Archive for the ‘Travel News’ Category
July 13th, 2011 | 
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Wynton Marsalis & Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
It’s been a swinging five days at the Nice Jazz Festival concluding last night with a ravishing set by Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Despite Marsalis’ somewhat catty comment on Facebook that he played “the jazz night” and ” it’s good to see some actual jazz musicians at a jazz festival” (meaning preceding artists Ahmad Jamal and Roy Hargrove), there were other bona fide jazz musicians on other nights. Monday night’s program featured Avishai Cohen and “Trombone”" Shorty; Sunday night boasted Martial Solal, Stefano Bollani and Michel Portal; Saturday had bluesman Joe-Louis Walker. I suspect that Marsalis does not accept the jazz fusion style of Mike Stern and Didier Lockwood or John McLaughlin on the opening night. I don’t much care for it either but I think it does deserve the jazz label.
If it’s any consolation to Marsalis and other jazz purists, “jazz night” was absolutely jam-packed. It was, by far, the best attended night of the festival. Clearly having funkster Maceo Parker on the bill helped boost attendance but I suspect that it was Marsalis, Ahmad Jamal and Roy Hargrove who really put the buns in the seats–and on the ground and squeezed into every available corner of the Theatre de Verdure. In fact the milling crowds with the kids, cellphones, beer runs and chatter made it difficult to concentrate on the music.
Maceo Parker "battled" Wynton Marsalis
Marsalis’ other complaint that ” loud non- jazz blaring from the main stage . . . is now bleeding into every song we play.” refers to a serious problem with the festival’s two stage format. The Theatre de Verdure presents musicians who, by and large, eschew heavy amplification while the main stage, Theatre Masséna, lets bands like Seal and Maceo Parker crank up the amps. Actually, the problem was less severe with Marsalis’ big band sound. He should have been there for Avishai Cohen’s trio which was totally squashed by Seal.
To the problem of overcrowding, I say raise the ticket price. In festivals past, nights with big names simply cost more. It’s a wonderful gift to have Ahmad Jamal, Roy Hargrove, Wynton Marsalis and Maceo Parker for only €35 but last year you would have paid €50 and had some physical and mental space to appreciate the music.
Resolving the Battle of the Bands is trickier. You could turn down the amplification on the main stage but that would diminish the pleasure of people who come for a throbbing beat. And, the bands were not over-amped to begin with. A better solution might lie in the programming. Try not to pit a trio in the Theatre de Verdure against dueling electric guitars in the Theatre Masséna.
Come to think of it, if the Nice Jazz Festival only programmed the classic jazz that Marsalis prefers both problems would be solved! The crowds would be thinner as the number of true jazz afficionados is fewer and jazz lovers in both venues could more fully enter into the music without “music bleed”. Maybe the legendary jazzman has a point.
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My very favorite regional event has just announced this year’s program. Les Etoiles de Mougins is a yearly gathering in Mougins of the hottest local and international chefs prepared to display, explain and demonstrate their latest concoctions. Roger Verger formerly of Le Moulin de Mougins, David Faure of Aphrodite and René Redzepi of Noma in Denmark are just a few of the past guests of the festival. What I like is that you actually get to taste their treats and get the recipes after you watch the chefs in action.
This year’s festival will take place from September 10 to 12 and the theme will be Women Chefs. It’s about time! Anne Sophie Pic of the celebrated Maison Pic in Valence will headline the event. Other chefs include Sophie Bise, Rougui Dia, Fatema Hal, Flora Mikula, Laurence Salomon, Josy Bandecchi, Hermance Carro and Fanny Rey.
An admission fee gives you access to the seven demonstration tents but there are large areas of the festival grounds that are open to the public. Tastings of regional products, wines and culinary specialties are available to everyone.
For more information, see the Les Etoiles de Mougins website or see more about Mougins.
See the French Riviera Calendar of Events
It’s the 50th anniversary of the Jazz a Juan jazz festival in Juan-les-Pins and the planned program is outstanding, much better than last year. Running from July 14 to July 25, the festival includes major international jazz stars. Check this out:
Wednesday July 14
NJO Nice Jazz Orchestra
Thursday July 15
George Benson, David Sanborn
Friday July 16
Spokfrevo Orquestra, Monte Alexander, Chucho Valdes and the Afro Cuban Messengers
Saturday July 17
Dee Dee Bridgewater, Melody Gardot
Sunday July 18
Django Reinhardt hommage
Monday July 19
Paco de Lucia, Avishai Cohen
Tuesday July 20
Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove
Wednesday July 21
Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack Dejohnette
Thursday July 22
Kyle Eastwood, Diana Krall
Friday July 23
Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Maceo Parker
Saturday July 24
Manu Katche, Marcus Miller
Sunday July 25
Liz McComb
See more about the Juan-les-Pins festival, including online booking.
Hooray. Commuters can now try to resume their normal work habits. The SNCF and the unions settled the work stoppage that has been plaguing the region since December. According to the deal (and I hope it wasn’t a capitulation) the SNCF has agreed to hire five additional conductors to relieve the crushing workload on the 35-hour a week strikers. The unions wanted 20 but apparently capitulated. Now the SNCF can get back to “normal” service on the Nice-Monaco and beyond lines which usually means only a day or two of strikes each month.
It’s not a strike. Really it’s not. Because a strike would be illegal. So, workers on the TER regional train network that transport passengers from Nice to Monaco and beyond have hit on a new and legal way to torture their fellow citizens.
Since a strike can only begin on the 60th minute of a non-working hour, train conductors and their SNCF supporters stop work for only 59 minutes. This is enough to disrupt the entire train network in southeast France which is fine by them.
The trouble started when the SNCF proposed to change their train schedules to make them easier for passengers to remember. Even though it would not have increased the length of the workday for train conductors, it would have increased its “density” somehow. And so, the SNCF workers launched their non-strike in early December and have continued to press their demands in spite of the increasing anger of passengers who depend on the trains to do stupid stuff like get back and forth to work in the morning.
The unionized workers won an important court victory yesterday in Marseilles which would seem to insure that this punishing and petulant protest will continue.
See more on transport on the French Riviera.