Edition #5 Jazz à Semur – July 2025
Overview
Review of the fifth edition of the jazz festival organized in Burgundy in the town of Semur-en-Auxois.
The event is designed as an immersive and intimate experience, where each evening unfolds through a sequence of concerts, fostering close interaction between artists and the audience. Partnerships with regional actors and the integration of local talent reinforce the festival’s cultural and territorial roots.
Jazz à Semur continues to promote a vision of jazz as a living, evolving art form, accessible to a wide audience.
Festival Spirit
Remaining true to its identity, the festival combines a carefully curated program, a human-scale format, and a strong connection to its local territory, while opening up to contemporary and international jazz scenes.
The fifth edition of the Jazz à Semur festival will take place from July 3 to 5, 2025 in Semur-en-Auxois, confirming the festival’s steady growth and its role as a distinctive cultural event in Burgundy.
Our fifth poster, but our first in full autonomy.
Franck Dujoux, graphic designer partner alongside us from the very first days, has let us take flight.
Thanks to his good advice provided over several years, we have taken charge of the entire graphic charter of the festival. Thank you Franck!
Program
3 days of festival
Discover the playlist du festival 2025 on Youtube
Thursday, July 3, 2025
Music School of Auxois-Morvan
Directed by Benoit MARMONT
Bruno DELANCHY, Piano
Renan RICHARD-KOBEL, Tenor saxophone
Rémi ROUX-PROBEL, Trumpet, Percussion
Thierry LEU, Double bass
Tom MORETTI, Drums
In the heart of Burgundy, JAZZ A SEMUR is preparing an electrifying musical evening on July 3, 2025. The group PRÂNA III will offer a unique sound experience, celebrating improvisation and transforming each performance into an emotional journey.
PRÂNA III, an ensemble of sound alchemists, includes Bruno Delanchy (piano), Renan Richard-Kobel (saxophone), Rémi Roux-Probel (trumpet, percussion), Thierry Leu (double bass) and Tom Moretti (drums). Their music tells stories without words, where each note becomes a narrative.
The JAZZ A SEMUR festival in Semur-en-Auxois is more than a musical event: it is a cultural ecosystem supporting talents from Burgundy. In partnership with Big Band Nevers, the organization makes jazz accessible to all, offering a free concert that invites different audiences.
PRÂNA III offers a sensory experience where compositions are dynamic sound landscapes. The musicians create bridges between personal emotions and collective experiences, transforming each performance into a moment of artistic communion.
Group supported by our partner BIG BANG,
DJ set to animate this first evening of the festival.
In the enchanting world of music lovers, Waraba Sound is a magical duo that has transcended musical boundaries for more than fifteen years. Their journey is a sensory voyage through Jamaican, English, Caribbean and African soundscapes.
Their vinyl records are not simple objects, but fragments of musical memory. Each set is an initiatory journey, inviting the listener to explore little-known sound territories. Their performances are total immersions where dancing rhythms dialogue with timeless melodies.
This summer, Waraba Sound will take part in the Jazz à Semur festival on July 3, 4 and 5, 2025. Their program will be a musical journey highlighting the connections between jazz and world music.
The talent of Waraba Sound lies in their ability to weave links between different musical traditions. Their approach is deeply emotional and cultural. Each track tells a story that goes beyond geographical boundaries, where jazz dialogues with Caribbean rhythms and African sounds.
More than a duo of musicians, Waraba Sound is a cultural messenger that makes hearts vibrate.
Friday, July 4, 2025
Lucie JAHIER, Flutes and compositions
Laëtitia BONNIN, Piano and Rhodes
Gonzalo ALFARA UGAZ, Bass
Fabien DECHAUMONT, Drums
Lucie Jahier, with her project JAVOTTE, emerges as a bold explorer in the musical universe. Her selection for WIZZ – Women in Jazz, under the direction of Anne Pacéo and Airelle Besson, symbolizes the recognition of a talent that refuses conventions.
The musical identity of Javotte is built like an extraordinary sound patchwork. Influences intertwine: Hermeto Pascoal, Magic Malik, Naïssam Jalal and Ian Clarke dialogue, while Telemann overlooks this complex musical architecture.
Brazilian choro dances with jazz, forró intertwines with jazz-rock, and improvised music becomes the common thread. Lucie Jahier does not simply compose, she weaves bridges between seemingly irreconcilable worlds.
JAVOTTE represents more than a musical ensemble: it is a philosophy that celebrates diversity and defies categorization. The upcoming performances, notably at the JAZZ A SEMUR festival on July 4, 2025, promise electrifying moments.
Lucie Jahier reminds us that music is a living language, a celebration of freedom where only imagination sets the limits.
Adja FASSA, Vocals
Emile HENNUYER, Trumpet
Alexis NOOTENS, Guitar
Maxime MOYAERTS, Keyboards and Piano
Edwin THEOPHILE, Double bass and Bass
Olivier PENU, Drums
ADJA (Adja Fassa), the alchemy of modern Soul
A hurricane of talent
Adja Fassa, a Belgian artist, emerges as a musical meteor, reinventing the boundaries of Soul. A spiritual heir to Erykah Badu and Solange, she sculpts a transcendent sound, blending jazz, gospel and contemporary soul.
In 2023, her first EP “IRONEYE” electrified the music industry. The single “Told You So” exceeded one million streams on Spotify, propelling the artist into the international spotlight. Spotted by Impala among the 100 artists to watch, Adja Fassa confirms her extraordinary potential.
Spring 2025 will mark a new chapter with her first album. The single “A Moment”, co-produced with Adam Scrimshire—recognized by The Guardian as one of the three most influential soul producers—promises a revolutionary sound dimension.
On July 5, 2025, Adja Fassa will take over the stage of the JAZZ A SEMUR festival in Semur-en-Auxois. Accompanied by six musicians and backing vocalists, her performance promises to be a musical journey where each note becomes a breath, each silence an emotion.
Neil COWLEY, Piano
Rex HORAN, Double bass
Evan JENKINS, Drums
In 2006, the Neil Cowley Trio exploded onto the jazz scene, shaking up conventions with electrifying energy. Their hybrid sound became the manifesto of a new movement: “post-jazz”. Neil Cowley, Rex Horan and Evan Jenkins transform every note into an artistic statement.
Their first musical eruption resembled a thunderclap, mixing powerful anthems, galloping grooves and romantic moments. Their album Displaced was crowned album of the year by the BBC.
After a personal break, Neil Cowley felt the lack of human connection. His musical rebirth took shape with Entity, released in September 2024: an album of resilience where fanciful grooves and enchanting melodies tell a story of renewal.
The Jazz à Semur Festival crowns this journey by choosing them as headliners on July 4, 2025. More than a concert, the Neil Cowley Trio will offer an intense artistic communion, reminding us that music is a universal language capable of connecting souls in a fragmented world.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Ellinoa, Vocals and compositions
Christelle RAQUILLET, Flutes, Ocarina
Arthur HENN, Mandolin
Héloïse LEFEBVRE, Violin
Mathilde VRECH, Viola
Juliette SERRAD, Cello
In the contemporary musical landscape, Ellinoa emerges as a singular artist. Her project Mejiro is an artistic journey that pushes the traditional limits of music.
Born, among other things, from a residency at the Cité de la Voix in Vézelay, this creation breaks down boundaries between jazz, chamber music and folk. Each note seems to tell a story, each melody transports the listener into a poetic universe.
Ellinoa’s musical influences are fascinating: Joe Hisaishi, Björk, Bartók, the Danish String Quartet and the Punch Brothers feed this unique sound constellation. Her art lies in her ability to transform contradictions into a fluid musical experience.
On July 4, 2025, at the Jazz à Semur-en-Auxois festival, Ellinoa will present an extraordinary sextet surrounded by five musicians who will take the stage with rare instruments: viola, mandolin, ocarina.
The project received the FIP Gold Award and the support of the MNA TAYLOR foundation and the Cité de la Voix in Vézelay.
Mejiro is an invitation to a musical journey, where music transcends all pre-established frameworks.
Magic MALIK, Flute, Vocals
Olivier LAISNEY, Trumpet
Stefano LUCCHINI, Drums
Damien VARAILLON, Bass
Maxime SANCHEZ, Piano
n the kaleidoscopic universe of French jazz, Malik Mezzadri, known as Magic Malik, stands out as a bold musical explorer. For more than thirty years, this extraordinary flutist has broken down genre boundaries with a mastery that defies all categorization.
His artistic trajectory is a constant dialogue between traditional jazz, electronic sounds and ethnic music. Each note becomes an invitation to travel, an exploration of musical possibilities. His richness lies in his ability to build bridges between seemingly dissonant worlds.
His collaborations are eloquent: Laurent Garnier, St Germain, -M-, Oumou Sangaré intertwine in a dizzying sonic blend. Magic Malik becomes a transmitter, a translator of emotions.
In 2019, with his Jazz Association, he undertook to revisit jazz standards without nostalgia. This quintet, composed of emerging talents, becomes a laboratory of musical reinvention, paying tribute to jazz giants while injecting contemporary energy.
On July 5, 2025, at the JAZZ À SEMUR festival, Magic Malik will embody more than a musician: a bridge-builder of cultures, a sound poet who constantly reinvents musical boundaries.
Airelle BESSON, Trumpet
Sebastian STERNAL, Piano, Fender Rhodes
Jonas BURGWINKEL, Drums
A sound journey between classical and improvisation
Jazz is not simply a musical genre, it is a living language. Airelle Besson occupies a singular place among its most eloquent speakers. Trained in classical music, she has developed a unique trumpet language, where each note tells a story.
Influenced by Bach and Keith Jarrett, Besson has created a personal style transcending traditional classifications. Her virtuosity, deeply emotional, invites the listener into an introspective journey.
Awards pour in for this artist: winner of the Django Reinhardt prize and the Victoires du Jazz, she confirms an undeniable musical talent. Her latest project, a trio with German musicians, has been named among the finalists for Best album recorded by a French musician.
On July 5, 2025, she will be the headliner of the Jazz à Semur festival in Semur-en-Auxois. This moment promises to be magical, where the trumpeter will share her unique musical universe.
Airelle Besson embodies what jazz represents at its noblest: freedom, improvisation and pure emotion. Her music is an invitation to travel, to the discovery of oneself and of others.
1 venue for the festival
Due to ongoing renovation work at the Collegiate Church, the festival took place at Le Bahut. Thank you to the whole team for making us feel so welcome.
Excerpt from the 2025 press release
“A living, rooted and committed jazz festival”
From July 3 to 5, 2025, Semur-en-Auxois will host the 5th edition of Jazz à Semur. This human-scale festival asserts itself more each year through its singularity: a program attentive to current forms of jazz, an exceptional heritage setting, and a capacity conducive to encounters between artists and the public.
Carried by the JAS association (Jazz à Semur), the festival defends a vision of jazz as a living music, connected to the world. It is notably committed to promoting, as much as possible, a balanced representation between female and male musicians on stage. In a still unequal landscape, this attention to parity is a strong axis of its programming.
Each evening, three concerts follow one another in an intimate atmosphere, with food service and a bar on site. The deliberately limited capacity of 400 people encourages attentive listening and great proximity with the artists. The festival embraces an open approach to jazz, sensitive to the crossing of styles, to new aesthetics as well as to the power of live performance.
Jazz à Semur is an ambitious and generous program, a welcoming atmosphere. Three evenings designed to create dialogue between generations, influences, and musical curiosities.
Key Characteristics of the 2025 Edition
- A three-day, multi-concert format, encouraging immersion and continuity
- A strong emphasis on diversity of styles, from contemporary jazz to soul, electronic and world music
- A balance between emerging artists and internationally recognized musicians
- Continued commitment to supporting regional talent and partnerships
- An intimate festival atmosphere, fostering proximity between artists and audiences
Summary
The 2025 edition marks a mature and confident stage in the development of Jazz à Semur.
By combining artistic ambition, openness to new sounds, and a deeply rooted local identity, the festival continues to position itself as a unique and human-scale jazz event, offering audiences a rich and engaging musical experience.