As the evening of July 19th marked the close of the Nice Jazz Festival 2022, let’s look back at these past few days characterized by the love for jazz and music.
Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and Deputy President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, spoke: “For five days, the City of Nice as well as the towns in the Metropolis have resonated with the sounds of local, national, and international big names, jazz legends, as well as today’s discoveries that make our festival renowned. In total, 42,500 spectators have shared the love for jazz and music, a great success for a post-crisis edition.”
As for the numbers, the 2022 edition includes:
- 42,500 spectators
- 30 artists and groups
- 5 days of concerts
- 6 stages per night
- 19 days of setup
- 10 days of takedown
A Program Emphasizing Diversity
The lineup was all about diversity. Sébastien Vidal, Artistic Director of the festival, made sure to emphasize this:
“We dreamed, imagined, and desired this program focusing on diversity, reflecting today’s jazz. We wanted it to be feminine, plural, and inclusive by exploring all forms of jazz and contemporary music. In this troubled early century, jazz is more alive than ever.”
The Artists
Among others, we admired on stage Iggy Pop, the icon of Stooges, who has now embraced the jazz sound, danced with Parcels or Clara Luciani, resonated with the fabulous H.E.R., discovered the voices of Celeste and Lady Blackbird. Ibrahim Maalouf or Youn Sun Nah returned with original projects made just for NJF2022. Additionally, the jazz legends were present: Charles Tolliver, Michel Portal, Avishai Cohen, and the sublime Melody Gardot. Not to be forgotten were Emmet Cohen, Samy Thiébault, Yessai Karapetian, Emile Parisien, Samara Joy, and the remarkable Gerald Clayton.
Let’s also recall the poster, which, like the diversity of jazz, was colorful, symbolizing the Mediterranean and jazz instruments.
An Inclusive Festival
During the Nice Jazz Festival 2022, the city of Nice tested a system allowing deaf and hard-of-hearing spectators to feel the music. Thus, three deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals were invited each night to attend the various concerts to test this system. Called “Live Immersive Solution,” this setup, devised by the company TIMMPI, is an audio-tactile process designed to make a musical program inclusive.
An Ecological Commitment
This year again, the Nice Jazz Festival continued its ecological commitment. Sorting areas and water fountains were available throughout the festival, plastic was replaced with reusable eco-friendly cups, and a partnership was organized with a soft transportation mode platform (carpooling, public transport, blue bikes, moving towards a fleet of vehicles with more electric models…).
