A Century of Jazz

"Un moment si libres ne devrait-on pas faire accomplir un grand voyage en avion aux jeunes gens ayant terminé leurs études."


or, In such a free moment, what is holding young people, having finished their studies, back from taking a big trip by plane?


~Matisse





I saw this quote today, at the Quai Branly "Siecle du Jazz," or, "Century of Jazz" exhibit. It was written on one of his paintings that was inspired by Jazz music. The entire exhibit was really great...it showed the history of jazz through rooms with each jazz-era, and how other art forms have been influenced by the music.









I went after having finished my LAST exam today! (I'm officially a college Senior.) I got off the metro at the Champs, and walked across the Seine and to the Quai Branly museum, a relatively new structure that mainly houses cultural and anthropological exhibitions. The outside by the river is covered with glass walls, through which you can see the Eiffel Tower, and the hundreds of plants that have been placed there. Inside, you get the feeling that you are in a jungle in the middle of the city. The building itself is just a huge modern structure that houses several exhibits and films, and today I just went to the one, which was huge!







The layout was very condusive to learning about the chronology of jazz, and there was a lot of mixed media that kept my interest peaked. It was cool to see in a European context, because jazz is an American art form, but it did really influence a lot of movements in Paris especially. Last semester I took a history course about jazz, so it was neat to be able to see this exhibition and already have a background. I could really just go through and enjoy all the art and photography, as well as sound bites and video clips! Even still, I spent one and a half or two hours inside, just looking at all the exhibit.





At the end, when I was leaving, a lady working there asked me some questions about how I liked the exhibit. It was good practice for my French, and almost like having a little class afterwards, because I could articulate my thoughts about what I had seen. I thought it was really interesting how the art in the exhibit reflected the music at different periods, and I thought it was a relevant exhibit to have at the museum because it is not only about music, but culture and human history. There are a lot of racial elements in the history of jazz, which were well included. I took a lot of photos of some of the posters, advertisements, and propaganda, as well as the artwork associated with the music, which are in an album to the right!

I then walked home, because the museum is pretty close to my apartment, through the Champ du Mars and past the Eiffel Tower...I'm trying to get some of my last views of it before I leave Saturday!

A Video Clip from the Museum: