Souillac Jazz Festival Line-Up, 19-26 July 2014

“JAZZ, A VEHICLE FOR PEACE, DIALOGUE AND UNITY THAT TRANSCENDS BORDERS AND CULTURES” (UNESCO, 2011)

Souillac, France: This small town in the Department of the Lot, southwestern France, will resound with some of the best contemporary music during the Souillac Jazz Festival on 19-26 July. Hosted in a popular tourist region renowned for its unique natural and cultural heritage, “Souillac en jazz” offers festival-goers numerous opportunities to break boundaries and pepper their visit with jazz:

+ Stroll alongside a marching band on the banks of the Dordogne River;

+ Attend a sizzling concert blending rock, funk, rap and jazz outside the quiet church of Pinsac;

+ Hear what a piano can do to the vibrant tunes of Brel, Trenet and Bécaud deep in an underground cave;

+ Enjoy local gastronomic fare accompanied by the festive sounds of jazz;

+ Watch Duke Ellington in rarely seen archival film footage;

+ Walk through the streets, sitting down from time to time, to listen to free concerts or visit an exhibition;

+ Be seduced by the flirtatious mix of rock and Thelonious Monk, as interpreted by the fiery Francesco Bearzatti quartet;

+ Experience the seething whirl of rhythms and melodies produced by the innovative American trio, The Bad Plus;

+ Succumb to the enchantment of Youn Sun Nah and her now-tender, now- strident vocals that cover the full gamut of emotions.

PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS

Sat. 19 July: jazz walk with the Red Fish Quintet and the storyteller Clément Bouscarel

Sun. 20 July: Picnic with the Red Fish Quintet; organ hour with the Tea for Two duo; free concert by Light Blazer in Pinsac

Mon. 21 July: Projection of the films “Black and Tan Fantasy” (archive) and “Un Amour” (Richard Copans)

Tues. 22 July: Solo piano concert by Philippe Léogé in the caves of Lacave

Wed. 23 July: From the market to the table, a supper-concert performed by Fretswing

Thur. 24 July: Francesco Bearzatti Tinissima Quartet, Monk’n’roll

Fri. 25 July: The Bad Plus, Made possible

Sat. 26 July: Youn Sun Nah

Three weeklong exhibits: The cartoons of Albert Dubout, “Jazz landing”, and sketches of the festival, updated daily.

Thurs.-Sat.: Free concerts in Souillac with Demonsant/Doumerc duo, Fretswing and Red Fish (Saturday-Tuesday)

The Souillac jazz festival, now in its 39th year, is funded by more than 150 local merchants, small businesses and tradespeople; patrons; and the Town of Souillac, the Department of the Lot, the Midi-Pyrénées region and the French Government, in recognition of its key role in local development.