Four in a cloister

The cloister of the old abbey in Saint-Chinian is one of the architectural jewels of the village.  It was restored some years ago and now is a haven of peace, with a tinkling fountain in the centre.  This summer, I went to a concert which took place in the cloister.  A stage had been set up against the modern wing, and chairs were dotted about in amongst the olive trees and the box hedges.

The evening’s concert was by the Dallas Baumgartner Quartet, playing gypsy jazz.  Depending on which source you look at, Dallas Baumgartner is either Django Reinhardt’s great-grandson, or else his stepfather was a grandson of Django Reinhardt’s.

Once the chairs had all been taken and night started to fall, the musicians began to play.  What they played was utterly enthralling!

Below are five videos, which I hope will capture some of the magic of the evening!  E-mail subscribers, please remember to visit the blog site to watch the videos.

The evening was such a success, that at the end of it the mayor suggested that it could become a regular event in Saint-Chinian.  I certainly hope to hear them all again!