Jazz and songs of the Cicada in Juan Les Pins

If you want to spend some times enjoying the jewels of Juan Les Pins, “Jazz A Juan” is your place. This festival is a treasure for all the Jazz lovers like Milan is for the Opera lovers. The festival is a real moment of sharing with the audience. You don’t have to be an expert to attend the festival. You can enjoy the pleasure of the Jazz combined to the songs of the Cicada.  What a perfect harmony!

This summer, Juan Les Pins (in Alpes Maritimes) is celebrating the 50th birthday of the festival “Jazz A Juan”.  It is the first Jazz Festival in Europe and has been created in July 1960. Through the decades, there was a competition between the artists and the festival welcomed prestigious jazzmen like Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington or Miles Davis. One more time, Juan les pins will welcome the best jazz performers from every parts of the world.

For this first edition, the creator Jacques Souplet invited the United States as guest of honor of the festival, well known country as the precursor of the Jazz (La Nouvelle-Orleans). At the origins, the festival was set up in two different areas of Juan Les Pins: the Fort Carre Stadium and the Gould Pine Forest. But all the jazzmen felt in love with the pine forest. This is where a tribute to Sidney Bechet was given for this first festival. That is why since 1961, the festival is only at the Gould Pine Forest. This first edition was an achievement and the organizers decided to renew the festival each year. Since 1960, the festival has always been a success except in 1972 and 1973 when the festival was set up in Nice. The television was also introduced to “Jazz A Juan” thanks to Norbert Gramsohn, art director. This was a huge revolution since it was a way to broadcast the Jazz all over the world. The Festival “Jazz A Juan” has become a legend in Europe.

This year, Charlie Mingus, who played during the first edition in 1960, is the spokesperson for the 50^th birthday of the festival. The art director, Jean Rene Palacio, is well known for his position as an art director also for the Jazz festival of Monte Carlo. Created in 1960, the festival ran nine days with the Jazz Tournament’s Finale.  This year, the festival will be held from the 14^th to the 25^th of July. Due to the opening of the show during the national holiday, the free performance will be Blue, White and Red. French bands will play and more precisely bands from the region like Jim’s Band or the Nice Jazz Orchestra. The show will finish with the majestic Georges Benson, famous guitarist against a background of fireworks. But this first day will sound like an invitation for a trip around the world. A gipsy band will perform in the following days with Sanseverino or David Reinhardt. The Yiddish Folklore will be performed by Avishai Cohen. Charlie Mingus will also perform during the festival accompanied by Manu Katche and the philharmonic orchestra of Monte Carlo. This year, Liz McComb will close the festival with a gospel and an ecumenical church service.

If you plan to attend the festival, what don’t you take a look to our properties around Antibes-Juan Les Pins…