Visiting the 54th International Juan Les Pins Jazz Festival - Jazz à Juan - Jazz in Juan Festival in 2014

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Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival - Jazz à Juan- Jazz in Juan Festival

54th International Jazz Festival Antibes Juan-les-Pins

JAZZ à JUAN July 11 - 20, 2014

Visiting the 54th Juan Les Pins Jazz Festival 2014

Four years ago I wrote an article for this website Visiting the 50th International Juan Les Pins Jazz Festival 2010. As I went there twice in 2014 I have written this follow up account. I first went to Jazz à Juan festival in 2008 and saw Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Jack Dejohnette perform.

In 2010 I saw Melody Gardot and Dee Dee Bridgewater.

Dee Dee Bridgeater - Click on Picture to increase size

Although coverage of the 2001 and 2012 festivals has been covered on this site, It was not until July 2013 that I went there again. This time it was to see Ibrahim Maalouf and Sting perform.

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Above Left: Ibrahim Maalouf --------Above Right: Sting © photos copyright : Office de Tourisme d’Antibes Juan-les-Pins – Gilles Lefrancq

This year we got our tickets from the Tourist Office - Office de Tourisme et des Congrès D'Antibes Juan-Les-Pins in May.

The secure underground car park, under the Office de Tourisme et des Congrès D'Antibes Juan-Les-Pins is very well illustrated with jazz themes as well. It can be expensive parking there. Monday 14th July was a bank holiday. Evening parking for some six hours or more was eight euros, On Wednesday 16th it was twenty two euros!

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On Bastille day 14th July after an early dinner opposite some free jazz in the town and went to see Romane - Pierre and Richard Maetti Guitar Family Connection, followed by Jon Regen with P J Phillips and John Miller and finally the Preservation Hall Jazz Band from New Orelans that we had actually seen a few years earlier at Preservation Hall in 2011.(below)

It was a warm summers evening and as a bonus whilst John Regen, P J Phillips and John Millerand were playing you could see the fireworks from Cannes in the bay behind. Before The Preservation Hall Jazz Band came on stage the Juan-Les-Pins fireworks took place in the bay behind the stage.

Unfortunately during the The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's performance large numbers of the audience started to leave, I had noticed this before and again on Wednesday night the seats at the front were empty all the time that Booker T. Jones was on stage. If The Preservation Hall Jazz Band had left it any later for their encore performance no one hardly would have been there to see it!

After the concerts John Regen together with P J Phillips and John Miller performed at "The Jazz Club Around Midnight" on the beachside bar at the Plage Les Ambasadeurs.

This trio also performed on Thursday 17th July in the town itself for "Best of - Du Off" in the streets of Juan Les Pins.

Joss Stone who was appearing on Wednesday 16th was also there on the Monday evening soaking up the atmosphere and giving interviews.

On Wednesday evening, we again had an early dinner to make sure we were seated in good time, however unlike on the Monday night we had reserved seating.

First on stage was Booker T. Jones, who gave a great perfrormance and we had excellent seats next to the lighting programme control zone

It is very interesting to see how the computerised lighting programme is worked out and a lot of between acts as well.

The next artist to appear was Imelda May who also gave a great performance and finally Joss Stone who had been eating in the same restaurant to us earlier came on and went who went onto nearly 12.30 throwing flowers out to her fans who filled the front part of the arena. An area practically deserted when the very talented Booker T. Jones had been on stage earlier.

Images of the 2014 Juan Les Pins Jazz Festival - Please note these images are © of the Office de Tourisme et des Congrès d'Antibes Juan-les-Pins - Gilles Lefrancq.

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Above Left: Booker T. Jones --------------- Above Right:Imelda May

Above Left: Jon Regen ------------ --- Above Right: Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Above Left: Romane, Pierre et Richard Manetti - Guitar Family Connection Above Right: Joss Stone

They were two most enjoyable evenings and the fact that there are several artists appearing means if you don't like one perfprmer, you are bound to like another. We thooughly enjoyed all six performers. and will certainly go back again.

©Philip Suter jml Property Services - July 2014

Please note you may re-produce this article on a website as long as you credit the author, however the images of the artists and the Jazz Festival on this page and Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival page must not be used as they are copright from Office de Tourisme d’Antibes Juan-les-Pins – Gilles Lefrancq and unless you obtain written authorisation from that source you will be breaking copyright law.