Edition #4 Jazz à Semur – July 2024
Review of the fourth edition of the jazz festival organized in Burgundy in the town of Semur-en-Auxois.
Overview
The fourth edition of the Jazz à Semur festival took place in July 2024 in Semur-en-Auxois, continuing to strengthen the festival’s identity as a vibrant and accessible cultural event in Burgundy.
This edition combined strong artistic programming, local involvement, and international influences, while remaining true to the festival’s human-scale and welcoming spirit.
Our poster (our own!)
Franck Dujoux, a graphic designer partner alongside us from the very beginning, created the 2024 version of the poster by highlighting the pink granite of the rocky spur on which Semur-en-Auxois is built.
This artistic choice rooted the festival even more deeply in its local heritage, linking music and landscape.
Program
Thursday, July 3, 2024
To open the festival, a concert performed by 15 guitar students under the direction of Benoit MARMONT. Presentation of the work of the 2024 Jazz workshops.
Paula Mirhan (vocals), Zaza Desiderio (drums & percussion), Marcel Bottaro (guitar), Rui Barossi (bass), Rubinho Antunes (trumpet & trombone), Boris Pokora (saxophone & flute)
Boca no Beco is the gathering of Franco-Brazilian musicians. These artists met in France to share the diversity of Brazilian music, a source of inspiration for the world. With this group led by Zaza Desiderio, Samba, Baião, Choro and Bossa Nova blend in a joyful and festive atmosphere, full of creativity and improvisation.
Friday, July 4, 2024
Hugo Diaz (saxophone), Alexandre Cahen (piano), Vladimir Torres (double bass), Louis Cahen (drums)
Strongly committed to the democratization of jazz for a wide audience, Hugo Diaz draws inspiration from references of modern jazz. He comes to present his project born in 2021: Hugo Diaz Quartet – Confluences, which revolves around a series of original compositions navigating in an aesthetic influenced by European jazz, pop, and electronic music.
Laurent Coulondre (keyboards), André Ceccarelli (drums), Léo Chazallet (bass)
With “Michel on my mind,” awarded best jazz album at the Victoires de la Musique 2020, Laurent Coulondre brings back to life the generous and radiant genius that was Michel Petrucciani, perfectly blending rich and warm sounds with a volcanic and subtle rhythm section.
Laurent Coulondre is joined by Léo Chazallet on bass and on drums by the great André Ceccarelli, who needs no introduction.
Sly Johnson (vocals, beatbox), André Ceccarelli (drums), Laurent Coulondre (keyboards), Léo Chazallet (bass)
Sly Johnson, rapper, singer, beatboxer, a multi-talented artist and pure product of rap culture, will be the guest of Laurent Coulondre’s trio, Léo Chazallet and André Ceccarelli, for a surprise concert blending jazz and Hip-Hop: a creation that the JAZZ à SEMUR festival is proud to present exclusively.
Sly Johnson, a pillar of the cult group Saïan Supa Crew (2 gold records and a Victoire de la Musique), has collaborated with many great artists: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ayo, Rokia Traoré, Roy Hargrove, Erik Truffaz, Sylvain Luc and André Ceccarelli.
Saturday, July 5, 2024
Charlotte Planchou (vocals), Clément Simon (piano), Pierre Demange (drums and percussion), Thomas Posner (double bass)
“She touches the heart as she seems to sing the way she lives” — Jazz Magazine
“The young woman with gray eyes manages in a few seconds to establish silence in places where it is a challenge, and to hold everyone on her lips” — Louis‑Julien Nicolaou
“Jazz as a second love after a fine lyrical story, it is in her image that she surrounds herself with musicians from her different formations to write and produce her first album ‘Petite’ released in October 2021.” — tttt Télérama
Sophie Alour (tenor saxophone, flute), Guillaume Latil (cello), Pierre Perchaud (guitar), Anne Pacéo (drums)
Between Pierre Perchaud’s acoustic guitar, Guillaume Latil’s cello and Anne Pacéo’s drums, Sophie Alour invites us to travel in her universe where silence becomes music.
In 2021, Sophie Alour received the prestigious “Django Reinhardt” award for her entire career. In 2022 she won the Victoires de la Musique in the category Instrumental Artist and was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Dimanche 06 juillet 2024
Emmanuel Beer (Hammond, moog, keyboards), Jules Le Risbé (piano, rhodes, moog, keyboards), Thomas Doméné (drums)
Originally from Montpellier, the Sunscape trio navigates across sunny expanses of acoustic, electric and electronic timbres.
Between jazz, fusion, funk and rhythm’n’blues, keyboardists Jules Le Risbé and Emmanuel Beer, accompanied by drummer Thomas Doméné, extend our desire for escape.
Thomas Murphy, founder of Platon Records, offers you the discovery of his musical universe, both minimalist and introspective, through a generous and luminous selection of records.
Key Characteristics of the 2024 Edition
- A balanced program combining emerging artists, established musicians, and local performers
- Strong openness to international influences, particularly Brazilian and contemporary jazz scenes
- Continued support for music education and regional talent
- A festival atmosphere that remains intimate, accessible, and rooted in its local environment
Summary
The 2024 edition marked another important step in the development of Jazz à Semur, confirming its identity as a human-scale, artistically demanding, and locally rooted festival.
By bringing together diverse musical worlds, high-level performances, and a strong connection to its setting, the festival continues to grow as a distinctive and engaging jazz event in Burgundy, appealing to both dedicated audiences and newcomers.