Jazz à Juan: under the pines, 65 years of cicadas and double basses

Arnaud Ciaravino Published on 07/17/2025 at 10:00, updated on 07/17/2025 at 10:00
Seventeen years after her last appearance on the Jazz à Juan stage, Nicole Slack-Jones returns to close the 64th edition this Sunday. Her voice, steeped in gospel and soul, resonates with the same roots as the festival: New Orleans. This piece from Louisiana (United States), a true musical melting pot, has left an everlasting mark on Juan-les-Pins. A Franco-American romance, born long before the first trumpet note. She was already murmuring her refrain at the end of the 19th century.
"Wealthy Americans who stayed on the shores of the Mediterranean – the "idlers", as they were called then – came to party in the seaside resort , recounts Philippe Baute, director of Jazz à Juan, with fervor. From the 1920s to the 1950s, their soundtrack evolved, ranging from the effervescent Charleston to the deep rhythms of bebop jazz." These last four letters burst out around the world as if it were obvious. The musical shockwave crossed the Atlantic, to shake the shores of the city of the Ramparts, borne by a mythical name: Sidney Bechet. The genius clarinettist and saxophonist fell in love with the place, to the point of sealing their union there, in 1951. "At that time, he composed [with Claude Luter] "Dans les rues d'Antibes" , continues Philippe Baute. One of the works that will inspire a whole musical microcosm, including two local figures: the deputy for culture, Jacques Souplet, and the journalist Jacques Hebey.
Sidney Bechet died in 1959, without realizing the legacy he left behind. A year later, the two Antibes natives launched the one and only Jazz à Juan, first at Fort Carré and then, the following year, at Pinède Gould.
Now considered the longest-running European jazz festival, the event already exuded a legendary aura at the time. "Without this annual event, which he claimed to have been directly inspired by, it's not certain that Claude Nobs would have founded the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival in 1967." That's saying something...
A true "star maker"In the heart of the urban forest, legendary names parade past: Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong… The list is dizzying. "The real question would be: who hasn't played at Jazz à Juan?" smiles the director, proud of this high-flying heritage.
It's no coincidence that, starting in 1981, the festival began asking artists to leave their handprints in clay, like the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame . These are then cast in bronze and fixed to the ground of the Musicians' Walk, along the Gould Pines. You'll easily find traces of "The Genius" , Ray Charles, there, for example!
In the small world of the music industry, the Pinède also serves as an incubator. Unknown artists try their luck there, meet record labels, and hope to get noticed. For those who earn a supporting role, the festival becomes a powerful "springboard." French-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf—who makes his big comeback tonight—and French jazz prodigy Michel Petrucciani are proof of this.
"It's a very valuable addition to a CV," says Philippe Baute, who is officially extending this professional mission through "Jammin' Juan." Every November, around twenty groups are auditioned by an independent jury, with the potential for a spot in the following year's summer lineup. "But you have to keep in mind that this isn't a mercantile festive event; it's about music above all," he adds.
"Let the purist give me a definition of jazz!"Despite its international reputation, Jazz à Juan hasn't always sailed in calm waters. Far from it. "At the end of the 1960s, the festival was in crisis , " Nice-Matin recalled in its special edition dedicated to the fiftieth anniversary. "The first giants left the scene one after the other. "Satchmo" [Louis Armstrong, editor's note] made only one appearance, in 1967... and disappointed the purists. The man who was then a big jazz star sang more than he played. Juan-les-Pins was then under attack on several fronts: on the left, the emergence of new music - Woodstock in 1969; on the right, the rise of competing festivals, like Montreux." For two years, the Pinède was even abandoned in favor of Nice, which temporarily took over its organization at the beginning of the 1970s. A temporary but intense lull, accentuated by the aging image of a genre that was nevertheless constantly evolving.
"In the United States, rock 'n' roll made old-school standards seem outdated," our columns pointed out. Fortunately, in the early 1970s, pianist Norbert Gamsohn took over the reins and managed to get the ball rolling again, paving the way for a new generation of talent.
Some will, over time, adopt a more rock or electro sound, sometimes poorly received by a fringe of nostalgic festival-goers. "But it's not jazz!" , we could hear, during concerts by Lenny Kravitz or Phil Collins.
"Let the purist give me a definition of jazz, then I can sleep soundly," retorts Philippe Baute, humorously. On the event's website, everything is clearer: "At once chic, elitist, popular, but also eclectic, Jazz à Juan presents [...] all of jazz. It has always remained true to its guiding principle, that of programming jazz in all its breadth, while allowing for openings into related music."
So, it was without hesitation that the organizers opened this 2025 edition with the electro group AIR, an emblematic figure of the French Touch . A pretext for moving a little further away from its origins? Here is what we said about it, in 2010: "The miracle is that Juan [...] never cut off his jazz roots. No doubt because the organizers of the festival have integrated an obvious fact: in music too, diamonds are forever."
The musical style isn't the only thing that's changed at Jazz à Juan. While the festival remains true to its intimate spirit, the days when artists mingled with the audience after their performances are now a thing of the past.
"In the 1970s and 1980s, they would take to the streets and play in the middle of the crowd. The guitarist and singer Carlos Santana, for example, went down to the Pinède in shorts in 1988. The public and musicians rubbed shoulders," the organizers recall.
Now, the trend is towards distancing, "as with all other festivals," it is also raised. "What saves us at Jazz à Juan is that the human element still predominates in its vast majority. But the world is changing, and business is setting up everywhere," admits Philippe Baute.
Concrete illustration: last Saturday, people were asked not to photograph or film the performance of the legendary Ben Harper. "More and more artists are demanding a form of exclusivity. Some media have already chosen to boycott this type of practice, choosing not to cover these concerts," says an independent photographer.
"We're not a palace here!"Word of mouth isn't always enough, and the demands can skyrocket with the star's level of celebrity. "When Stevie Wonder came to Juan-les-Pins in 2014, it was only after his agency was convinced of Jazz à Juan's excellent reputation. Legends don't play just anywhere," says the director of the Tourism and Convention Bureau.
Once there, Philippe Baute takes care to accommodate both the artists and the festival-goers, while keeping "things simple" .
"Most of the time, the groups come with their own management. We take care of the rest. The only requests we can satisfy are the type of food and water required. We're not a palace here," he says. A simplicity that doesn't prevent success: every summer, more than 20,000 spectators crowd the stands facing the sea, and a dozen artistic nationalities take to the stage.
Europe's oldest jazz festival is also a veritable breeding ground for anecdotes, which add to the appeal of this artistic event. Here is a non-exhaustive list.
Ella Fitzgerald vs. CicadasJuly 1964: Ella Fitzgerald performs for the first time at the Pinède Gould. In the middle of the concert, the shrill song of cicadas fills the background, occasionally drowning out the diva's voice. Far from being thrown off balance, Ella briefly interrupts the orchestra, looks up at the trees, and then improvises a scat song inspired by these Provençal insects. The scene, unprecedented and improvised, would later be nicknamed The Cricket Song .
A concert not to be missedWhat about the elusive Lost Quintet? On July 25 and 26, 1969, American trumpeter Miles Davis performed with a legendary lineup: Wayne Shorter (sax), Chick Corea (electric piano), Dave Holland (bass), and Jack DeJohnette (drums). This group, whose existence for a long time was limited to pirated records, never made a studio recording. Their performance at the festival was captured live by ORTF and released in 1993 under the title 1969 Miles: Festiva de Juan Pins [sic]. A hard-to-obtain imported copy was quickly deleted and became a collector's item, according to the media outlet Jazzwise .
The beloved Ray CharlesIn 1961, Jazz à Juan welcomed an already legendary figure: Ray Charles. At the height of his career, he closed four of the seven evenings. He thus became the festival's first resident artist, well before this status officially existed. These performances remained in the archives for a long time before being reissued, 50 years later, in an exceptional box set: Ray Charles – Live in Antibes 1961.
Since 1971, the festival has been managed by the Maison du Tourisme, now the Tourism and Convention Bureau. Philippe Baute, the department's general manager, knows all the ins and outs.
You have been running Jazz à Juan for almost 26 years...
The first festival I actually directed was in 2000, when I took over. Since then, only the Covid hiatus has disrupted the rhythm. It's starting to get old, though...
Much has changed?
Running the festival means, above all, supporting its evolution. Each edition evolves and adapts, based on musical trends, audience expectations, and artists' demands. Communication, sound technology, logistics... Everything has evolved considerably. One thing is certain: the festival has undeniably become more professional. Out of obligation, not pretension.
That's to say?
The logistics are nothing like they were 25 years ago. It took three buses to transport the equipment and crew needed for Ben Harper's concert. At the time, this was unimaginable; we often made do with what we had.
What is your role?
I chose not to hold multiple roles: I'm not an artistic director. That role should be left to those whose job it is. Our job is to focus on welcoming the public, press relations, marketing strategy, and proper logistical execution. We have an independent artistic direction, and that's what guarantees the overall balance.
Var-Matin