This French Life

The mystery of the piano on the Brittany cliff top

JUST what is behind the mystery of the piano left on a cliff top in Brittany?

Locals near the village of Plogoff, in Finistère, have been wondering why a piano has been left close to the edge of a cliff, and how the 150kg piano got there.

But according to TF1 the gendarmerie made enquiries over the weekend and heard how a van drove up to a cliff path before its occupants got out and wheeled the piano along the path.

Now the local council workers have taken the piano off the cliff top and the mayor of Plogoff says he is looking forward to meeting the people responsible should they ask for their piano back.

(Just as a side note, the video above is of the piano taken by Ouest-France journalist, Dominique Mesgouez who has used a drone to fly over the cliffs.)

Johnny Hallyday says the left encourage 'mediocrity'

POP star Johnny Hallyday has said that political parties of the left in France push towards 'mediocrity' and that there is a big difference in attitude between the country of his birth and the USA.

In his autobiography, Dans Mes Yeux, which is out later this week he says that when you are in the USA and you drive past in a smart car people say 'cool'.

But in France he says people think you are a thief if you do the same, and that he feels he was used as an emblem of France and that his tax affairs were used to smear him.

Johnny Hallyday moved to Switzerland in 2006 to live under lower tax rates, where it is estimated that with on income of 6.3 million Swiss francs in 2011, he paid about 700,000 Swiss francs in taxes.

Boogie in Le Boulve, the Lot (46)

GET down and boogie in the medieval square of Le Boulve, the Lot, on Friday August 24, 2012 as musical favourites are performed.

Boogie in Le Boulve is an open-air concert and picnic with the show being opened by the duo Ad Hoc - Bob Neal and Jane Parris who sing both English and French popular songs.

Next up is Claire Aberlenc and guitarist Alexis. Claire's stunning voice and Alexis' superb guitar playing have wowed audiences throughout the Lot region and they will also be performing at the Cahors Blues festival.

Topping the bill are the Steve Walton Band and they will be stepping up the tempo with classic rock 'n' roll, blues and great music to dance to.

The 'doors' open from 7.15pm and the concert begins at 8pm, with it coming to a close at midnight.

Priced at €12 for adults and €8 for children, entry by reservation only, with the price including wine, soft drinks and table water, just bring your own food and plates for picnic-style eating.

Places are limited so please reserve your places as soon as possible, via e-mail: michael.jones@alsatis.net

Besse and its 11th century church welcome choir

ON a warm summer's evening the church at Besse, in the Dordogne, welcomed the choir from the neighbouring village of Villefrance du Perigord.

Besse is nestled away in the oak and chestnut woods of the area, and as the sun began to slowly set it drew a quiet, reverential audience into the church.

Walking up the stone steps to the church takes you through an archway topped with a cross, whilst around the doorway are a collection of stone carvings probably dating from the 11th century.

The archway depicts scenes of the Redemption, with Adam and Eve, St Michael slaying the dragon, and if you look to the right of the archway two small mushrooms.

These have nothing to do with the Redemption but are believed to be the stone carver's signature, signifying the workman's connection to the forests of the area.

Inside and as the choir of Villefrance du Perigord progressed through its programme of music, from classical pieces to favourites from popular French films, their voices rolled around the strong stone walls.

The deep history of the church in Besse resonating with the sweeping highs and lows of the choir.

Souillac jazz festival to have a taste of the States

IF you want to enjoy some summer music then the popular Souillac en Jazz festival takes place between July 15 and 22, 2012.

Found on the east side of the Dordogne, the town will play host to musicians covering all corners of the jazz world, and there will be a special taste of the States this year.

In homage to the hundredth anniversary of the birth of their compatriot Sim Copans, one of the founders of the Souillac jazz festival, the Americans in the Lot association is collaborating with several restaurants to offer typically American dishes.

The association, composed of Americans domiciled in the Lot and created with the goal of promoting American-Lotois relations through various cultural projects, is assisting the restaurants in choosing dishes and enhancing the ambiance with red, white and blue decorations from the US.

So alongside jazz musicians from the UK, Morocco and elsewhere, you can enjoy a taste of barbecued spareribs and Southern fried chicken

Tune in to musical sounds of Quercy Unplugged

I RECENTLY got chatting to Mike Jones who hosts a live music radio programme on Antenne d'Oc.

His Quercy Unplugged show records musicians performing in the village of Lauzerte in Tarn et Garonne.

There is usually a mix of English and French speaking musicians performing original pieces as well as cover versions, here is a quick example:

Englishman in New York

You can listen to past programmes on the Antenne d'Oc website and details of future live music concerts starting in September will be available soon.

And if you are keen to learn more about the music on the Quercy Unplugged show then you can contact Mike via email.

Pop music the star of Fête de la Musique

FRANCE is set to rock on the longest day of the year as the annual Fête de la Musique takes place on June 21, 2012.

And this year's theme is 50 Years of Pop Music, marking the release of Love Me Do by The Beatles in 1952 and the transformation pop music brought to the world.

The celebrations feature across the country and there are set to be around 10,000 free events with towns and villages playing host to musicians and artists.

Launched in 1982 by the French Ministry for culture, the Fête de la Musique is held in more than hundred countries around the world. It takes place every June 21, the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.

On the official website you can find details of some of the events taking place, with others added in the run up to the big day, and if you want to organise an event yourself then you can download posters and other support material.

Winter jazz sounds at Le 'Off' festival, Eymet

TAKE in a dash of jazz over the winter months with the Le 'Off' festival that opens on Saturday 12 November, 2011 in Eymet, the Dordogne.

Each month between now and April 2012 musicians drop in on the salle des fêtes in Eymet, with the sounds of Chicago mixing with Latin America, and music from a number of French bands.

The concerts take place on Saturday, starting at 7.30pm with tickets priced from €10.

New Perspectives on EU Radio Nantes

A NEW English language programme is to be broadcast by EU Radio Nantes and is looking for people to take part.

New Perspectives will be hosted by Cate Chambers, the show will feature a chat with an expat about their life and work, a round-up of news and information and a noticeboard of things taking place.

EU Radio Nantes has been broadcasting since 2007 and features journalists from around Europe and you can listen to the station online, or if you are in the Nantes area it can be found on 101.3 FM.

Cate's show will start on Wednesday, February 9 from 9.45am until 10am.

Listen online to the music of France

EXPLORE the music of France via the Langues de France en Chansons website, which offers a chance to listen to some incredible musicians.

The site brings together around 75 different French dialects and languages from both mainland France and overseas, including Basque, Breton and Occitan, as well as Judéo-Espagnol, Romani and Yiddish.

Using a train journey as its method of discovering the different musical styles, you are taken past the names, faces and costumes that describe the music and you can click on each one to discover more.