Morcheeba, Michel Jonasz, Ibrahim Maalouf, Deluxe... the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival unveils a high-flying program

Nineteen years of jazz spirit. On the eve of its 20th anniversary, the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival is daring this year to embrace the intersection of generations, aesthetics, and audiences.

"We have a very eclectic program that we owe to Reno Di Matteo, a wizard, an artificer who manages to create extraordinary double sets," says Alfonso Ciulla, artistic director of the Société des Bains de Mer, before unveiling the artists who will perform, from November 20 to 29, on the intimate stage of the Salle Garnier at the Monte-Carlo Opera. Not without a thought and a new tribute to Jean-René Palacio, creator of the festival.

Ibrahim Maalouf, Deluxe and Yuri Buenaventura

Once the inauguration on Thursday, November 20th, with the opportunity given to the young talents of the Rainier-III Academy to perform in public in these legendary places, the festival gets straight to the heart of the matter.

On Friday the 21st, French singer Gabi Hartmann , a captivating voice in the making, blending jazz, pop, bossa nova, and folk, will be previewing Ibrahim Maalouf, a regular at this autumn event. The trumpeter will pay tribute to the very popular Egyptian singer Oum Kalthoum by revisiting the Arabian Nights.

On Saturday 22nd, Stanley Clarke , a multi-award-winning bass and double bass icon, will open the evening. "We've been chasing him for five years, and it's going to be a great musical moment," assures Reno Di Matteo.

Then Deluxe , "the pop-funk UFO of the French scene, a band of mustachioed men, will set the stage on fire," adds Alfonso Ciulla. Two very distinct universes but carried by the same positive waves.

On Sunday the 23rd, the Harlem Gospel Choir will share the power of African-American gospel. "They've sung for three presidents [Obama, Carter, Mandela, editor's note]. On stage, they're a ball of energy. There will be some musical forays around Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding," explains Reno Di Matteo.

After a brief musical break on Monday 24th, with the conference on jazz and cinema by Thierry Jousse in partnership with the Audiovisual Institute of Monaco, the program will start again in full force on Wednesday 26th with the pianist Monty Alexander , legend of jazz and reggae, then with the romantic and sensual salsa of the Colombian Yuri Buenaventura , known for his Latin cover of the Jacques Brel title, Ne me quitte pas.

On Thursday 27th, Swiss singer Lea Maria Fries, "an extraordinary voice" who will be a force to be reckoned with in the future, will precede the cult English trip-hop group of the 1990s: Morcheeba ( Big Calm ; Who Can You Trust ). "They're my favorite, " admits Alfonso Ciulla with a smile. "They're such inspiring feminine jazz accents."

On Friday the 28th, the organizers will be able to count on barefoot organist Rhoda Scott . She will be accompanied by vocalist David Linx . Before Michel Jonasz , with his soul in his veins, reinvents his hits from yesteryear. "He sells out at every show. He will be with Manu Katché on drums and Jean-Yves d'Angelo on keyboards," explains Alfonso Ciulla.

To close the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival on Saturday 29, Alfonso Ciulla promises "a concert that cannot leave you indifferent, an immense moment of music" : the Égarés quartet, born from a miraculous jam session between jazz and traditions, then the extraordinary voice of Asaf Avidan , "between rough folk and visceral lyricism" .