LISTENING ROOM/ Friday 13 July 2001

PARIS- Banlieues Bleues

DV PAL TAPE 05

001.010309/ Peter Brotzmann 10-tet c.18’

002.010313/ Hamid Drake, Ken Vandermark, Kent Kessler = DVK3 c. 02’

003.010313/ William Parker group ‘duz’ Curtis Mayfield. c. 20’

004.010317/ Derek Bailey, Susie Ibarra c. 24’

005.010317/ Anthony Braxton Tentet c.14’

From my NOTES:

Friday, March 09, 2001

By 2033 – and by a most circuitous route I made it here to the Centre Culturel Jean Houdremont, 11 Avenue de Gereral Leclerc, in La Courneuve. Fortunately, I had left my hotel so early that I could afford to wander, lost in the labyrinthine world in and under the Gare Du Nord seeking RER (B). Having eventually found it, I took a train that sailed right through my destination and brought up at Aulnay-sur-Bois, although, when I got off I thought I was at my desired destination of Courneuve-Aubervilliers. This error discovered and sorted in conversation with a taxi driver in the rank outside the station, I got the correct train back, stopping on the way at Les Blancs Mesnil, Le Bourget and some other place. Then the route to the venue shown on the map (that I printed off the BB web site) has little to do with the lay out one actually encounters. But I prevailed and made it. A hard baptism in the ways of RER that should stand me in good stead in the coming days. 1024 – they finished a couple of minutes ago and started at 2048 so that’s what you call your money’s worth from Peter, Hamid, William P and Mahmoud Gania, ‘jouer de guembri’. The announcer said after this that they need ‘a small twenty minutes’ to get set for the next turn, ‘Les Maitres musiciens de Jajouka’. Having heard them before, I decided to walk back and find my way home on the RER.

16:34 Sunday, March 11, 2001

Which I did, leaving forty worthless (so I was told) old francs in 4 x 10F coins for somebody to find! At the station I chanced on others who led me up to a platform where a train had just come in. A black fellow confirmed to me that it was bound for ‘Paris’. These stations are NOT user friendly, neither is the infrastructure though the system seems to be quite sophisticated. I had a large Heineken in the bar next door (‘The Annexe’ as I now routinely call it), FF30. And that was that day (09).

Saturday (10)… I came in and computed and rested then got up and went out, risking a trip on the RER again. This time was simpler. Unfortunately, the material off the Internet describing the way to BB venues is unhelpful and although I was going from Le Bourget station in the right direction on foot I could not be sure. The road I was on had a ‘Marcel’ in it; such appears nowhere on the Internet plan. It started to rain so I returned to the station and got on a very crowded 143 bus. Two stops took me to the venue and I was still in time for a start that was only about ten minutes after the scheduled time. The Belgian [Gerard Rouy] beard that we know was there and we spoke briefly. He later sat in front of me and was taking shots with a digital camera. First on was Fred Van Hove’s group ‘Pistri’ – with Joelle Leandre, double bass, Marcio Mattos, cello and Phil Wachsmann, violin. To Alban from Albert, I thought to myself as I recalled the previous evening’s session with the Peter Brotzmann Quartet. That was the unrestrained joy of pulsating life in full knowledge of the sadness and pain in life that characterises human existence. Mahmoud’s voice intensified this as did the very voice-like sound of Peter’s taragato. … ‘Pistri’ was the restrained joy of sophisticated life reveling in the subtleties of virtuoso playing. Phil was prominent in the third piece. Fred did his powerful ‘boogie’ piano for the fourth piece. Fred used accordion for the last piece – then there was an encore. I left after the show, managing to greet Phil up on stage as I went on my way. In the foyer I bumped into Mr Brotzmann in conversation with a slightly built fellow with an American accent whose mother came from Antwerp. Peter introduced us, but, as is quite common for me, I have forgotten what his name was. [The next day, I discovered that this was Mars Williams, a saxophonist of no mean capability.] Outside, it was raining. I found the bus stop and waited quite some time before being lucky enough to have a taxi come by. I took it all the way back to Gare du Nord. My driver was a pleasant Laotian. It cost me something like £10-12. I worked on my 10^th District material.

09:45 Wednesday, March 14, 2001

…I went down soon and waited for Hugo. …From my observation post in the bar (The Annexe) I actually caught sight of Hugo crossing from Gare du Nord and waylaid him. We sat at a table in the bar and had drinks and chat. We returned to the hotel and checked in. … and waited for Roger DK to turn up. He soon did and we took off for Pantin by Metro. When we got to our destination we were stopped by the Metro Ticket Police. Of course, the entry to the system at rue St Quentin was letting people in freely because the ticket office computer there has broken down. This complicated matters and delayed us but soon, after numerous exchanges by telecommunications, we were through. We had a drink in a nearby bar then made our way to the venue. … Frank Lowe/ Bernard Santacruz played first. Hugo noticed Daunik Lazro in the audience. We did not speak. The Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet came on after the intermission. The group had Mars Williams, Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafsson, Joe McPhee, Jeb Bishop, Fred Longberg-Holm, Kent Kessler, William Parker (announced as a ‘guest’), Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake. …

Tuesday (13), … to Drancy. There was only one taxi visible when we came out into the open. We kind of occupied it by force. Three big guys and Roger. Though off duty, the driver kindly took us to the Espace Centre Culturel. We had drinks in a bar over the road devoted to the Americas and the Chevy (whence its name) automobile where great blues recordings were being played. We went to the shows. First was DVK. Drake we can always take, Vandermark was Ondermark, hard-edged and lyrical. He played clarinet beautifully. Kessler is the less(l)er mortal here, his ear not always clear as to where the fingers should be. (In fact, on Monday evening, his opening arco declamation was excruciatingly awful) After the intermission, William Parker (in a tremendously driving effort) and Co., (Leena Conquest, A. Baraka, Dave Burrell (doing piano continuo obbligato with – as Ken Dodd would put it – ‘occasional bursts’), Hamid Drake, a trumpet, Lewis Filip Barnes, and a saxes, Darryl Foster) ‘did’ Curtis Mayfield.

… the stupidity of Banlieues Bleues. For I observe that there are trains TO the Banlieues long after there are trains FROM them! This is because the burghers of banlieues choose the city for evening occupations. These ranks of rank dormitories are not assembled for fun of whatever ilk. You sleep in them and you die in them. We walk to the main highway. Hugo and I take the first amenable taxi. It has a woman driver and she has a full-size poodle in the seat to her right. We take the rear seats. In her left hand our driver holds a mobile phone that seems to be permanently clamped to her left ear. She talks in what sounds like a Balkan tongue and is in continuous action. She drives ‘forcefully’. I put on my seat belt. The big poodle pokes its nose round to smell Hugo. The dog pukes in front of its seat. Our driver seems not to notice this serendipitous sign from the gods. Close to GDN our driver remarks on the ‘triste’ nature of the Tenth Quarter. We disembark on our corner and walk over to our night haunt and order drinks.

Catching up –

…

Saturday (17)

It rained but we were under cover. I took the Metro back to GDN, via GDE a ‘correspondence’ that required me only to cross the platform. After a short rest, it was time to re-convene and proceed to St Denis. This we did by Metro, disembarking at the Basilique. Due to unhelpful signage, we walked much further than necessary to get to our objective, the Gerard Philippe Theatre. There, I sat alone at the rearmost row in the leftmost seat from where I was able to shoot first Derek with Susie Ibarra and then the Braxton Tentet that, not long into the proceedings, became a ‘nonet’ when Jackson Moore left the stage. He was not seen again on it. I really enjoyed both sets. I did not get to see either Karen or Derek. …