The first jazz festival in the world. Yes, it was in Nice, not in America, that the world's first jazz festival was held in February 1948, at the end of Carnival. And it was in a place dedicated to “great music” that it took place in part: the Opéra! Another establishment, the Municipal Casino, on Place Masséna, which has now disappeared, lent its Belle Époque decor to this resounding premiere, several of whose concerts were broadcast live by French Radio. It must be said that the true greats were there, starting with Louis Armstrong, the undisputed star of this first edition, alongside other stars: Claude Lutter, Stéphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt. During the closing evening, at the Negresco, the party ended at dawn with a torrid jam after the singing sessions of Suzy Delair and Yves Montand. This festival was a historic moment, and jazz could now count on a true audience in France. Through his immense talent and the magnetism of his presence, Louis Armstrong revealed the beauty of this music to many newcomers. In 1948, the capital of the Côte d'Azur celebrated its nuptials with jazz, even though this union was followed by a long separation of 23 years, before a moving reunion.
Reunion at the Théâtre de Verdure. The experience wasn’t renewed in Nice until 1971, this time at the Théâtre de Verdure and in the Jardin Albert 1er. For this big comeback, artists flocked to the capital of the Côte d'Azur: Ella Fitzgerald, Pharoah Sanders, T-Bone Walker, Stéphane Grappelli, Herbie Hancock Quintet, Oscar Peterson trio, Roy Elridge, John Lewis, Al Grey, Percy Heath, Connie Key, Dizzy Gillespie, Daniel Humair, Sonny Stitt, Canonball Adderley, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach Trio…
The Grand Jazz Parade at the Arènes de Cimiez. But we had to wait until 1974 and the Grand Parade to witness the full revival of jazz in a rural setting, that of the gardens of the Arènes de Cimiez. The festival took on a breath of fresh air and experienced tremendous growth under the impetus of the City of Nice and producer George Wein. Every summer, dozens of groups and more than 200 musicians invaded the different stages amid olive trees and Roman ruins. A hugely popular outdoor party. The biggest names in jazz, including several who have since died, performed there: Stéphane Grappelli, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Carlos Santana…
The Grand Parade became the Nice Jazz Festival. While preserving the festive character of the Grand Parade, the Nice Jazz Festival set out to shake up tradition by opening up to diversified musical trends. A popular choice.
Now run directly by the city of Nice, the Nice Jazz Festival is leaving the hill of Cimiez to set up in the heart of Nice, in the Albert 1er garden, between the sea and Place Masséna.
Over the years, the festival has welcomed big names in jazz as well as artists from various musical scenes.
The Masséna stage and the Verdure stage have welcomed jazz musicians and other artists from different backgrounds. These include Black Eyed Peas, Lauryn Hill, Massive Attack, C2C, The Blaze, Herbie Hancock, Angèle, Orelsan, George Benson, Earth Wind and Fire, Ben Harper, Deep Purple, Jack Johnson, Cerrone, Mary J. Blige, Kezzia Jones, Iam, Niles Rodger, Iggy Pop, -M-, The Roots, Tom Jones, Richard Galliano, Maceo Parker, Ibrahim Maalouf, Jamie Cullum, Dr John, Abdullah Ibrahim, Yuri Buenaventura, Roberto Fonseca, Kamasi Washington, Avishai Cohen, Omara Portuando, Christian McBride, Hugh Coltman, China Moses, Brad Mehldau, Kyle Eastwood and many others have provided unforgettable evenings for more than 40,000 Nice residents every year. The NJF continues its history and continues to offer a variety of evenings for its festival-goers every year.