Juan-les-Pins
Jazz Festival - Jazz à Juan
©
photo courtesy of Yannick Seuret - Click
on Picture to increase size
The
annual jazz festival (Jazz à Juan)
takes place at Juan Les Pins in July. It is held in the Pinede
(pine grove). It was in 1960 that the Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival
was officially launched. Stéphane Grapelli played at the first
festival. The town is now twinned with the French quarter of
New Orleans, USA. The Pinede is between the
Mediterranean and Le Provençal that was once a famous hotel
till the 1960's and stood empty for more than 40 years and is
currently being converted into luxury apartments.
The
view from this open air theatre is superb, as in the photo above
of Ahmad Jamal playing in 2006 with the Mediterranean backdrop
and the coast running past Golfe Juan towards Cannes.
The
48th Festival - July 10th to 20th 2008 featured: Ruthie
Foster, James Blunt (10th July), Didier Lockwood, Thomas Dutronc
(11th July), James Morrison & Joe Chindamo Quartet, Al Jarreau
(12th July), Yaron Herman, John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension
(13th July), Sashird Lao, Nicole Henry (14th July), Solomon
Burke, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (15th July), Roy Hargrove,
Marcus Miller (16th July), Nathalie Soles, Diana Panton, Stephu
Haik, Virginie Teychene (17th July), Keith Jarrett with Gary
Peacock and Jack DeJohnette (18th July), Women of Chicago Blues,
Bill Wyman & The Rhythm Kings (19th July) and on the final
night - 20th July Nicole Slack Jones & The Soul Sisters.
Left:
Bill Wyman & The Rhythm Kings - 2008
©
photo courtesy of Yannick Seuret
- Click on Picture to increase size
Our
correspndent attended the 2008 festival for the Keith
Jarrett Trio
( Keith
Jarrett - Gary Peacock - Jack Dejohnette) who were making a
regular visit to the Festival. "The music was superb and
the sound quality in the auditorium down to the final piano
note. A most enjoyable evening".
Jazz
à Juan organisers hit the top
Jazz
festival notes record pitch in sales
07.08.2008
/ Building on the success of the previous year, the organisers
of the Jazz à Juan festival in Juan-les-Pins have just received
the results for this year’s festival – and its good news!
This year, an increase of 5% was noted in the number of paying
visitors with a sale of, on average, 1753 tickets each evening.
Only the youth ticket sales were down, decreasing from 5 to
2.5%, as the organisers chose not to apply a reduced price on
the evening James Blunt performed.
On
the other hand, the four evenings of the festival ticked all
the boxes for jazz-lovers as more than 70% of the tickets were
sold, particularly for the performances by James Blunt and Al
Jarreau.
The first year with Internet booking was a clear success with
more than 37% of the total ticket sales purchased from the comfort
of festival goers homes at the click of a mouse.
The choice of performers this year has led many to chapeau the
festival committee for their balanced programme of new stars,
established artists and jazz legends, which undoubtedly helped
the Jazz à Juan festival see one of its most successful years
to date. Source The Riviera Times
Left: Women of Chicago Blues - 2008
©
photo courtesy of Yannick Seuret
- Click on Picture to increase size
The
47th Festival - July 2007 featured:
E.S.T., The Roy Hargrove Acoustic Quintet,
Norah Jones, Richard Bona, Gilberto Gil, Taj Mahal and Keith
Jarrett with Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette.
Dates for your diary:
