génération s’est pressée devant l’estrade pour jouer avec le délicieux pianiste be-bop.
Entre les deux, le mythique Club St Germain - Bilboquet…
Créé en 1947 par une bande d’amis, ce club sous la houlette de Boris Vian, a vu le jazz se croiser et se multiplier.

Des pierres hantées par les accords de Bud Powell, Bobby Jaspar ou Django Reinhardt font partie de notre patrimoine. Si les Etats-Unis sont le lieu de naissance d’une des plus belles formes d’expression artistique du vingtième siècle, la France fut la terre d’accueil du jazz !
Nous avons su ouvrir nos salles de concert à Charlie Parker, Sidney Béchet ou Miles Davis. Pleyel ou l’Olympia étaient les cathédrales, le Club St Germain, le temple parisien voué au culte de la musique syncopée.

Un club qui à l’origine devait être un repaire de copains amateurs de Jazz avec à leur tête Boris Vian, un club donc, qui a reçu les plus grands noms du jazz, Américains surtout, souvent contraints de venir exprimer leur talent en Europe. Miles Davis, Kenny Clarke, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey et les Jazz Messengers, Rhoda Scott, pour ne citer que les plus illustres, y rencontrent Claude Bolling, Claude Luter, Martial Solal, Sacha Distel, Stéphane Grappelli, Henri Salvador et tant d’autres immenses talents de l’hexagone.

Des chefs d’œuvres y ont été enregistrés, l’histoire du Jazz français s’est écrite dans cette cave désormais légendaire.

Selon nos informations, ce haut lieu de notre patrimoine culturel est aujourd’hui menacé de fermeture définitive, en étant très bientôt transformé en simple brasserie.
Nous voulons encore croire que ce projet pourra être d’abord ajourné, puis modifié, pour que Saint-Germain-des-Prés garde son dernier club de Jazz.

Nous faisons appel à vous tous aujourd’hui, dans l’urgence, non seulement amis du jazz mais tous ceux qui sont attachés à l’âme de Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
Pour vous joindre à nous et sauver ce lieu unique, il nous faut tous signer la pétition.
Nous comptons sur votre soutien actif et vous en remercions vivement par avance.

Vive le jazz au Bilboquet

[Bruce Lindfield]

So - you want us to sign up to the petition to keep it open, or to campaign for it to be a Jazz venue?

[anonymous0726]

Free translation from a web site:

Live the jazz with the Cup-and-ball

With the angle of the streets Dauphine and Christine, there was the "Taboo". Henri Renaud carried out to it the ball and it is already Juliette Gréco whom one crossed in first.

Then, it is necessary to go up, take the street of Buci on the right and to enter on the grounds of the "Germanopratins". In the "Furstenberg", during more 15 years, André Persiani "Pepé" equipped environment with his agreements and solos "block chords".

To cross the street of the Seine. To have a small thought for Prévert by leaving the street which smiles, or by tasting glass of Sancerre to the "Bar of the Market".

To take on the left, descend the street Jacob. In these places, clubs, there was of it. "Peninsula", the "Green Bar", "the Jacob's ladder". It is in the latter that Jacques Douai, singer, created for the first time "the Dead Sheets" of Jacques Prévert & Joseph Kosma. Further in the street, one found "the Villa more recently". The new owner of the hotel made close the club to install the room of the breakfasts there... There one had been able to see for the first time, thanks to Danny Michel (thank you Dany), Brad Mehldau, Diana Krall, Joshua Redman, Bill Stewart...

It is necessary to make ravel the street Jacob to cross the street Bonaparte and to take on the left in the street St Benoit, the Jazz Coffee in Dad always levels us with his formula - low, piano -
In what was the 52ème street of the French jazz, there was the "Latitude", one often found largest there like Billy Higgins, Tommy Flanagan, Ray Bryant...
Hundred meters further, there was "Montana". It is Rene Urtreger who ran. A whole generation was pressed in front of the estrade to play with the delicious pianist be-bop.
Between the two, the mythical Club German St - Cup-and-ball...
Created in 1947 by a band of friends, this club under the crook of Boris Vian, saw the jazz crossing and multiplying.

Stones haunted by the agreements of Bud Powell, Bobby Jaspar or Django Reinhardt form part of our inheritance. If the United States is the birthplace of one of the most beautiful forms of artistic expression of the twentieth century, France was the land of welcome of the jazz!
We knew to open our concert halls to Charlie Parker, Sidney Béchet or Davis Miles. Pleyel or Olympia was the cathedrals, the Club German St, the Parisian temple dedicated to the worship of the syncopated music.

A club which in the beginning was to be a den of buddies amateurs of Jazz with at their head Boris Vian, a club thus, which received the great names of the jazz, Americans especially, often constrained to come to express their talent in Europe. Miles Davis, Kenny Clarke, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Rhoda Scott, to only quote most famous, meet there Claude Bolling, Claude Luter, Martial Solal, Sacha Distel, Stephan Grappelli, Henri El Salvador and so much of other immense talents of the hexagon.

Chiefs of works were recorded there, the history of the French Jazz was written in this legendary cellar from now on.

According to our information, this high place of our cultural inheritance is threatened today of permanent closure, while being transformed very soon into simple brewery.
We want to still believe that this project could be initially deferred, then modified, so that Saint-Germain-des-Prés keeps its last club of Jazz.

We call upon you today all, in the urgency, not only friendly of the jazz but all those which are attached to the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
To join to you to us and to save this single place, we should all sign the petition.
We count on your active support and highly let us thank you by advance.

Live the jazz with the Cup-and-ball

[olivier]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

So - you want us to sign up to the petition to keep it open, or to campaign for it to be a Jazz venue?

I just bring this "Miscellaneous" bit of info here, FWIW, and you do what you want, of course. Actually I have mixed feelings about it, but listening to the old Parisian recordings of that period does illustrate that text and, besides recording, there's not much left of the Bebop hay days in Paris...

[olivier]

Mechanical translation sucks just as bad as a Band-in-a-Box tune... "the Dead Sheets" of Jacques Prévert & Joseph Kosma is the best one in the bunch: here you should understand Autumn Leaves !

So we still need a volunteer...

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by olivier

I just bring this "Miscellaneous" bit of info here, FWIW, and you do what you want, of course. Actually I have mixed feelings about it, but listening to the old Parisian recordings of that period does illustrate that text and, besides recording, there's not much left of the Bebop hay days in Paris...

To be honest I don't really like that "Hot Club" style Jazz - you know, a couple of guitars - maybe violin and DB playing acoustically...I find it a bit "samey" and irritating as there seem to be a lot of buskers in England who do this and people say to me - oh that's great, is that the kind of Jazz you like?

I just wondered what kind of Jazz they had there and if the idea was to keep it open as a Jazz venue or just preserve it as a kind of heritage site?

If the latter, I'm dubious - but I would be happy to sign a petition for the former!

[olivier]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

To be honest I don't really like that "Hot Club" style Jazz - you know, a couple of guitars - maybe violin and DB playing acoustically...I find it a bit "samey" and irritating as there seem to be a lot of buskers in England who do this and people say to me - oh that's great, is that the kind of Jazz you like?

Some guitar players are crossing over from rock to jazz via that Manouche swing style, and back in the 80's I had the opportunity to jam on tub bass with legendary fiddle and mandolin player Howard Armstrong, so I am not going to bash swing/string music.

Anyway, the Bilboquet hosts all kinds of jazz, not specifically "Hot Club" type.

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

I just wondered what kind of Jazz they had there and if the idea was to keep it open as a Jazz venue or just preserve it as a kind of heritage site?

If the latter, I'm dubious - but I would be happy to sign a petition for the former!

It says: Nous voulons encore croire que ce projet pourra être d’abord ajourné, puis modifié, pour que Saint-Germain-des-Prés garde son dernier club de Jazz. We would like to believe that this project [to turn the Bilboquet into a restaurant] can be stopped and modified so that Saint-Germain-des-Prés can keep its last jazz club.

Go ahead Bruce, sign the petition.