Jazz in Vienne, is New Orleans in Rhône-Alpes

Each year, Jazz in Vienne is an event on the European and world scene of Jazz Festivals; it is even one of the very first and most important in France (it is still the only French representative of the International Jazz Organization Festival).  

As each year, the programme is gigantic. You will find "monsters" of  jazz such as Sonny Rollins, known also as the Colossus and who is able, at nearly 75 years old, to pour forth floods of music from his saxophone, on stage, for more than three hours. He will ensure the opening of the Festival, this year, and will set the tone for other great Sax names such as John Zorn, the Belmondo brothers who win all the prizes, Bugge Wesseltoft, Eric Legnini...

A special Brazil night (on July 4) will welcome Gilberto Gil, Brazilian Minister of Culture and the diva carioca Joyce. On July 6, George Benson, star of the hard bop guitar and of the soul music, will be back in Vienne.

The "Blues" nights will welcome Music Maker and Real Folk Blues Session, on July 1; and on July 2, it is Gospel with the famous Golden Gate Quartet;  Cuban music on July 12 with Afro Cuban All Stars and  funk, on July 11, with Punk Funk All Stars and Marcus Miller.

But the major event of this year in Vienne, is the reception of musicians from New-Orleans, in solidarity with the city after the passage of Hurricane Katrina, with Dr. John, Eddy Bo and the Indians of Mardi Gras. During the Louisiana Connection evening on July 9, you can applaud the Neville Brothers and Charmaine Neville, with the exclusive projection of the film "Make it funky", documentary on the Louisianan scene.

In apotheosis, the closure night "All Night Jazz", on July 13, will be entirely dedicated to New Orleans music.