Roosevelt Jazz Band

(This is Andy)

Aix-en-Provence is a small, traditional French city that lends itself to puns in English.  We spent four hours there this morning walking around downtown.  The groups mingled and wandered.  Tuesday was market day as well, so one of the squares was filled with vendors offering fresh cheeses, vegetables, meats, fish, and the like.

During the afternoon we drove about an hour south to Toulon on Mediterranean coast.  Place de l’Opera is a good-sized public square in the middle of town with several cafes around the perimeter.  Dominating the scene is the spectacular 19th (?) century facade of the theater.  At one end of the square, the festival had set up a big stage, complete with lighting and sound-board.  After a sound-check, the festival hosts set up a pasta dinner for us outside a restaurant on a narrow street in the old part of town.

Tonight’s crowd was the biggest yet, close to 500 according to our highly accurate fan-counting methodology.  The festival asked for a long set and got it, 90 minutes, with an encore and a standing ovation.  The weather was perfect — a warm, clear night, a full moon, and an enthusiastic crowd.

Tomorrow is a long day on the bus as we head into Italy.

Betsy checking in here.

After saying a fond goodbye to the town of Vienne this morning, we had a 3 hour drive through the lovely French and Swiss countryside, through terraced vineyards and beautiful valleys, and we arrived in the busy town of Montreux in time for lunch.  We are all a bit shocked by prices here as compared to Vienne!  The band played at 5 pm on a great stage in the park along the waterfront promenade on Lake Geneva.  There were people on the seats in front of the stage, at the beer gardens surrounding it, and sitting on the hillside grass beside the stage.  There had to be a couple hundred people listening, and the Roosevelt sound wafted out over Lake Geneva, and could be heard up and down the promenade.   The band sounded fantastic, and many kids are stepping up to solo.  People sitting around us said they were going to come back tomorrow to hear more.  As I write, the kids are meandering in from the promenade.  The lakefront promenade is set up with booths selling crafts and food, similar to Bumbershoot, but in the setting of a beautiful lake ringed with jagged mountains.  We are staying in an old hotel right in the center of the city with many rooms having balconies with lakefront views.  Another full day here tomorrow, with another performance on the same stage.

Last night we arrived at the massive Theatre Antique in time to catch the last 30 minutes of Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea.  We thought they were the headliners, but Richard Bona and his band came on second, even though they were in small font on the tickets.  Headliners go first here?  Or Chick and Bobby are not quite as big here?  We don’t know.  The festival organizers kindly came up with complimentary tickets for our entire group.

Those Romans sure built things to last.  Unlike, say, the KingDome, the public entertainment space in this town has stood about 1950 years.  With a long climb up and many “Excusez-mois,” we managed to squeeze into the few remaining spots on the upper tiers of the stone slabs.  The moon came up as we looked down on the stage, the town, and the Rhone in the distance.

Hi Everyone,

After a long day of traveling, and few misadventures in the Amster-Damn Airport, we are happy to report that we are in our hotel on the banks of the Rhone.  Highlights of the day included meeting our enthusiastic guides Daniela and Johan, marveling at the U-turns of Andreas the busdriver, and dining on duck at Le Bec Fin (The Sharp Beak).  Off to bed.