Maceo Parker @ Cité de la Musique, Paris Sept 04 2014

Maceo Parker + Malted Milk @ Cité de la Musique, Paris Sept 04 2014

Jazz à la Villette Festival

Legendary and original JB Maceo Parker is in da house tonight in Paris. No need to tell you that it is sold-out.

First we have French Funk-Soul band Malted Milk, cool set, the playing is neat, the singer/guitar player has a nice warm voice and his guitar licks are wonderful. The playing is perfect, too perfect, it's lacking a bit of Soul. Enjoyable though.

Then we have the master himself, introduced by his female wife(?)/ Manager -as usual- in James Brown style. He's walking the stage in a strange manner to the microphone... in typical Ray Charles' style for a snippet of a Ray Charles song. Then the man is grooving/ Funky-ing for the next two hours... playing saxophone , of course, and singing... and dancing.
He's wondering what he's doing in a jazz festival, saying that they do NOT play jazz and to make sure everyone understands that they are NOT playing any Jazz, he's playing a Jazz song (which was more of a "laugh at" the jazz style) so that everyone can see the difference between jazz and what they usually do: Funky Music.

He mentioned James Brown many times, I mean... he played with the Godfather of Soul for 25 years that's probably where he get his habit of  leading the band like a conductor.
Original Funky Diva Martha High is doing backing vocals and taking the lead for one song, so is the other backing vocal girl. The band has some space and each member is taking the lead even for a short moment at one time or another during the set.
Maceo is even playing the flute for a short tribute to Marvin Gaye before getting back to his Ray Charles' impersonation at the end of the gig before a nice rendition of JB's "Pass the peas".

Very nice set.

Anna Calvi + Daughter @ Cité de la Musique for "Days Off", Paris July 07 2014

Anna Calvi + Daughter @ Cité de la Musique for "Days Off", Paris July 07 2014

Support band Daughter is opening for Anna Calvi, nice "ambient" music but the band played a whole set for more than 80 min and as they don't have a "hit" song it was getting a bit boring in the end.

 Daughter

As always Anna Calvi played a wonderful set, there are no improvisations and you know for what you came for but you are are never disappointed with Anna Calvi.
She's playing with detached hair, which is not very often (for me at least and we saw her live in Paris 8 or 9 times) and she's even more sexy like this.

Encore un superbe concert d'Anna Calvi, étonnement la salle n'est pas pleine, il faut dire c'est son 3e ou 4e concert à Paris cette année. Ce n'est pas grave les absents ont toujours torts. Une interpretation toujours aussi parfaite, pas vraiment d'improvisation aux concerts d'Anna Calvi mais on n'est jamais décu.
C'est la première fois que je la vois jouer les cheveux détachés et elle est encore plus sexy comme cela...

 setlist



ARCHIVES:
Anna Calvi @ Gaité Lyrique, Paris Sept 26 2013
Anna Calvi @ Fnac Ternes, Paris Oct 25 2013 1:00 pm
Anna Calvi @ Trianon Paris April 22 2011
 Anna Calvi, showcase @ Fnac Montparnasse Paris, June 15 2011, 5:30 pm
 Anna Calvi @ Black Session # 322, C'est Lenoir. Maison de la Radio, Paris Jan 17 2011
 Anna Calvi + Deftones + Nneka + Archive + Lykke Li  @ Rock en Seine - St Cloud, August 28 2011
 Grinderman feat. Nick Cave + Anna Calvi @ Cité de la Musique, Paris 26 Oct 2010

There are also a few other concerts in Paris:

Toni Joe White @ New Morning

Wampas @ Republique ( free show)

Keziah Jones @ Théatre de Paris

Public Image Limited (P.I.L.) @ Cité de la Musique, Paris Oct 23 2013

Public Image Limited (P.I.L.) @ Cité de la Musique, Paris Oct 23 2013

P.I.L have reformed and are performing their first show in France, when was the last one ?, @ Cité de la Musique, It's sold-out but you can watch it comfortably seated at home as it is broadcasted live on arte tv web.

Buzzcocks are performing tomorrow.

No support band, lots of people still having a drink outside when the band is taking the stage just past 8:00pm.

There's a huge PIL backdrop, John Lydon is center stage still doing some very funny faces all along the show with useless valet Rambo standing up by the side of the stage for the whole show.

It might be a PUNK show to go with the Punk exhibition, that we visited last week for the opening, there are lots of security telling you not to sit down on the stairs, you're not allowed to take pictures and John Lydon doesn't want to see anyone seating down on each side of the stage and behind even on the balcony. Call it Punk ?!?

PIL music is really not our drug of choice, most of the songs sound a bit the same, many of them are very "dance" songs , really not our stuff.

John is cleaning his throat with some alcohol between each song and spitting it out in a plastic basin and blowing his nose on the floor all the time: really gross.

Most of the people seem to be really into it shaking their head in rhythm, not us

Average show.

Recorded and broadcasted live on arte tv web

Setlist & Merchandising

Archives:

Euro-Punk Exhibition @ Cité de la Musique Oct 14 2013

Sex Pistols @ Lokerse festival August 2008 (and here)

THE CLASH press conference for the box-set @ Palais des Glaces in Paris in September 2013 with Mick Jones, Topper Headon, & Paul Simonon