Birthday in Paris...

As part of our trip to France, I chose a jazz club in Montparnesse on the Left Bank to have dinner with Penelope and Tony Kay and Lin Hullen on my birthday.  Le Beliere Welcome turned out to be a wonderful spot.  The food was superb, the service great and, more important, Rene Courdacher's trio played exactly my style of jazz swing.





At my bidding, Tony managed to get me a spot playing during one of the trio's breaks.  Rene was cordial about it, introducing me to the crowd, and after I played a couple of tunes the bass player Xavier Dambrun and drummer Christian Laruella came up and asked to play a blues with me. 






I think we brought the place up a notch, and at the next break we played a good solid swing tune together before the night ended.  Naturally, we forgot to bring cameras, but Tony did have his cell phone and managed to eke out a few hazy photos.

It was the best birthday celebration I've ever had and a night I shall always remember.  Thanks to these great French musicians and to Penelope, Tony and Lin for making it possible!