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Christie's Personal Blog

Paris and Ahmet Gulbay

4/7/2021

4 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
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Ahmet Gulbay, from Chess Board to Key Board

By Christie Seeley
Vallartasounds.com
​
When I met Ahmet Gulbay, his trio played regularly at the Saint-German jazz club, the Bilboquet, in Paris. It was the same club that had been a favorite since Django Reinhardt played there in his bebop days, when young, so-called misfits, dressed in tight black pants and shirt sleeves, revolved around the dance floor of what was at that time called Club Saint-German.
I had been stopping in to the club for music for several years, but in winter of 2004, I was able to spend a month in Paris and found his trio playing as regulars every evening. My routine was to enjoy dinner somewhere and then walk through Paris's streets until time for the jazz sets. 

A frigid January, it snowed just before my arrival. In preparation, I brought with me a long, black wool coat, gloves, and even ear muffs, especially for night. As I entered the club, the elegant staff was amused at my choice of attire to come out to hear jazz. Of course, I shed those heavy outer garments as soon as I was seated on the short red velvet stools of the small intimate club. The atmosphere was cozy, and I was warmed even further by the pianist's radiant inviting smile, Ahmet Gulbay. 

Night after night, I enjoyed the great jazz played by his trio and frequent drop-in guests. One night as I arrived, I encountered an adolescent near the powder room nursing a bloody nose. As I inquired about his well-being, he revealed that he was visiting with his parents, and as a jazz pianist from the Berkeley High band, Ahmet invited him to play. What generosity of this renowned musician and what a thrill for the boy and his family. On another occasion, I met a couple, the woman French and her husband Turkish, who knew Ahmet, who was also of Turkish heritage. We enjoyed a wonderful evening together. The next night, they invited me to join them at a dinner to celebrate the woman's father's birthday. We sat at a lovely long table right in front of the band. The woman's family was beautiful, and we enjoyed friendly conversation with the artist during and after the performance. 

My visits with Ahmet and the Bilboquet were such a big part of my stays in Paris that on a subsequent trip, when I appeared at the door of the club to find it closed forever, a fire went out in my heart! I located Ahmet at another club and enjoyed his music, but after that trip, I could never find him again at any time I would be visiting Paris.

The internet's charm is that it sometimes just throws things in front of you which you would never expect. So how did I find him? Through chess.

When he was very young in Paris, a friend introduced Ahmet to chess, and they used to play in a space where musicians rehearsed. Fascinated by the piano, Ahmet gave it a try and was a natural. Although the piano eventually took over his life, (he is now one of the most outstanding pianists in Paris) he continues to excel at the game of the 64 squares. 
"I consider chess to be an art," he told Bertrand Guyard for the Fígaro in the article I found. His heroes are Bobby Fischer and Fats Waller, "they both have inspiration and, above all, the spirit of sacrifice." “They are men,” he says, “who have given their lives to their art, living their craft more than themselves...Both were looking for the right note and the right stroke for harmony to reign."

Ahmet is a man with a lot of creative energy and has produced music for several films with Jean Becker, a fellow chess enthusiast and producer, he wrote and published a book about jazz and has been instrumental in building the successful jazz festival held each year on I'lle des Ré, Jazz au Phare. 
​
There is no doubt that his driving force lies in those black and white keys. I hope to see him again soon!
4 Comments
MckimmeCue link
3/11/2022 01:24:39 am

Great article! Thank you for sharing this informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.
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Reply
Marcelle Tessier
4/30/2022 04:25:53 pm

Do u know where Ahmet plays now? Met him several years ago with my cousin, a dear friend of his, now deceased.

Reply
Barbara Chew
9/23/2023 03:10:56 pm

Thank you for such a wonderful article on Ahmet! So glad to hear your encounters with him and jazz! I just discovered him via a FB post, since he and my friend Nicola Sabato will be gigging together soon. I heard a sample of Ahmet’s playing and was/am blown away. I hope to return to Paris soon and will look him up, and hopefully I’ll be able to hear him in person (can’t find his CDs here in US). Thank you again!!

Reply
Victoria Landry link
9/25/2024 05:48:49 pm

Great bblog I enjoyed reading

Reply



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    Christie Seeley

    I am a writer who covers film, art, music and culture expanding on my own experience, travels and interests.  My goal is to explore and to share, hopefully inspiring my readers to follow my lead and further enrich their lives as well.

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  • Home
  • Cuates Y Cuetes International Day of Jazz Celebration 2025
  • Cuates y Cuetes 29th Spring Jazz Festival 2025
  • Darrel McLeod RIP
  • Featured Artists
    • ESAÚ GALVÁN and TATEWARI
    • MEDIA LUNA
    • Caleb Cabrera Solo
    • Ignacio "Nacho" Flores (MORUNO)
    • Alejandro Martinez Gil
    • Sam Davalos Presents
    • Soneros
    • Dennis De Crenet Blues You Can Use
    • RAUL SIMENTAL
    • Grupo Tajin
    • Roberto Falcon
    • Liliana and Friends
    • Gary Flores y Gary Flores! Responds to Quarantine
    • LOS BAMBINOS
    • Magali Uribe
    • Piel Canela
    • Eduardo Leon and Friends
    • Trem de Minas
    • Osmar Esquivel
  • Past Events
    • Cuates Y Cuetes Spring Festival Schedule
    • Bahia World Music Festival
  • Christie's Personal Blog
  • VENUES
  • Calendar of Events
  • Articles from Vallarta Paper and Vallarta Daily News
  • Articles Written for PV Mirror
  • Articles in Vallarta Tribune
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