Archive for July, 2009
July 23rd, 2009 | 
Author: They’re not making it easy to visit the Nice Jazz Festival this year. Gerard Druot Productions is the organizer of the festival, possibly for the last time. Official figures are not yet in but the festival does not appear to be a resounding success. One reason for the sparse crowds we witnessed last night might be due to GDP’s cavalier and inexplicable failure to explain the most basic question: how do you get there? The Nice Jazz Festival website blithely notes two out of several public buses to the site without bothering to mention that they stop running hours before the festival’s closing notes sound around midnight. The existence of the usual free shuttle from Place Massena to the festival is apparently a closely guarded secret. The chosen few that somehow found out about it were undoubtedly pleased to avoid the daunting prospect of finding a parking space around the festival.
In fact it was a lot easier than we thought to find parking since attendance was obviously far below previous years. Part of the problem is undoubtedly the weak economy but that can’t be the entire explanation. After all, U2 sold out last week even with a bottom ticket price of €87.50. Compared to that, €29 is a bargain especially since it included five acts–Lisa Ekdahl, McCoy Tyner, Jake Shimabukuro, Carla Bley and James Taylor–that are fairly well-known.
Jazz is less of a draw than rock; there’s no news there. Also the Arenes de Cimiez was closed for renovation. Making music within an open-air theatre of ancient Roman stones seemed to have inspired the long list of jazz greats that played in the Arenes. The improvised Matisse theatre just didn’t cut it as an alternative, especially since the sets were so short. McCoy Tyner and his trio with Bill Frisell were just getting warmed up when it was time to wrap up after an hour.
All the artists gave it their best, especially a vibrant James Taylor at the end, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the rumors come true and the festival heads to the Jardins Albert 1 in central Nice next year.
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This weekend the villagers of Breil-sur-Roya had a ball re-enacting an event from their history in which the populace rose up against the oppressive local nobility. The precipitating event was the so-called “droit de cuissage” in which the governing ruler could sleep with any bride on her wedding night. Even though there is no documented instance of this alleged “right” ever being exercised, the Breillois got mad all over again on Sunday! There was the ringleader of the opposition petitioning the Count of Ventimiglia to hold the offending nobles accountable for their outrage. There was the demure bride, sitting sidesaddle as the Count took her under his protection. Then there was lots of commotion as the rebels pursued the noblemen who were captured, escaped, and captured again. Eventually all was forgiven but not before everyone had a chance to get photographed in their meticulously designed medieval fashions.
A Stacada is the name of this medieval show and it’s only staged every four years. For more, see the following video:
I had heard that the dining has gotten quite good in the restaurants on Nice beaches. Rumor confirmed. I just had lunch at Lido Plage and was most impressed with the quality of the food and the friendliness of the service.
Lido Plage is slightly west of Nice’s Old Town, with a menu that spans “Indian Tapas” (didn’t try it but sounds adventurous), sandwiches, the inevitable Salade Nicoise, a handful of pizzas and, my choice, a fritto misto. It was a delicious combination of the kind of omega-3 fish you’re supposed to eat but probably don’t. The sardines and rouget were crisp-fried and accompanied by roasted artichoke heart and courgette. For an additional health boost the salad “on the side” was an enormous tangle of fresh greens.
The comfy chairs and warm decoration made it comfortable to linger and the Mediterranean was just a few metres away. At €19, it was pricey but worth it.