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Nice Jazz Festival 2015

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Ask and ye shall receive. Last year I bemoaned the fact that the Nice Jazz Festival was relying too much on regulars. Sponsored by singer/pianist Jamie Cullum, this year’s program presents several rarely-seen-in-Nice artists such as Brad Mehldau, The Roots, Jason Moran and Roberto Fonseca. In addition to up-and-coming artists, look out for jazz legends Cassandra Wilson, Kenny Barron and Charles Lloyd as well as soul artists Lauryn Hill and Kool and the Gang. The price has not gone up (yay!), remaining at €35 (€31 if purchased before 15 May) with a variety of reductions available. Check out the Nice Jazz Festival site (in French) for all prices and booking and to this page for English language info, tips and explanations on the infrastructure. Here’s the Nice Jazz Festival Calendar: Tuesday 7 July Teatre de Verdure 19h30 – Fred D’Oelsnitz Trio 20h45 – Omer Klein Trio 22h30 – Cassandra Wilson, “Coming Forth By Day” Scene Massena 20h00 Too Many Zooz “Brasshouse” 21h15 – Caravan Palace 23h00 – Jamie Cullum Wednesday 8 July Teatre de Verdure 19h30 – Indra Rios Moore 20h45 Kenny Barron 22h30 – Charles Lloyd Quartet Scene Massena 20h00 – Benjamin Clementine 21h15 – Jungle 23h00 – Asaf Avidan Thursday 9 July Teatre de Verdure 19h30 – Grégory Privat & Sonny Troupé, “Luminiescence” 20h45 – Brad Mehldau Trio 22h30 – Kurt Elling, “Passion World” Scene Massena 20h00 – Ibeyi 24h15 Hiatus Coyote 23h00 – Lauryn Hill Friday 10 July Teatre de Verdure 19h30 – Hugh Coltman, “Shadows – … Continue reading →

Nice Jazz Festival 2014

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Well that was a big improvement! Last year’s festival was marred by the not-quite-finished construction of the Coulée Verte, the stretch of park and promenade that extends the Jardins Albert 1er where the festival is held. The festival space is much more attractive now that the landscaping is finished. Winding walkways lined with trees and flowering bushes open onto a new and spacious dining area, the Place Yitzhak Rabin, with food stalls and picnic tables. It’s a pleasant place to nibble and listen to the sounds coming from the Masséna stage. In fact, the music from the Masséna stage can be enjoyed from the bordering streets for those wishing to save €35 for a ticket! The ambiance is not the same though. The other stage is the Théâtre de Verdure, a more traditional venue, where seats are arranged in a semi-circle around the stage. The two stages are set far apart in an effort to keep the sounds from the larger Masséna which hosts the more blockbuster acts, from bleeding onto the Verdure crowd. Much progress had been made on that front mainly because the acts start at different times. Truly blockbuster acts were in short supply this year. (See the program here) The headliners at the Scene Masséna drew niche crowds: Deep Purple for nostalgic oldsters; Metronomy and Electro Deluxe for youngsters; Gipsy Kings and Ibrahim Maalouf for World Music fans. There was no major pop star either on the way down or on the way up to pull in the … Continue reading →

Nice Jazz Festival 2014

French Riviera Travel News Posted on by

Mayor Christian Estrosi, festival director Dimitri Triadafillidis, artistic director Sebastien Vidal and festival parrain Richard Galliano gathered today at the Nice Opera to announce the line up for this year’s Nice Jazz Festival. First, Mayor Estrosi reminded the group that his decision to move the festival from its traditional home in Cimiez has been a success. Last year showed a 17% increase in the number of visitors. He also promised that the setting would be much improved this year as landscaping has been completed on the new Jardins Albert Premier. The festival will kick off on July 8 with Richard Galliano and the Nice Jazz Orchestra. Also on the bill will be Cecile McLorin Salvant, Kris Bowers, Keziah Jones, Ben L’Oncle Soul and Patrice. The headline July 9 will be the Christian McBride Trio. Also appearing will be Snarky Puppy, Vincent Peirani & Emile Parisien, Metronomy, Ibrahim Maalouf and Electro Deluxe. Jazz legend Kenny Garrett is the star on July 10. That evening will also rock to The Daptones, Deep Purple, Har Mar Superstar, Eli Degibri Quartet and Nikki Yanofsky. July 11 will see the return of Dr John & The Nite Trippers plus Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9, Tony Paeleman Quartet, the Gipsy Kings, Cody Chesnutt and Robin McKelle & the Flytones. The festival will close on July 12 with Ed Motta & Nice Jazz Orchestra Horns, Joshua Redman Quartet, the winner of Tremplin Off, Cassius, De La Soul Live Band and The Galactic. Tickets are sold at … Continue reading →