Festival time - Jazz at Marciac or Newport-in-the-Gers

This week a small town in south-west France sees the start of one of Europe's biggest jazz festivals

Between Toulouse and the Pyrenees lies the Gers, a département famous above all for its foie gras. This quiet part of Gascony is also home to "Newport-in-the-Gers", the jazz world's name for Marciac.

Over the last two decades this quiet unassuming town has become a byword in the jazz world and home to a jazz festival which is up there with Montreux, Newport and Monterey.



During the next two weeks, Marciac will hosts some of the biggest names in the business - trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, Spanish Harlem Orquestra, Afrocubisme with Eliades Ochoa from Buena Vista Social Club.

When he was making the film “Bird” about saxophonist Charlie Parker, director Clint Eastwood spoke of his passion for jazz. A longtime follower of the Monterey festival, he was attracted to jazz by its “strong reliance on encounters”.

Rather than playing fixed sets, jazz musicians naturally improvised and welcomed playing with new partners. No two performances were the same.

Marciac’s festival is one big carnival with players coming together for the occasion - like Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau, Michel Camilo and Chucho Valdes, Al di Meola and Gonzalo Rubalcaba.

Then there are the tribute concerts - Richard Galliano, Nino Rota, Roy Hargrove, Chet Baker. Newcomers include vocalist Al Jarreau (7 awards and still counting) and T.S. Monk who leads a tribute band to his illustrious forebear Thelonius Monk.

Around 2 hours' drive from Toulouse, Marciac boasts a 30-hectare swimming lake and 8 restaurants. Ducks and geese figure stongly in the local cuisine. What better way to start the evening than sample regional delights such as canard à la pomme?

Tickets are available online from the Festival website or from FNAC (there are links below this article). Many hypermarkets in France also have booking desks. There are discounted season ticket deals for jazz fans who'd like to take in the whole festival. We've added links selected Pure France homes, perhaps for next year?

Here's the programme for the next fortnight with all concerts starting at 21:00:

Friday 29 July

Richard Bona & Raül Midon

Saturday 30 July

John Scofield
John Mclaughlin & the 4th Dimension

Sunday 31 July

Joshua Redman-Brad Mehldau
Hiromi
Jonathan Batiste

Monday 1 August

Al Jarreau
Dianne Reeves Strings Attached
Eric Legnini

Tuesday 2 August

Al di Meola World Sinfonia & Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Michel Camilo & Chucho Valdes
Jazz et Harmonies - François Thuillier & Jean-Louis Pommier

Mercredi 3 August

Biel Ballester Trio with Costel Nitescu
Django Drom - Hommage to Django Reinhardt
Youn Sun Nah with Ulf Wakenius

Thursday 4 August

Spanish Harlem Orquestra
Afrocubism
Alexandre Tassel
Roberta Gambarini Quartet

Friday 5 August

Thelonius S.Monk Junior Tentet with Nnenna Freelon
Dave Douglas - Tea for Three
Richard Galliano plays Bach

Saturday 6 August

Alexandre Tassel
Richard Galliano - La Strada - Hommage to Nino Rota
Roy Hargrove & Riccardo del Fra - Hommage to Chet Baker
Kerem Gorsev Trio with Sedef Ercetin

Sunday 7 August

Ibrahim Maalouf
Nils Petter Molvaer
Paolo Fresu - Italian Quintet
Le Coq et la Pendule - Hommage to Claude Nougaro

Monday 8 August

Harold Lopez Nussa
Ahmad Jamal invites Yusuf Lateef
Tigran Hamasyan - Solo
Portal - Neuburger - Salque play Brahms

Tuesday 9 August

Monty Alexander Trio
Wynton Marsalis Quintet
Mark Braud and his Traditional Jazz Band

Wednesday 10 August

Harold Lopez Nussa
Francesco Cafiso - Island Blue Quartet

Thursday 11 August

Omar Sosa & NDR Big Band
Roy Hargrove Big Band
Jazz in Marciac Orchestra with Terell Stafford
Terell Stafford Quintet

Friday 12 August

Paquito d’Rivera - Tango Jazz
Wynton Marsalis - the Music of Jelly Roll Morton & King Oliver
Jazz at Bichon
Hot Antic Jazz Band

Saturday 13 August

Robin McKelle
Maceo Parker
Jazz Emergence - Aquarium Orchestra - Kempachy - Ras - Alfie Ryner

Sunday 14 August

The Ray Gelato Giants

Related links :

• http://www.jazzinmarciac.com/index.php?lg=en
• http://www.fnactickets.com/place-spectacle/festival/FESTIVAL-JAZZ-IN-MARCIAC-2011-FESTJIM11A.htm
• http://www.purefrance.com/65001/self-catering-rental-farmhouse.php
• http://www.purefrance.com/31001/holiday-rental-farmhouse.php
• http://www.purefrance.com/32007/holiday-rental-chateau.php
• http://www.purefrance.com/32010/holiday-rental-country-home.php
• http://www.purefrance.com/32012/self-catering-rental-country-home.php