Benabar the Blessed, Agnes the Magnificent and Bumcello the Originals

**Bumcello.** Already impressive on record, Bumcello is truly astounding on stage, daring to fully embrace the card of improvisation by offering unexpected and groovy concerts, steeped in afro-latino-european-oriental influences. A constantly renewed event. The lanky drummer, shirtless, agitated and agitating, takes and gives pleasure. This Nice duo brought rhythm to the evening. Surprising, lively and musically flawless, Bumcello is to be seen and seen again, discovered and rediscovered. We can give them the Nice-Première award for excellence.

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**Agnès Jaoui.** We knew the actress. On Wednesday, spectators got to know the singer. Seductive and charming, Agnès Jaoui, with Latin sounds of flamenco, bolero and salsa, seduced. With grace, emotion, and witty remarks, her acting talents enhanced her singing performance. The musical style is not the one that wins the most success, it is not the easiest to perform, but Agnès Jaoui knew how to make it her own. We don’t necessarily like salsa or flamenco, but we love the performance of the singing actress, or rather that Wednesday evening of the actress who sings.

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**Bénabar.** “Muriel I beg you I implore you Tell him Yes” sings Bénabar in his song “Tell him yes”. The Nice audience said yes to him and married him. Many discovered him Wednesday evening lively, energized, spicy. But Bénabar is like that at each of his concerts, different from his calm and “neat” character that we can see on the small screen. He jumps, plays airplane, does sprints, invents choreographies from another planet. Bénabar doesn’t just sing, he animates his concert. And it feels good! It’s fresh, gay, delightful. Some in the audience felt that this Bénabar-esque show bordered on ridiculous, found his number somewhat long to get the entire audience to sing “Love is a gypsy child,” but that’s also what we call stage expression and spectacle.

The lyrics are what make Bruno aka Bénabar special. They simply tell snippets of life that we have all experienced. Tender and touching, or caricatured and amusing, they force you to listen carefully. Sometimes we forget the music, the stage, the context. We imagine ourselves around a campfire with a storyteller narrating stories or anecdotes told by the most talkative of cousins at a communion or baptism. Bénabar lives on stage and sings about life. Comparisons are fashionable. They are often overblown, and if we were to amuse ourselves by comparing Bénabar, we would say he is a mixture of Georges Brassens and Michel Fugain.

Bénabar concluded the Nice Jazz Festival resoundingly. He said to the large crowd in the Cimiez Gardens: “Thank you all for coming. Thank you all for staying.” The audience thanked him with a long and moving ovation. Bénabar the Blessed, we want more!