I may have written about this centre before. Until recently it was known as The Mona Bismarck Foundation. Mona Bismarck was an American philanthropist who loved art and high fashion. She lived in a beautiful town house on the Quai New York facing the Seine and the Tour Eiffle. The Foundation was created in 1983, after she died. According to her wishes, it was to promote artistic and cultural appreciation especially those enhancing French-American friendship. On July 4, 2019, the Center announced its new official name: the American Center for Art and Culture. It is the only centre in Paris dedicated to American art and culture.
February in the US is also known as Black History month. Many cities go full out with a packed month of commemorations, historical plays, art and many, many talks. Two years ago, the American Church here in Paris had a wonderful slide show/talk/songfest for Martin Luther King Day. Last Saturday, the ACFAC turned their main salon into the Blue Bird Jazz Club. The stars of the night were the Jean Jacques Elangué All Star quintet.
The centre set up tables and chairs, turned the lights a funky red so we all looked a bit dazed and confused. The only thing missing was cigarettes and smoke. The place was packed—mostly with French people. The French seemed to be enamoured with all things American (except politics). They clapped and bounced their feet up and down. A barman roamed the tables taking orders for drinks. The room behind the main room had chairs and stools and was also packed. And, in the bar, were all the late comers who could hear the sound just fine but couldn’t see the jazzmen.
What I can’t show you, and probably because I’m still a novice at all the media on blogs, is the Tour Eiffel outside the window. For five minutes on the hour, the Tour Eiffel’s lights blink and dance and perform such a lively show that it seemed to accompany the music. We were treated to the light show twice while at the jazz club. The combination was breathtaking. The music was contemporary jazz which I don’t know much about. My friends and I are fans of New Orleans jazz and this was very different. The best parts were when each man had a solo to riff. The five men were enjoying themselves so much that it didn’t matter how much I liked or understood the music. The feelings of love of brothers and music were contagious.
For more information on the centre, go to: https://americancenterparis.org
As promised two weeks ago, I have begun writing a new blog. I’ve named it after the book I wrote. My hope is to use the space to educate people about compulsive eating and food addiction. So we will see if I can keep up two blogs!! I hope readers will ask questions or inform me of new information. That will be the basis of new blogs.
If you are interested, please go to: http://www.saving-sara.org and become a follower.
A bientôt,
Sara
Out My Window 