By Nick Catalano
Picture a 2000-year-old Roman amphitheater set against the lush green countryside of the Cote de Rhone of eastern France. Fruitful vineyards gushing some of the world's most spectacular wines, marvelous chateaus echoing tales of the ancient troubadours, delicious shoppes and hi-tech boutiques beckoning awestruck visitors - all of this was the backdrop of perhaps the most romantic jazz festival in Europe - Jazz `a Vienne which celebrated its 20th anniversary this summer.
To be transported out of the dense summer atmosphere of Gotham's jazz clubs over to the Gallic glory of the Rhone Valley is an experience all American jazz writers should undergo. Initially, there is the fact of France's enormous love affair with jazz. We've all heard about it but when you see Diana Krall come back for six encores and Tony Bennett, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard and countless other musicians and singers get the same welcoming uproar you become a believer. When you turn around from your press seat down in front and scan an audience of over 8,000 French folk concentrating on the music like a lion positioning itself for a kill, you become a believer. And when you interview the man-in-the-street average French jazz fan and he pulverizes you with his uncanny knowledge of the music, the history and the biographical minutiae of scores of American jazzers, you become a believer.
In its twenty year history Jazz `a Vienne has featured all the American biggies from Miles Davis to Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Stars. Impresario Jean-Paul Boutellier has always gotten the best and surrounded them with important Euro jazz stars. This year's group included Stan Laferriere, Martin Roussel and over 300 young local musicians who played with Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. The major concerts were powerful productions with excellent acoustic setups supporting the exciting ambience of the "theatre antique." After the main attractions there were midnight concerts at "Le Club" and even some shows aboard peniches - the graceful boats anchored along the moonlit Rhone River. The press headquarters for "les journalistes Americain" were teeming with computers and cocktails carefully organized by press chief Pierre Budimir and his gracious staff, supported by large segments of the Vienne populace who volunteer each year for heavy workloads. The scene of this entire city of Vienne cheerfully orchestrating the tempo of this two-week extravaganza as they go about their urban chores is a moving sight. If you're getting the impression that I was pleased with Jean-Paul Boutellier's great festival you'd be right on target.
Jazz may be an American art form but there's a reason the music began in New Orleans. The city was open, it was wildly exciting and, although some Americans seem to have forgotten, it was French.
