From Cassandra Wilson through Asaf Avidan and Yael Naim to Jason Moran, some 30 musicians are on the bill of a 2015 festival that couldn't be more topical.
Again the festival takes over Jardin Albert Ier for six nights of sounds and vibes. "Today's jazz really swings and gets you dancing, it grooves as much as ever," enthuses Sébastien Vidal, the festival's artistic director. Each evening, a six-strong line-up will demonstrate jazz's unique rapport with the body as the musicians turn the gardens into a vast open-air dance floor. A decidedly open-minded festival with pianist Jamie Cullum as patron, symbolising the new mix of genres.
An international jazz scene
The programme is one of enticingly themed nights – new swing, jungle fever, urban groove, dance culture, block party – plus a new departure in the shape of a soul-spirited free Sunday morning concert. On the bill are living legends such as Kenny Barron and Charles Lloyd, the great jazz voices of the divine Cassandra Wilson and crooner Kurt Elling, the piano in revolutionary form in the hands of Brad Mehldau, Omer Klein and the colourful melodies of a young generation embodied by Roberto Fonseca and Grégory Privat. The festival celebrates Fats Waller with Jason Moran, Nat King Cole with Hugh Coltman, and Ray Charles with Eric Legnini.
Electro, hip hop, funk and disco
Contemporary music fans won't be disappointed either, what with the poetic Yael Naim, the Ibeyi twins and Benjamin Clementine. The frontiers of jazz are twitched by disco from Cerrone, electro from Caravan Palace and pop from Asaf Avidan, and the Massena stage likewise welcomes performer Miss Lauryn Hill, Kool and the Gang, and near-mythic Philadelphia soul band The Roots. Add in local musicians playing both the official festival and the fringe, and you have an overview of a festival spotlighting great names and talented newcomers alike.
Du 7 au 12 juillet
www.nicejazzfestival.fr
Jamie Cullum (en intro), parrain de l'édition 2015, et Cassandra Wilson (ci-dessus) sont attendus pour la première soirée, sur le thème
© Mark Seliger
« nouveau swing ».
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