This 8th edition of Jammin’ Juan, organized by the Antibes Juan-les-Pins Tourist Office, took place in front of a crowd of festival programmers, booking agents, label directors, journalists, and spectators who were able to appreciate the jazz production of the emerging generation of musicians.
The lineup featured 18 showcases of 35 minutes in the afternoon, followed in the evening by three concerts (1h 10), all spread over three days.
This year, the programming gave special prominence to trios. The group led by pianist Jean Saint Loubert found its identity by drawing inspiration from classical music, flamenco, and jazz — the latter remaining an essential structural component of his work. The result is a coherent message conveyed through instrumental combinations that create enchanting soundscapes.
Winner of the 2023 Rezzo Jury Prize at the Jazz à Vienne Festival, the Verb Trio delivered a hybridized music, influenced by Oscar Peterson and Chick Corea, energized by the rhythmic verve of drummer Etoa Ottou.
This approach, at least in principle, was also followed by Baptiste Bailly’s trio, whose original compositions and danceable rhythms evoke Mediterranean and Celtic musical traditions, all while remaining rooted in jazz.
Another classical-trained pianist, Étienne Manchon, leads an experienced group whose repertoire—at the crossroads and open to jazz (Bill Evans)—features original pieces with beautiful colors and an energetic groove.
Pianist Jean-Philippe Koch has been influenced by Brahms, Rachmaninov, and Tigran Hamasyan. His compositions favor melodies enhanced by the repetitive resources of Steve Reich’s music.
This multicultural openness is also evident in two trumpet quartets: The Big Tusk and Sroka. The musicians of the first combine, beyond stylistic labels, electronic music techniques with improvisational freedom to create sound combinations that transport the listener to an imaginary world.
Bassist Martin Sroczynski, known as Sroka, seeks to craft melodies with a charming simplicity, drawing from Kanak musical tradition and jazz’s rhythmic power.
Throughout his career, bassist-composer-arranger Vladimir Torres, present at the 2023 edition of Jammin’ Juan, has explored Latin American and Middle Eastern music, salsa, pop, chanson, and jazz. It’s his eclecticism, openness, and the way he masterfully blends these influences, along with the strong chemistry among the members of his quintet, that give his music its charm and quality.
The same diversity of approach is also evident in the vocal realm with Mélissa Weikart and Mélina Tobiana. The former, working in high-level jazz, offers a poetic dialogue between nuanced singing and a piano style inherited from her classical training and love for understated jazz. Her peer, Mélina Tobiana, also a talented singer-songwriter and performer, makes the most of her warm voice to highlight a repertoire that blurs the boundaries between jazz, soul, and folk.
This approach recalls that of the band Who Parked The Car, which, between soul and funk, delivers a dance groove perfectly matching Alice Chahbazian’s lively vocals. Notably, guitarist César Aouillé’s flamboyant performance prompted a standing ovation at the end of the concert.
Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald, Lorez Alexandria, and Carmen McRae, Estelle Perrault skillfully blends jazz and soul to express facets of her personal universe through original compositions capable of touching listeners—avoiding the commercial conventions into which many of her peers sometimes fall.
On Wednesday evening, October 30, on the grand stage of the Congress Palace, with pianist Patrick Cascino, bassist Charly Tomas, and drummer Luca Scalambrino, this desire for dialogue and openness to other cultures—another hallmark of Jammin’ Juan—won over the audience. Their musical universe, evoking the tradition of jazz trios and infused with the spicy sounds of Mediterranean and Latin music, captivated all.
The next day, on the same stage, singer and composer Carmen Souza presented her trio with a fertile synthesis of Cape Verdean music, African rhythms, and jazz—her signature style. Her dazzling charisma, the quality of her compositions, and her remarkable vocal technique allowed her to transcend the usual boundaries of World Music, creating an original genre appreciated by all.
Adding to the richness of this edition of Jammin’ Juan, two exhibitions showcasing the relationship between visual arts and jazz shared the walls of the Congress Palace in a convivial setting.
The first, titled “Jazz Emotions,” was dedicated to oil and acrylic paintings by Hervé Rubeaud, who defines his approach as follows: “I want to create a bridge between music and image, inviting everyone to feel this unique energy.”
Nina Simone ©Hervé Rubeaud
The second, called “Silence Jazz & Light,” was by photographer Christian Rahal, whose lively portraits of musicians in action capture the energy of the scene and evoke deep emotion.
Angélique Kidjo ©Christian Rahal
A meaningful edition of the current jazz scene.
Palais des Congrès Antipolis,
Note: Having arrived too late and left too early, I unfortunately missed the performances of Lea Maria Fries, Marthe X Pilani Bubu, Obradovic-Tixier Duo, Cédric Hanriot, Julien Daïan Sextet, Alex Grenier Quartet, and the Cuban Jazz Syndicate.
Showcases listed in this review:
Wednesday October 29
Jean Saint Loubert Trio
Jean Saint Loubert Bié – piano, Flugelhorn, synthesizer
Ludo Prieur – double bass, bass, guitar
Thomas Le Galo – drums.
Verb :
Noam Duboille – piano
Charles Thuillier – double bass
Garcia Etoa Ottou – drums.
Babtiste Bailly Trio :
Baptiste Bailly – piano
Etienne Renard – double bass
Stéphane Adsuar – drums.
Who Parked the Car :
Alice Chahbazian – voice
Thomas Salvatore – claviers, chant
Félix Reneault, saxophone
César Aouillé – guitar
Ludo Prieur – bass
Malo Ropers – drums.
Cascino trio :
Patrick Cascino : piano
Luca Scalambrino : drums
Charly Tomas : double bass
Jeudi 30 octobre
Melissa Weikart – piano, voice, synthesizer.
The Big Tusk :
Shems Bendali – trumpet, percussions
Théo Duboule – guitar
Andrew Audiger – keyboards
Nathan Vandenbulcke – drums.
Etienne Manchon Trio :
Etienne Manchon – Piano, keyboards
Théo Moutou – drums
Jules Billé – double bass.
Sroka :
Martin Sroczynski – bass
Antton Armantier – keyboards
Emile Guillaume – drums
Paolo Chatet – trumpet.
Estelle Perrault Quintet :
Estelle Perrault – voice
Rob Clearfield – piano, Fender Rhodes
Samuel Fhima – Electric bass, double bass
Théo Moutou – drums
Melvin Marquez – tenor saxophone.
Vladimir Torres Quintet :
Vladimir Torres – double bass & compositions
Hugo Diaz – saxophone
Constantin Meyer – trombone
Martin Schiffmann – piano
Tom Moretti – drums.
Carmen Souza :
Carmen Souza : voice, guitar – piano
Theo Pascal – bass, double bass, backing vocals
Elias Kacomanolis – batterie, backing vocals
Jonathan Idiagbonya – piano.
Vendredi 31 octobre
Dock In Absolute :
Jean-Philippe Koch – piano
David Kintziger – bass
Victor Kraus – drums
Mélina Tobiana Quintet :
Antoine Delprat – piano
Gustave Reichert – guitar
Thomas Posner – double bass
Clément Brajtman – drums, voice
Mélina Tobiana – voice.
©Photos Office du Tourisme & des Congrès, V. Delplace (Carmen Souza – couverture ; Melissa Weikart, Header)
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