The 41st edition of the Jazz à Vienne festival, in Isère, will finally reconnect, from June 29 to July 13, 2022, with the truth of the stage and direct contact with the public. Faced with the pandemic, the 2020 edition had been canceled (reduced to a very “limited” version), that of 2021 focused on its outdoor concerts, the festival is returning to the abundance of meetings to which it had accustomed its audience. .
With among its main headliners Herbie Hancock on the jazz side and MC Solaar on the rap side, but also Jamie Cullum, George Benson, Thomas de Pourquery (with his group Supersonic), MC Solaar, Yann Tiersen or Angélique Kidjo, the festival wants to return to its DNA: a program “dense and diversified from morning until the end of the night and for all audiences”, claim its organizers who presented the 2022 edition on Thursday March 17 in Paris.
Nearly 190 concerts, three-quarters of which are free, will bring together a thousand artists of 11 different nationalities, in some 37 venues in Vienne (Isère), a city rich in Gallo-Roman sites. The festival assumes to associate jazz with soul, funk, electro and hip-hop influences, and remains faithful to its tradition of duo concerts, two artists or formations succeeding each other on stage each evening.
On Wednesday June 29, rapper MC Solaar, already on the bill in 2017, will host the opening night, accompanied by the young British jazz-hip-hop artist Alfa Mist and the Orchester des Pays de Savoie.
On the penultimate day, July 12, at the head of his cosmic group Supersonic, singer and saxophonist Thomas de Pourquery, recent winner of the Django Reinhardt Prize from the Jazz Academy, and previously “artist of the year ” 2017 at the Victoires du jazz will be associated with the legendary American pianist Herbie Hancock (who turns 82 in April). The festival also offers a “new generation” evening on July 8 sponsored by Robert Glasper, with the young saxophonist Nubya Garcia and the British duo Blue Lab Beats.
To illustrate this revival, around twenty groups will perform for the first time on the main stage of the Théâtre antique de Vienne. Other prestigious posters: Jamie Cullum, a Jazz à Vienne faithful, in concert shared with the brilliant drummer Nate Smith on June 30, or even, on July 9, Yann Tiersen’s multimedia project, inspired by the landscapes of his island of ‘Ouessant, co-stage with the Portico Quartet.
On July 10, the organizers promise a “big night” Tribute to New Orleans “punctuated by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Just About Fun-K”, also with Trombone Shorty. Among other stars of improvised music programmed this year: legend George Benson, singer Gregory Porter, saxophonist Maceo Parker and Tunisian oudist Dhafer Youssef. Finally, an Africa evening is held on July 1 with Franco-Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo and Franco-Cameroonian DJ James BKS. Without forgetting the concert of the bewitching soul singer Michael Kiwanuka.
Many concerts are held during the day, with great artists to follow, such as the duo formed by pianist Léo Montana and drummer Arnaud Dolmen (June 30), prodigious Egyptian oudist Mohamed Abozekry (July 10), Italian guitarist Federico Casagrande in duet with double bass player Nicolas Bianco (July 11), the amazing NoSax duo NoClar, winner of Jazz Migration (July 12)…
Alongside the concerts, three thematic exhibitions, “Women in jazz”, “Jazz in Vienna, 40 years of emotions” and “Drumsville” (on the history of drums in New Orleans) are visible at the Saint-André-Le-Haut church, as well as a photo exhibition “When jazz sees blur” at the Mediatheque Le Trente. In addition, for the attention of young audiences, fun activities and shows are organized with the aim of raising their awareness of music. Finally, to follow, jazz & yoga workshops…
> All the programming for Jazz à Vienne 2022, day by day