Lenny Kravitz on His New Album, Paris, and More

It was interesting to see American actor, musician, rocker, songwriter, producer Lenny Kravitz on the Wendy Williams Show this morning, promoting his new album Strut, his first album in three years. 

Always down to earth and dressed sort of flashy cool, this morning Kravitz had on shiny gold shoes, black leather pants and a dark brocade jacket (with black lapels) over a white jersey-looking scoop neck shirt.  He talked to Wendy about his acting (The Hunger Games and Precious), his daughter Zoe Kravitz, his former wife (Lisa Bonet), who is Zoe's mother, and with whom he is still friends.  He also told Wendy where he lives. 

Kravitz said he lives part of his time in the Bahamas, in his trailer home, where he recorded Strut. He added that he also has a house in Paris, where he filmed the video for the new album. 

He talked about his love for Paris and how it's such an inspiring city in which to live.  He and Wendy also chatted briefly about another person who has a love for Paris in common with Lenny Kravitz.  That person is rapper, songwriter, producer, film director, and fashion designer Kanye West. 

The two talked briefly about how  Kanye West paid homage to Lenny Kravitz in a 20-minute monologue West did during a recent concert in New York.  Kravitz said he was in the audience and heard the tribute, and he felt honored by it. 

Before this morning's Wendy Williams Show, I had not seen much of Lenny Kravitz in the news or on TV for quite a while.  His explanation for his absence from the public eye was that he had been living low key, working on the music for his album and living the simple life in the Bahamas.

This morning was the first time he had ever appeared on the Wendy Williams Show.  The result was that the information he provided while promoting his new CD seemed fresh and alive.

Singer Madeleine Peyroux’s Paris and Blues Connection



Madeleine Peyroux

Yesterday on the CBS Sunday Morning show, journalist Terrell Brown talked with singer Madeline Peyroux.  Some interesting facts surfaced regarding the singer’s upbringing and how she became a professional.  The interview also revealed a little about her evolution towards the genre of music she now sings.

Terrell Brown

To introduce the segment about Peyroux, show host Charles Osgood said, “Not that long ago, Madeleine Peyroux was an American in Paris, singing with hat in hand.” 

Some of the singer’s Paris experiences highlighted later in the interview will be mentioned further along in this Paris Related Pieces post.

Early in the segment it was mentioned that Peyroux, who is 40 years-old, had at different times in her career been called a jazz singer, a folk singer, and a country singer.  Now,  she defines herself as a blues singer. When part of a video showing her performing on stage was played, one could hear strong influences of Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith in her voice.

Following is more about her Paris experiences.  When she was a child,  the interview revealed, she lived in Paris with her mother, Deidre Westgate, who still lives there.

In Paris, young Madeleine picked up a guitar for solace when she didn’t fit in at the French school in which she was enrolled.  She left school at the age of 15 and began singing on the streets, where people encouraged her to continue and develop herself as a singer.

Eventually Peyroux returned to the States.  She lives a quiet life in NYC, in Brooklyn. 

When asked if she is happy now, Madeleine Peyroux said yes, she’s happy with a little bit of pain to share with her fans.

The Degas/ Cassatt Exhibit and Lois Mailou Jones

Yesterday I visited the National Gallery of Art in DC and browsed the new Degas/ Cassatt exhibit there.   What prompted me to go was my knowing that Edgar Degas and Mary Cassatt were both impressionist painters.  And that reminded me of the great American artist Lois Mailou Jones (1905 – 1998).  Jones was influenced by the impressionist school of painters.  Let’s look at some of her earlier accomplishments.

Lois Mailou Jones had been a designer; taught art at Howard University; and won prizes for her art in Boston, at Martha’s Vineyard, and in Harlem and elsewhere before she went to Paris to study.  

But her study and productivity in Paris, at the Académie Julian (1937 – 1938) helped her transition from being a designer and teacher exclusively to being a painter and artist. 

Some of her paintings influenced by the impressionist school of painting were:   Les Pommes Vertes; Chou-fleur et Citrouille, Paris; La Cuisine dans L’Atelier de l’Artiste, Paris; Rue Norvins, Montmartre, Paris; Dans le Jardin du Luxembourg, Pars; and Dejeuner, Place du Tertre, Montmartre.  

During that year in Paris she produced many and various other paintings as well. 

Once Mailou Jones finished her studies in Paris she transitioned to being recognized for her own creations.  She maintained a great relationship with Paris, returning many times through the years to paint and visit friends.  She enjoyed a long and illustrious career.  Her paintings are on display in galleries and museums all over the world.

The new Degas/ Cassatt exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington will be on display until next month, October 5^th.