Jazz @ Sète -July 2026

Jazz à Sète 2026 (July 15–21) marks the 31st edition of this remarkable jazz festival. Invited to cover the final two days, here is what we would like to share with you.

Monday July 20 – 09:00pm

For once, Louis Martinez, founder and artistic director of the Sète festival, opened the evening on Monday, July 20 with Influences Vol. 2, one of his projects first launched in 2020 before being put on hold by the lockdown.

Now revived on the Jazz à Sète stage with a largely reshuffled line-up, the project draws mainly on compositions by Louis Martinez, who has a gift for writing beautiful melodies that bring words vividly to life.

The opening September Valse set the tone for the evening, while Mai 1973 offered a more intimate moment, evoking Violette, Louis Martinez’s late wife.

The orchestra’s two vocalists, Sophie Darly and Mélina Tobiana, know exactly how to bring a melodic line into focus, with a finely honed sense of poetry. Backed by an attentive rhythm section featuring Thomas Doméné on drums and Nicolas Mirande on bass, Stéphane Belmondo on trumpet, Alfio Origlio on piano and Louis Martinez on guitar consistently found the right tone, weaving in carefully judged counter-melodies.

A fine way of bringing different musical worlds together.

Tuesday July 21 – 10:45pm

Then came Cécile McLorin Salvant, with a repertoire that continues to expand in unexpected directions. It included Il m’a vue nue, once made famous by Mistinguett; With Every Breath I Take, Cy Coleman’s composition that lends its title to her latest album; The World Is Mean, drawn from Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera; and Objet dont les charmes si doux, a graceful Baroque air by Antoine Boësset (1587–1643), performed here with elegance and delicacy.

Throughout, Salvant displayed the impeccable pitch and effortless stage presence that have placed her among the foremost vocalists of her generation. She was also backed by musicians of the highest calibre: Yasushi Nakamura on double bass, Kyle Poole on drums and Sullivan Fortner on piano, a musician equally at home in stride, bebop and French chanson.

A concert warmly received by the audience, which concluded with a magnificent rendition of Jacques Brel’s Ne me Quitte Pas.

Influences Vol. 2

Louis Martinez: guitar, compositions

Mélina Tobiana: vocals, compositions

Sophie Darly: vocals, compositions

Stéphane Belmondo: trumpet

Alfio Origlio: piano,

Thomas Doméné: drums

Nicolas Mirande: double bass.

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Sullivan Fortner: piano

Yasushi Nakamura: double bass

Kyle Poole: drums.

Tuesday July 21, 2026

A complete change of tone and atmosphere the following day, with a soul, funk and jazz show masterfully led by flutist Ludivine Issambourg.

Drawing mainly on material from her 2024 album Above the Laws, the band unleashed a festive groove that fuelled generous exchanges between the flutist, pianist Thierry Eliez and a brass section delivering impeccably executed arrangements, featuring Philippe Sellam, Samuel Maingaud and Vincent Aubert.

Unable to resist such an infectious performance, dancers soon took over the area in front of the stage, making their enthusiasm unmistakable.

Vocalist Wolfgang Valbrun, invited especially for the occasion, also made a strong impression.

The 31st edition of Jazz à Sète came to a fine conclusion with pianist, singer and composer Eliane Elias, who presented an eclectic repertoire bringing together the spirit of jazz standards, revisited here with authenticity, and Brazilian musical traditions embodied by samba and bossa nova.

The audience had ample opportunity to appreciate her piano playing, rooted in tradition yet unmistakably modern, as demonstrated by her collaborations with Herbie Hancock (Mirror Mirror, Blue Note Records, 1994) and Chick Corea(Solos and Duets, Candid Records, 2021), as well as her qualities as a vocalist. She was supported by an excellent ensemble that included her husband, the outstanding double bassist Marc Johnson.

A beautiful concert.

Ludivine Issambourg: flute

Philippe Sellam: alto saxophone

Samuel Maingaud: tenor and baryton saxophones

Vincent Aubert: trombone

Thierry Eliez: piano, keyboards

Philippe Bussonnet: bass

Martin Wangermée: drums

Wolfang Valbrun: vocals

Eliane Elias : piano, vocals

Leandro Pellegrino: guitar

Marc Johnson: double bass