On the occasion of the 45th edition of Jazz in Marciac, which is held in the town of Gers until August 6, 2023, Popa Chubby offered a rock’n blues sound journey.
The legend of the blues, Popa Chubby has settled in the Gers and offered a great evening full of generosity for the 45th edition of Jazz in Marciac. This is the third time that the New York musician has performed at the festival, to the delight of spectators.
play the moment
A few hours before entering the Jazz in Marciac marquee, Popa Chubby tests the drums, checks the sound and takes possession of the big stage with his famous Eagletone Custom. For more than 30 years, the undisputed leader of the New York City Blues has been relentlessly scouring concert halls around the world.
At 62, the tattooed colossus played songs from his latest album, Emotional Gangster released in the fall of 2022. Because it is on stage that he feels the greatest pleasure in playing his blues rock compositions inspired by an alchemy of elements borrowed from country, funk, soul and even gangsta rap and of course jazz. “Jazz is improvisational music, so as soon as you improvise, it’s jazz. It doesn’t matter if you do it with blues or jazz variations, it’s a state of mind, it’s a bit of playing in the moment”, he explains. A worthy heir to Jimi Hendrix, Albert King or Jimmy Page, Popa Chubby has also played covers including the iconic Hey Joe.
An eclectic audience
Wherever he goes, Popa Chubby takes his audience on board from the first guitar notes. 6000 people, all generations combined, had made the trip to Jazz in Marciac to listen to this extraordinary musician. “Popa Chubby, he reminds me of the blues and rock of deep America”, rejoices a spectator. A little further on the site, we come across festival regulars, like this mother and her son who are impatiently awaiting the concert. “I’m very familiar with Popa Chubby’s Jimi Hendrix covers, so it reminds me of that whole era,” confides the young man. “I follow the recommendations of my son who is a musician, so we come every year, sometimes it’s us who choose, sometimes it’s him”, adds his mother.
After Marciac, Popa Chubby continues his world tour with a few dates in France. In Megève on August 4, in Bordeaux on September 28, in Rennes and Plougastel on September 29 and 30.
The Jazz in Marciac festival extends until August 6, 2023.
Norah Jones, Ben Harper, Goran Bregovic or even Brad Mehldau and Selah Sue are on the program for this 45th edition.