30 May 2024
For this 17th edition, the program was essentially the same as in previous years: “an intensive week of jazz”! Intensive because the 47 registered trainees know that they will spend hours “eating” jazz: Instrument lessons in the morning from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., ensemble classes in the afternoon from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. , without forgetting the Brass-Band rehearsal at 2:30 p.m. Knowing that we're putting it back in the evening with Monday and Tuesday for the two jam sessions on the square from 7 p.m.: but when do we have time to eat? The Jazz Fest begins for its participants on Sunday evening with a buffet welcoming the Trainees and teachers. 7 pianists, 5 guitarists, 7 saxophonists, 5 trumpets, 1 trombone, 1 oboe, 5 drummers, 6 double bassists, 9 singers made up the trainees. On the teaching side, Piano Professor, Philippe Cocogne, from the Grasse Conservatory, Jazz section, a pillar of the event for more than 10 years. the other teachers are: in Singing, Chloé Cailleton, coming from Nantes where she teaches, (Chloé is a Knight of Arts and Letters, decorated by Roselyne Bachelot); on brass, Christophe LeLoil, who is a jazz teacher in Marseille; on Guitar, Julien Osty, teacher in Toulon, composer; Carsten Weimann, on drums from Toulouse: they complete the quartet which visits us in the winter in Saint-Cézaire with Kareem Kandi on Saxophone (teacher, composer) and Greg Feingold, on double bass and to complete this magical formula, David Douet who second Mr. Cocogne in Piano class. This year, we welcomed Nina Aslanaut, from Rennes, from the Didier Lockwood Music School, as a Trainee in Training. She assisted Chloé Cailleton throughout the week and thus validated her university course.
Finally, we were going to have premises available in this magnificent complex in Terre de Siagne. The idea of concentrating the masterclass in a single location has been important to us for a long time and even if we had to keep the Salle des Moulins, the Motricity room and the Salle Klouman, we have come closer to this goal. We will have to continue to work upstream to better accommodate classes, in particular in terms of air conditioning which did not work very well this summer which was particularly hot, with temperatures exceeding 30° during the day. But what a joy to have the large room to install the grand piano and thus create the piano classroom, the afternoon rehearsals and to be able to bring together the entire master class for group lessons. After the two evenings of Jam-Sessions, Wednesday evening is devoted to the Concert des Maitres at 9 p.m.: the Public was not mistaken in coming to listen to the septet in original compositions and jazz standards. A video is available on U-Tube. We didn't notice the time passing during these two hours of concert. The Festi-Jazz is also an associative moment with a dinner on Thursday evening which brings together all the participants, the volunteers and the hosts who receive certain students. Private Evening at Café Lions with Music; a way for the association to thank those who participate in the development of the week and without whom the jazz festival would be very complicated to organize.
Friday, for the jazz aperitif which allows us to listen to the work of the students of the week and who express themselves group after group (five jazz groups), we had the honor of the visit of Mr. Christian Zedet, Mayor of Saint-Cézaire. The opportunity for us to thank the municipality which is present at our side in this adventure. Once again a big thank you to all municipal services. The Saturday evening finale has been brought forward to 7:30 p.m. to give more time to the students and teachers to give us a final concert. A final moment when the large audience, as throughout the week, comes to enjoy jazz music one last time. As many people have told us, listening to this music in the sweetness of the evening creates an atmosphere where we enjoy relaxing, dancing, listening in a relaxed jazzy atmosphere. Saint-Cézaire has once again succeeded in its challenge of a jazz MAsterclass, unique in the summer in the Alpes Maritimes. We are already looking ahead to next year.
