Nice Jazz Festival

After first being held in 1948,{{Cite news |date=1971-06-16 |title=LE FESTIVAL DE NICE SE DÉROULERA EN PLEIN AIR |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1971/06/16/le-festival-de-nice-se-deroulera-en-plein-air_2462970_1819218.html |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Le Monde |language=fr}} the festival didn't return until 1971, when the International Jazz Festival (later known as Jazz à Juan) relocated from Juan-les-Pins to Nice. Nice hosted this festival for two years before it returned to Juan-les-Pins. Then in 1974 a new jazz festival began in Nice and both festivals were ran separately.{{Cite news |last=Marmande |first=Francis |date=2011-07-13 |title=Nice Jazz Festival, un retour au centre et aux sources très réussi |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/ete/article/2011/07/13/nice-jazz-festival-un-retour-au-centre-et-aux-sources-tres-reussi_1548297_1383719.html |access-date=2025-03-06 |work=Le Monde |language=fr}}

From 1974 the Nice Jazz Festival was known as La Grande Parade du Jazz; in 1980 the name changed to JVC Nice Jazz Festival; in 1993 it changed to the Nice Jazz Festival; and since 2024 it has been known as Nice Jazz Fest.

It is considered "the first jazz festival of international significance"{{cite book|last=Axelrod|first=Alan|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jazz|publisher=Alpha|year=1999|page=23|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6giucunGumUC|isbn=978-0-02-862731-1}} and "the biggest, flashiest, and most prestigious jazz festival in Europe."{{cite book |last=Porter |first=Darwin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4k5u2w9lQSYC |title=Frommer's Provence & the Riviera |author2=Danforth Prince |publisher=Frommer's |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-470-13827-4 |page=26}}

At the inaugural festival, Louis Armstrong and his All Stars were the headliners.{{cite book|last=Shepherd|first=John|title=Media, Industry and Society|publisher=Continuum International|year=2003|page=281|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0tz5YpijuksC|isbn=978-0-8264-6321-0}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music|publisher=Guinness|year=1995|page=3034|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5JlGAAAAMAAJ|isbn=978-1-56159-176-3}} Armstrong later recorded C'est si bon after hearing it sang by Suzy Delair during her performance.{{Cite web |last=Michet |first=Nathalie |date=2022-07-08 |title=Louis Armstrong, grand pionnier du Nice Jazz Festival |url=https://radio-monaco.com/louis-armstrong-grand-pionnier-du-nice-jazz-festival/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Radio Monaco |language=fr-FR}}

Other artists present in 1948 included: George Barnes, Barney Bigard, Ruby Braff, Francis Burger, Sid Catlett, Suzy Delair, Baby Dodds, Challain Ferret, Stéphane Grappelli, Earl Hines, Jean Leclère, Claude Luter, Mezz Mezzrow, Velma Middleton, Yves Montand, Michael Moore, Joseph Reinhardt, Arvell Shaw, Jimmy Skidmore, Emmanuel Soudieux, Rex Stewart, Jack Teagarden, Louis Vola, and Wayne Wright.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Over the years, the festival has included notable artists, such as Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald,{{cite book|last= Nicholson|first=Stuart|title=Ella Fitzgerald: a biography of the first lady of jazz|publisher=Da Capo|year=1993|page=213|url=https://archive.org/details/ellafitzgeraldbi00nich | url-access = registration|isbn=978-0-306-80642-1}} Helen Humes,{{cite book|last=Smith|first=Jessie Carney|author2=Shirelle Phelps|title=Notable Black American Women|publisher=Verlag für die Deutsche Wirtschaft|year=1996|page=310|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ssMBzqrUpjwC|isbn=978-0-8103-9177-2}} Herbie Hancock, and Miles Davis.{{cite book|last=Cole|first=George|title=The Last Miles: The Music of Miles Davis, 1980-1991|publisher=U of Michigan P|year=2005|page=407|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZcnGp0740TMC|isbn=978-0-472-11501-3}}

After 1994, the festival saw a change of emphasis, with more world music and pop. But then by 2007, the festival's newest organizer Vivian Sicnasi, reinstated an eclectic mix of traditional and modern sounds with an international line-up, making it "one of the Riviera's biggest annual events."{{cite book|last=Porter|first=Darwin|author2=Danforth Prince|author3=Cheryl A. Pientka|title=France for Dummies|publisher=For Dummies|year=2007|pages=45–46|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PBU3LMq_wh8C|isbn=978-0-470-08581-3}}

From 1974 to 2010{{cite web |title=The Cimiez Hill. 'Sites' collection |url=https://www.nice.fr/uploads/media/default/0001/15/FDP%20laCollineDeCimiez_ANGLAIS_WEB.pdf |accessdate=20 March 2020 |website=www.nice.fr |publisher=Service Patrimoine historique}} the Nice Jazz Festival was held among the Roman ruins in Cimiez each year.{{cite web |title=Practical information / Nice Jazz Festival - Nice Jazz Festival 2012 |url=http://eng.nicejazzfestival.fr/Practical-information |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717035226/http://eng.nicejazzfestival.fr/Practical-information |archivedate=2012-07-17 |accessdate=2012-07-04}}{{cite web |last1=Jenkins |first1=Maureen |date=9 August 2012 |title=10 ways to live it up on the French Riviera |url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/savoring-south-of-france/index.html |accessdate=20 March 2020 |website=CNN |language=en}} In 2011, following years of falling attendance, the festival was moved from Cimiez to the more centrally located Place Masséna. It was reported that about 30,000 spectators attended the five-day festival in 2011, with daily attendance nearly doubling.{{Cite web |date=2011-07-13 |title=Nice Jazz festival: près de 30 000 spectateurs en 2011 |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/nice-jazz-festival-pres-de-30-000-spectateurs-en-2011_1011879.html |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=L'Express |language=fr}}

The 2016 Festival, scheduled to begin on 16 July, was cancelled in the wake of the truck attack on 14 July 2016.{{cite news |url=http://jazztimes.com/articles/172302-2016-nice-jazz-festival-cancelled |title=Jazz Articles: 2016 Nice Jazz Festival Cancelled |work=Jazz Times |date=15 July 2016 |accessdate=19 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160719220459/http://jazztimes.com/articles/172302-2016-nice-jazz-festival-cancelled |archive-date=19 July 2016 |url-status=dead }}

For the 76th festival, in 2024 Nice Jazz Festival was renamed as Nice Jazz Fest, and took place in August.{{Cite web |last=Bezruk |first=Natalia |date=17 Aug 2024 |title=Nice Jazz Fest 2024: A Timeless Celebration with a Modern Twist - Monaco Voice |url=https://monacovoice.com/en/article/nice-jazz-fest-2024-a-timeless-celebration-with-a-modern-twist |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241230153752/https://monacovoice.com/en/article/nice-jazz-fest-2024-a-timeless-celebration-with-a-modern-twist |archive-date=2024-12-30 |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=Monaco Voice |language=en-US}}

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• [http://www.nicejazzfest.fr Nice Jazz Festival official site] {{in lang|en|fr}}

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Category:Jazz festivals in France

Category:Culture of Nice

Category:Tourist attractions in Nice

Category:1948 establishments in France

Category:Music festivals established in 1948