Bouillon de Notes Band live in Colmar, Elsass, performing for ‘la fête de la musique’ on the first beautiful summer evening the 21st of June 2014!

… here is a little live cut of one of our songs we played that evening ….

People in France celebrate ‘la fête de la musique’ on the 21st of June – the beginning of summer. local bands get out of the shed performing live music in the the cities and villages all over France. This year Bouillon de Notes Band is part of it – we are playing right away on the main stage in Colmar, France, Place Rapp at the best time: 08.30 pm.

We wanna play for you our own songs and a few cover songs that all of us in the band really love … hope you’ll love it too!

WHO:       Bouillon de Notes Band

WHERE:  Place Rapp, Colmar, France

WHEN:     Saturday 21st of June 2014, 08.30 pm

WHY:        … because we love music …

We wish all of you a healthy and prosperous 2014! Here comes a little review of some of these moments that have created Bouillon de Notes: wonderful people, unique moments, sharing a plate, listening to music that touches your soul – thanks to all of you!

The song you’re listing to is called ‘for Liên’ – written and performed by Bouillon de Notes Band.

I must admit that we are a little proud to be able to offer besides my cooking also our own band and music … available on CD in 2014!

Something for Food Bloggers that like music!

Every first Monday of the month food bloggers that like eating and music are invited to post a music video that they love on cuisinedetouslesjours.com. Of course the ones who don’t like to cook are invited as well !!!

http://cuisinedetouslesjours.com/2012/05/26/le-monday-music-miam/

When we stumbled over that we had to post a video of our close friend KJ with a fantastic song of her called ‘Beautiful’. And this video is a pure Bouillon de Notes production – filmed and photo montage by my husband.

This song you will find as well on her newest album ‘DESTINY’.

http://bouillondenotes.com/kj-denhert-beautiful/

A little walk through the historic center of Mulhouse on a sunny day in August …

Today on our weekend without kids we enjoyed ‘the dolce far niente’. On our little tour through Mulhouse we surprisingly discovered a beautiful garden arranged in the middle of the marketplace! Everyone enjoyed the sunshine on the last day of August …

Here it is where I find all kind of fresh fruits and veggies coming from the Alsatian farmers and the farms just across the Rhein river, called the Markgräflerland in the South of Germany. How lucky we are to live in France being just a stone’s throw away from Germany and Switzerland.

Having breakfast @ ‘Le Engel’s Coffee’ in a little mall in the historic center of Mulhouse. Andrea and his crew pamper us with the best Italian specialities together with a good smelling cup of coffee – what else can you ask for in life !!!

The ‘Gallery Engelmann’. Besides ‘Le Engel’s Coffee’ you can find the pastry shop called ‘Patisserie Dany Husser’.

The desserts the way they are presented look more like pieces of jewelry than desserts. well, actually these are pieces of jewelry – every single one – for the palate …

This is a stimulation for all the senses  - at once !!!

And as you can see music and food are apparently inseparable – like Bouillon de Notes …

Ralf, my husband has always good ideas and I love him for that – of course not only for this … but he thought we need some time together. Surprise, Lausanne is waiting!

Three hours on the road through Switzerland. Lausanne is welcoming us with a beautiful sunset on Lake Geneva, surrounded by the golden silhouette of the Alps.

This was a weekend of festivals: on one hand there was the 42nd ‘Festival de la Cité’ in Lausanne, on the other hand there was the Montreux Jazz Festival just a boat ride away from here!

Saturday morning I couldn’t wait to walk the narrow streets of the old city. The farmers had there stands spread all over the city offering their local products: cheese, fresh creme de Gruyères, juicy apricots and cherries, flowering vegetables, garden colors everywhere. That inspires new recipes.

So this weekend I will just lean back and enjoy eating – no cooking.

We had a delicious brunch in the garden of the Hotel Beau Rivage, the lake and the mountains right in front of us. Little sparrows are regular guests here as well. When they served coffee one of them was hopping right on the little milk can taking a sip while his partner took the little biscuit. Too bad I wasn’t quick enough with the camera…

Montreux is waiting! After an hour on an old steam boat we arrived right in the middle of the Jazz festival.

When we arrived on the shore there was the hell loose on this sunny Saturday afternoon. People and music all over – the main act this evening was Prince! Unfortunately we didn’t have any tickets. But when we went eating on the festival the waiter seated us right beside the screen and we saw the whole concert live while eating – how cool was that! The menu offered Prince inclusive this evening.

Sunday evening was our last evening here and at the same time the last night of the ‘Festival de la Cité in Lausanne. The old city with the cathedral is right on the top of a little mountain beside the lake. Artists showing their talents right in the narrow streets, stages for actors and musicians on every corner, the ancient buildings illuminated and a mild summer breeze surrounding us. Musicians were performing until late at night – one piano player performing high up in the air doing slowly a 360. Crazy… This was an unforgettable night over the roofs of Lausanne during a mild summer night.

Inspired by all these impressions I am about to create a new dessert … you will find it here soon.

What a surprise it was when we found our site on top of a winner’s list together with ten other food blogger.

We actually won an invitation to a ‘Food Blogger Meeting’ at the Koch Kontor in Hamburg, Germany, sponsored by the Department of Agriculture of France. Goal was just to meet, sit, talk and cook the whole day together under the guidance of French Chef Nicolas Bonfils. What a blast it was – starting with the ‘Amuse-Bouche’ ending with an excellent dessert.

Everything was perfectly organized, the best French products at our disposal for an exquisite meal. And the cherry on the cake was that a professional camera team filmed the whole day!

The Bouillon de Notes Crew.

This evening, the Bouillon de Notes crew is getting together at Detlef’s studio in Freiburg, Germany. It is an evening in which music will reunite us, in which we will share a unique and magic moment, and in which taste buds and musicality will create poetry.

Detlef is already behind the mixing desk preparing for the first notes to be played; the tape ready to record, he sets up the sound, switches on the lights and connects the amplifiers.

He is delighted that we are coming and hums the last piece that the whole crew put together the previous evening. He has prepared a surprise for us. During the week, he has mixed our last recording, is now impatient to see our reactions and is already looking forward to future improvisations.

Hand on his tummy, his appetite whetting, he wonders what my basket has in store for us …The last time, the rum babas won unanimous approval. Fresh mango and pineapple mixed with vanilla cream, accompanied by the babas saturated in rum syrup; a delight; a wonderful encounter of taste borne by music fired the inspiration in each one of us.

Yes, this evening will be a moment that none of us will want to miss.

Uli is our drummer the drums dictate his steps. He is as proud as a peacock because his new drum kit has arrived; it has been set up in the middle of the studio. His eyes glisten like those of a child in front of his Christmas presents; whether joy or tears, he looks a little crazy. The whole week, till the wee hours of the morning, he and the drums have surrendered to each other, without wearying, and this evening he is going to introduce the drums to us since they have already become one.

Michael and Frank were the first to get together with us at our apartment, amongst the roofs in the heart of Alsace. Michael has sampled all my recipes and, with me in the kitchen, knife in hand, tea towel tucked into his apron, he patiently devoted himself to elaborating a dish amazed at the secrets that each prepared dish held. Whilst the El Dorado of flavour stimulated his palette, Frank immortalised the dishes that emerged from the oven with clicks; the arrogance of the meringues contrasted with the impetuosity of the rhubarb, the fondant of the chocolate cake or the crustiness of the pastry.

Frank is the one who captures our smiles, our glances, the moments in which we are carried away by the music, the sensitivity of the notes that unite each one of us. He hears us and his trained eye makes him our photographer of choice.

It is he who, seeing our collective talent, took this step; he captures what inspires us in a flash of light and his photos leave us surprised at ourselves.

Michael and Frank prepare the equipment: the light boxes, filters, reflectors, tripods and load the car.

The evening will begin soon.

Dirk arrives at the studio, guitar in hand and video equipment on his shoulder. What with instruments, amplifiers and other electronic equipment, you are always carrying heavy things when you are a musician. If you are also a cameraman then that’s pretty much guaranteed. Dirk has the ear of a musician; his harmonies reflect his dexterity on the guitar, his notes sing through his strings and his fingers slide through the melody that matches that of his eye as a cameraman to the relationship between tonality and colours. He films our expressions, captures the inspiration stimulated by the improvisation of another, and surprises us by making films of our simple moments in life – films that we will never tire of watching.

Ruebe has discarded his tie and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. He frees himself from his working day in order to loosen his pianist fingers. His key board is waiting for him, as we are. His hands speak for him. He gives feeling to the music, his fingers dance over the keys, the melody twirls and carries everyone to a cosy place. He glances over at Ralf on the bass, he raises the tones, and Ralf understands and responds. They are together.

Today, Ralf has his 5-string bass. It is his; he adopted it immediately. He is also as happy as the others and Frank captures the sparkle in his eyes with his camera. Ralf is to music what an instrument is to a musician. He loves to give, transmit to others what his travels and musical discoveries have given him. He shares his taste of flavours, the fruits of his attention, and his encounters with other musicians.

Today, my basket holds a new dessert: an apple and raspberry upside-down cake, covered with a fondant and crunchy meringue. Ruebe would love to start by tasting it. He is fond of food. His impatience whets his appetite even more. But the cake has to wait.

Music opens the evening as an invitation to this shared moment. Finally music and flavours will blend at the pleasure of being here.

It was clear we shoot a video to share BdN with our readers. Here you see version 1.0. So far just a few ‘backstage’ scenes and pictures together with our music played by our BdN band. Even our cat is participating in a short scene … a first take – nevertheless it allows you to sneak around a little backstage to give you an idea what’s happening