The third night of the Nice Jazz Festival was no exception to the two previous ones, offering the public a fine mix of artists. From the beautiful and talented Beth Hart to the energetic Sharleen Spiteri from the band Texas, including Tinariwen, Dr. John, Jimi Brown Experience, and Trombone Shorty, the musical range was vast and well-mastered.
Nothing is more pleasant than an outdoor summer concert under a gentle sea breeze. This is more or less a summary of the third evening of the 2012 edition of the Nice Jazz Festival, which takes place in Nice until July 12, 2012.
Beth Hart and Jimi Brown Experience had the formidable task of kicking off the evening’s festivities on the two NJF (for those in the know) stages. With talented guitarist Joe Bonamassa, the American Beth Hart, who knows how to explore various musical styles, still paid tribute to the Jazz standards. The local Jimi Brown Experience also demonstrated the possible harmony between the rhythms inspired by the great Jimi Hendrix and James Brown.
Then, two continents took over with hypnotic “Tuareg blues” highlighted by Tinariwen and blues sounds from New Orleans represented by Dr. John, alias Mac Rebennack (USA). These two continents managed to blend these beautiful world music styles. Let’s not forget that Tinariwen’s talent was recognized at the 2012 Grammy Awards in the “World Music” category.
But if there’s one band that knows how to use its instruments, it’s Texas. Sharleen Spiteri, the leader of the band, made the crowd at the Masséna stage dance by playing hit after hit that established the reputation of these Scots. The band has been scarce in recent years (a point the singer did not miss the opportunity to mention), but they managed to reunite to offer the French Riviera audience a magnificent breath of nostalgia and pure pleasure.
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue once again set the Théâtre de Verdure on fire. Already present last year at the same place, they can now boast of being invited by the American President, Barack Obama, in February 2012 during the “Black History Celebration Month.” In constant growth, they have matured and reproduced their previous year’s success. Let’s hope the future will be even more promising for them.
