its beginning to feel alot like christmas...i sang at another club tonight! this is fantastic! am having the experience, performance wise, that i had hoped for. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX despite another cold and rainy day where i meandered, confidently at first, and then in complete bewilderment, for two and a half hours today, i decided to take another crack at singing here. i had made a commitment to myself to check out a vocal jazz jam that i had read about it my handy dandy Pariscope. my impulse was to snuggle my soggy self into the couch and start my new novel. after having sung already, i didnt want to be greedy and tempt fate. thought for sure that if i kept going back for more time at the mic that tragedy and missteps would ensue.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX thankfully i got over myself and just started walking toward the metro. the club in question was in the sorbonne area in the latin quarter. it was a good fifteen minute walk from the metro stop and i walked past my familiar haunts going into unknown, unpopulated, but safe, monied and clean territory. when i arrived i was half an hour into the scheduled start time. as a musician myself i know to tack on half an hour to an hour to so called start times in clubs. the place was called café universal. had black and white tiles, dark lighting and jazz paraphenalia all around. very lived-in and homey.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX bartender was friendly and were barely any people there. took a seat in the first row and tried to get myself sorted. read the posters, many of which were in english, verified fact that would be opportunity to go up and sing. there was a tall woman with a stylish afro already seated. there was a woman singing tunes on the tv somebody russell, totally cheesy choices. the barman loved it. i worried that i would be in for a night of heartfelt karaoke. she asked me if i knew the woman and we started to chat. she heard my english accent and told me she used to live in connecticut and she recently moved back to paris, grew up here. was very warm and open. soon another woman came by and heard us speaking english (one of the rare times i gave myself permission to go-anglo) and introduced herself. she was a fashion writer for a gossip mag in australia. very open and friendly, she soon joined us and we chatted until the show started. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX before the show i checked my wallet to pay for my drink and i realized that in changing purses to match my outfit i forgot to transfer the ten euro i had planned to cover the nights expenses. stepped out to find a bank machine (coverd a three block radius) and for about the millionth time since i have been here, found myself at a loss. its positively bizarre that a city bursting at the seems with opportunity to consume goods has so few opportunities to withdraw money! en tout cas...decided to just charge it instead and returned to the club. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX so we are about to begin and a woman comes by and tells me that i am in her spot. i protest and indicate that my wine is there and she says she left some things to mark her place. there was a hat there when i first arrived but...she started to explain that she had to be there and her boyfriend, situated beside me wasnt going anywhere either. pissed, i moved but communicated body language wise that i was not happy about it. my auzzie friend,glynis, had also been transplanted during my quest for a bank machine so i joined her. moments later i would discover that she was co-hosting the evening...zut alors! pretty quick karma i would sayXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX the other host for the evening was a man formerly from martinique named marc. had the funky shades, a jazzy vibe and a velvet voice that when scatting sounded trumpet like. sublimely talented and adept at making us all feel the vibe he was the perfect host. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX after he did a tune and my seat taker co-host pixie woman did her own little ditty i was first to be called up. i didnt have charts with me but i did have the piano and vocals on sheet music. the piano player, young guy, curly hair, glasses and beard, no drama, pretty straightforward kind of chap took a quick look and then gave it to the bass player. i did the song im a fool to want you. they started super crazy slow allowing me to really savour every note. had never done it that way before and gave me more time to play with phrases. was in good voice for most of the tune and tried to innovate when came back in for the b section but faltered a little before rescuing myself but got a great response from the crowd.could have heard a pin drop. saw lots of smiles as i looked out and had a number of people come up to me afterward to congratulate me. so incredible to have a tool that translates across an ocean. feel lucky that was able to connect with the other musicians and with the crowd so effortlessly. the universality of the musical language seems like a kitschy (sp) t-shirt slogan till you find yourself jamming with total strangers and understanding one another as though you had rehearsed for weeks. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX host asked me where i was from and if music was my day job. was flattered, especially given his talent. when tried to pay for my drinks at bar later, the machine wouldnt read my credit card! a man with a group of friends from madrid told me his card wasnt accepted either and not to worry about it. offered to pay for me saying that he really enjoyed my performance, that my voice touched him. so sweet! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX next, glynis got up and did a fantastic rendition of black coffee. deep, smooth as velvet voice and a very intelligent delivery. singing is not her day job either and in between bars when she had a break you could see her humour slip through as she was enjoying, in an out of body way, the fact that she was even up there. then sonya got up, the amero-parisien woman and did a stunning version of jimmy hendrixs hey joe. without guitar and drums she really had to work herself into quite a state to bring it alive but she reached deep and gave an incredibly dramatic performance, beating herself in the chest, rocking a little bit, not in a crazy no-talent and deluding herself kind of way, but in a truly inspired way. this chick had cajones the size of watermelons. i want to be just like her when i grow up. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX then a local guy with a file of charts a russian novel deep, got up and did a tune. he had on a check shirt with a wool pullover, a neat hairstyle and practical glasses. not the most soulful performance but he could scat like nobodys business. later in the evening the host and another local had a scat-off in the middle of a tune, very call and answer in structure and playful. chatted to another couple beside us who were from holland but spoke perfect english then glynis (hate that i cant use apostrophes, is killing me!!) fedora wearing friend tyler, came by. guilty as it was not to be trying to speak french, it was very relaxing...XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX had to leave at quarter to twelve because the last train left at twelve thirty. just made it. girl from holland told me about another jazz jam tomorrow at the swan...do i dare... XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX another coup i want to write about. broke down after my two and a half hours of being lost and decided to actually eat in a restaurant. one i wanted to go to was full so went to a creperie next door. havent had one yet and,well, when in rome right...so i was one of only two people there. the crepe was six euro and i asked for some juice and some water. crepe was good, new wheat kind, are getting health conscious about all the white flour they use i guess... anyway, so i ask for the bill and he tells me its fourteen euros! i was stunned. how could water and a juice be eight euro (twelve dollars!) he came and showed me the menu again, he had charged me for the water when i just wanted tap, i even clarified and said naturale, non gaz. anyhoo, i told him that was crazy, that it was insane to charge me that, orange juice was less than the size of an everfresh bottle, i held my ground, i had been speaking french the whole time, he started to speak english, i continued in french to show him i was no foolish tourist and he knocked off the price of the water saying, fine, do what you want, i dont care, dont pay for the water then...so i didnt! yeah me. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxx bon soir, a demain.