Afternoon in Paris

Welcome back to Tea with Liya! Today, I'm playing a jazz standard by John Lewis called "Afternoon in Paris." He actually recorded the album this song was on in Paris, so connecting the song to the city really was important to him. Although it was written in the 1950s, this song is still considered valuable to jazz musicians' repertoire today. I hope you like listening to it!


Listen to the song here
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Do you think this song reminds you of the Eiffel Tower? Maybe it doesn't, since Paris has things in it besides the Eiffel Tower. If it didn't, then it would be called the Eiffel Tower, not Paris.

Maybe it reminds you of the Arc de Triomphe, or the Louvre (a museum where you can find paintings like the Mona Lisa). Or maybe the changing keys could make you think of the different districts you can find in the city. There must have been some reason why the composer John Lewis decided to connect Paris to his song.

You can see a lot of other things in this picture besides the famous structure itself. You can also thank me for finding a picture where the sun was up, so it would actually be an "afternoon" in Paris. Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

If you looked for a picture of Paris, you would almost certainly find this. But what about the other attractions in the city, or the trees, or the roads, or the stores you can find? It takes a lot more effort to focus on the smaller parts of something.

For example, if a musician listened to this song, they might notice the changing keys at the beginning, but they might not notice some of the other transitions that are used. They might notice that a melody is repeated, but might not look at the rhythms.

If you suddenly had to leave your country for some reason, you might focus on all the things you left behind, but it would take a while for you to realize the new opportunities you came across.

Or here's another example we all know about - Covid! It takes a lot of endurance for you to be separated from your family members, but you might find new people to connect with online. You can also improve your connection with the people you already know once you come back together again.

In fact, if you have another question about the picture I used, I deliberately picked one where the tower wasn't in the center, so it would be easier to notice the other objects in the picture. They're just as important, aren't they? Paris wouldn't be a city without roads.

I've thought of another thing you can do online during the pandemic. It's something anyone could do, even if Tea with Liya was down for some reason. In fact, if all the websites you could go to are down, you could still use the radio or try to find a CD.

It's something that you'll always want to bring with you - whether it's an afternoon in Paris or not. And that's to...

Keep filling your teacup with music!
~Liya