KATIE MELUA – Garden Stage – 11 PM
Things have changed significantly since Katie’s last appearance at Cimiez, a revelation from the 2005 Festival! An album (the best-seller “Piece by Piece”) and two seasons later, the charming singer who captivated the people of Nice with her discreet charm and delicate repertoire has topped all the European charts. Born about twenty years ago in Georgia and raised in Moscow, Katie followed her surgeon father to Belfast during her adolescence. It wasn’t until she entered the BRIT School (the English Performing Arts School) that she revealed her true potential as a jazz and blues singer. After selling several million copies of her two albums, Katie has now found her place in the exclusive club of international superstars.
JEFF BECK – Garden Stage – 9 PM
After a series of missed opportunities in recent years, Beck will finally be in Nice this summer. “Do whatever it takes, but I absolutely want to perform this concert,” he instructed his management. It’s the perfect opportunity for all guitar lovers to verify for themselves that Beck may not be as widely adored by the public as Clapton or Santana, but he has nothing to envy from the greatest guitar heroes. Beck has always refused to confine himself to any particular style, expressing himself with equal ease in blues (his first love), rock, heavy metal, or fusion. Opportunities to see on stage the man who discovered Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart, and Ron Stewart are too rare these days to miss his appearance at Cimiez.
AYO – Garden Stage – 7:30 PM
A revelation of recent months, this folk-soul singer has been performing to sold-out venues since the surprise success of her collection “Joyful,” selling nearly half a million copies across Europe, following the single Down on My Knees. The daughter of a Nigerian father and a Romani mother, Ayo has drawn inspiration from this personal heritage to enrich her songs, written with a sensitive and insightful touch, with a hint of soul, a touch of reggae, and a pinch of afrobeat.
MANU KATCHÉ – Arènes – 9:30 PM
His notable presence on the jury of La Nouvelle Star on television should not make us forget that this exceptional drummer, sought after by the greatest (Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, Dire Straits…), is one of the major figures of European jazz at the beginning of this century. Following the recent release of the album “Neighborhood” under the prestigious ECM label, Katché wished to make a stop in Nice, a city he knows well and where he has many personal connections. On the program for his visit to Cimiez: subtle compositions, funky rhythms, lyrical melodies, and mellow atmospheres.
MARIO BIONDI – Arènes – 11:15 PM
With musician parents, this former Sicilian choirboy long harbored the desire to pursue an opera singing career before finding his true calling in the Italian studio scene where he sang backup on recordings for rock and pop singers. His love for African-American soul (Donny Hathaway, Luther Vandross, Will Downing, and especially Billy Paul and Barry White) recently inspired him to start a solo career that began magnificently with the album “Handful of Soul”. Thanks to this unclassifiable collection, Mario’s deep voice has found its rightful place in the world of jazz and soul.
YARON HERMAN – Arènes – 8 PM
This Israeli pianist with a strong musical personality is one of the best surprises of recent months in the jazz world. An innate sense of phrasing and a consummate mastery of the stage make Yaron a particularly promising young soloist. Trained in the classical school before honing his skills at the prestigious Berklee school, Herman recently settled in France, an inviting land whose vibrant jazz scene captivated him. His presence this year in the Talents Jazz operation sponsored by Adami only confirms the hopes of his admirers.
SOCCA JAZZ
PURE – 8 PM – Matisse Stage
After finding success under the name Plein Sud and recording an album in Peter Gabriel’s studio under the direction of Manu Katché, this Nice trio formed by Gérard, Thierry, and Richard returns to the forefront with a head full of ideas and desires and an electro-groove repertoire where funk, jazz, house, soul, and Afro-Cuban rhythms meet and blend. Absolutely must-see!
RYOKO – 6:30 PM – Matisse Stage
The coincidence of Afro-American jazz rhythms, classical writing, and traditional Japanese melodies, the music of this native of Kagoshima is positioned at the crossroads of her personal journeys. A former student at the Tokyo Conservatory, Ryoko Nuruki has lived in Vancouver and Milan before fully unveiling her talents as a composer, arranger, and pianist on the French Riviera. Today, Ryoko’s trio expresses itself in a fluid and nuanced language, offering music that is lyrical and refined, resolutely accessible to all.
