After we arrived in Aix, we traveled a half hour outside the town to a nearby village for a gig. The venue was a beautiful estate with a lovely barn house stage. Not only was the building a great location, but the crowd and our host were very appreciative. The house was packed!The performance featured not only the big band, but our smaller combo group, Jazz Dispatch. Jazz Dispatch consists of our rhythm section of Alex Posmontier, Robert Whipple, and Thomas Neufield. The horns are faculty member Steve Fieldhouse, Nick Krafka, and myself(Kevin) on alto sax, trumpet, and trombone respectively. Vocalist Sarah Tuttle also joined us for a moving rendition of Misty. The more intimate sound of the smaller group was a great contrast to the hard swinging, full sound of the jazz ensemble. After the show, we were treated to a buffet dinner at the house of our host. Everyone had a great time and we all signed the guestbook of the estate.
After returning to Aix, we had some free time to roam around the next morning before traveling to nearby Arles. Arles is the oldest Roman city in France. We had a tour with a very spunky middle aged woman. She had a great hat and some very sassy quips about the state of the city. She showed us not only the ruins of the forum, but also the old amphitheater, which is still in use as a bullfighting arena. After the tour we had a delicious dinner which also featured two musicians serenading Gail Jones on guitar. Their next number was the Sinatra classic My Way in F sharp, which we promptly joined them in singing. It was a great time.
The next day we had a walking tour of Aix en Provence, which spanned a cathedral and a candy factory. The factory made both candied fruits as well as an almond shaped confection. As we walked through the factory, we taste tested the candy at different stages of the candy-making process. We also visited the Aix en Provence Music Conservatory:) After the tour, we had free time before we left for Juan les Pins.
I (Alyssa) decided to lounge by the pool for two hours with other friends. It was a great way to spend the afternoon, and I can now say I officially have my first sunburn of the summer. Kevin went to the Natural History Museum with a group of science majors and also visited the former residence of French composer Darius Milhaud. Aix en Provence was one of our favorite cities. It appears to be a smaller quaint town, with narrow streets and many open air markets, but is larger than it first seems and has plenty of ways to spend the time.
We then boarded our coach and traveled two hours to Juan les Pins. Our hotel is wonderful...right next to the beach. So far we've only been here for the evening, but tomorrow we will travel to Antibes, and then play a concert for part of the Nuits du Chateau annual festival. Wish us luck!
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