France loves Jean-Louis Aubert. And Aubert loves Denver.
The French rock star is as big over there as Bruce is here. He started his singing career in 1976 with Téléphone, a group that’s been hailed as one of the best French bands ever. Out on his own since ’84, he came to Denver last March to visit the kids at the Denver International School.
Seems a teacher from DIS, Emmanuel Bidan, met Aubert in a Paris train station and told him about the school and how the kids there were crazy for him, even singing one of his songs in a school concert. Aubert was so impressed, he flew to Denver for a few days to mix it up with the kids and have a look-see.
Aubert’s latest album, “ideal standard,” came out in November and went platinum. It holds two discs, one of which is a DVD called “DenverStop.” It’s a loosely edited mini-documentary of his trip to Denver, which included stops at DIS, Red Rocks, Guitars on Broadway, Olde Town Pickin’ Parlor in Arvada, Cherry Creek North, the Warwick Hotel, visits with students at the University of Denver and a concert at DU’s Sturm Auditorium. All the time, he’s speaking glowingly of Denver and its people (not that I could understand him).
The CD is up for for Album of the Year and Aubert is up for Artist of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique Awards, the French Grammys coming down March 4 in Paris. The album is available on Amazon.
It’s a sketch
Sketch food & wine opens Friday at 250 Steele St. – and it should no stretch for owner Jesse Morreale and partner/chef Sean Yontz. Morreale has a golden touch with clubs and restaurants (La Rumba and Mezcal), and Yontz has starred in Denver kitchens for years.
Look for 400 wines and a menu to include my kind of food: crab cakes, beef carpaccio, prime NY strip steak, lamb chops and Maine lobster tail. And sauces! Morreale promises he’ll serve food until midnight.
Snow
The NY Times ran a story Friday on Aspen’s Gay Ski Week, saying the week officially begins when Denver philanthropist and Quark founder Tim Gill throws his VIP party at a 13,000- square-foot house 5 miles outside town.
Gill is quoted by reporter Denny Lee as saying that the party was a “tongue in cheek reference to circuit parties… where everyone does cocaine.
“But not here in Aspen,” Gill added. “In Aspen, the powder is all about the snow.”
Hmm. “Not exactly,” writes Lee. “Judging from the groups of two and three who took turns locking the bathroom door, right under Mr. Gill’s nose.”
Gill says no way and he didn’t even mention cocaine. “There were three security guards at the party just for that reason,” he tells me. “As far as I know, there was no cocaine. We told everyone to leave their stupid drugs at home.”
City spirit
Urban Peak, which helps out homeless and at-risk youth, honors Top Docs at its Ninth Annual Climb the Peak Celebration Wednesday night at the Tivoli Student Union. Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth hands out the awards … Cucina Colore goes non-smoking on Monday … Sez who: “Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.” Oscar Wilde
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Husted also appears on Fox 31 News. You can reach him at 303-820-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com.
