Created in 2006 by saxophonist Jean-Jacques Quesada, Jazz And Wine Bordeaux® is a unique event which travels around the wine domains in the Bordeaux wine region. Every year from June to September it offers a one- of- a- kind opportunity to listen to the greatest musicians of Jazz of international fame in the heart of the properties chosen for their unparalleled picturesque beauty and prestige. It was chosen in 2010 as the first wine tourism event of the Southwest by the prestigious French wine magazine "Terre de Vins ".
Prestigious properties, rare venues
Since 2006 around 50 properties in Bordeaux have already participated, drawing special attention to the most prestigious wine appellations of the Bordeaux region. The likes of Chateaux Beychevelle, Clos Fouret, Fonplégade, La Tour Blanche, La Dauphine and Carbonnieux have held these concerts on their soil in the preceding years. From Saint Emilion to Fronsac, Sauternes to Pomerol, Cotes de Bourg to Margaux passing by Saint Estephe, the most celebrated wine region of the world is accentuated by the jazz concerts of unparalleled artistic panache and vividness. These chateaux exceptionally open their gates to the public as a part of the Jazz And Wine Bordeaux® festival. Each concert is followed by a Tasting of the selected wines of the property.
Jean Jacques Quesada: man behind the curtains, ahead of his times
Jean Jacques Quesada, an accomplished saxophonist, is the brain and muscle behind this great event. I caught up with him a couple of days before the concluding concert and despite running on a crazy schedule he agreed to talk to me and share his vision for what he loved the most!
To my pleasant surprise we found a common ground for many subjects we touched during our conversation-from spirituality to films, coca cola to organic foods! He said he was 15 years old when he listened to John Coltrane on radio for the very first time. Something shifted inside and after further inquiry about the musician he had heard on the radio, he plunged into the world of music. In his words “that was a life altering moment for me”. Before that, like any other teenager those days he was interested in football and used to play piano and guitar. He trained rigorously for many years under Professor Jean Marie Londeix, the classic saxophonist of the world when he found himself constantly drawn towards the technique of saxophone which he mastered religiously.
He opines that Bordeaux had always been a Jazz city. During the 1st and 2nd World War American soldiers used to descend on the banks of Garonne and the environment used to be filled with vibrant, lively music. “That was how Jazz entered Bordeaux”, he says, adding “Jazz is like a language that has to be learnt to be able to use it for expressing”.
The concept of combining Jazz and Wine came out from his two friends Peter Giron and Michael Narunsky from USA who had a great love and passion for wines. The first edition in 2006 spanned over a period of two and a half months. He recalls, “It was only as a surprise for friends; 6 chateaux participated. And I called my friends to play! The first concert happened in Saint Emilion at Chateau Cantin where to our utter surprise 400 people turned up!”
There were 500 people next year and since then the number only kept increasing. In 2012, he says, “Herbie Hancock had come to play in the memory of his friend Michael Breker”, the legendary musician who had died in 2007. When I ask him about what correlation he finds between Jazz and Wine and does he think the city of Bordeaux can be credited for making the festival the grand success it was from its very first edition, he says, “Bordeaux and wine cannot be separated from each other. The city has a local history of Jazz music. In the 50s though, people were not as much interested in wine nor was Jazz considered as great as Beethoven or Bach. Times changed and slowly Jazz was taken seriously. On the content level, it is now regarded sophisticated, has a great image and is very intriguing to all music lovers alike. A part of this image may also have to do with Jazz being American classical music!”
A great admirer of Indian Classical Music, he went on and on about his love and profound appreciation for the great Indian maestros like Bismillah Khan, Ravi Shankar, Hari Prasad Chaurasiya and Ustaad Vilayat Khan. The topic quite logically wandered to films and he says “Satyajit Ray! What can I say about him!” When I say that his ‘The Music Room’ has one of the most evocative opening scenes ever filmed, he is quick to add “I totally agree.”
He very fondly admires India’s contribution to the world in spirituality, music and civilization. He believes that India’s ancient treasure of culture and philosophy in every aspect gives the world a “dimension supérieur de la vie” (a superior dimension of life). “After all, the human race cannot ever contradict the beauty, fragility and force of Nature”, he quips.
An Affair to Remember
From 2014, the Jazz and Wine festival in Bordeaux has become Jazz And Wine Bordeaux® due to its immense popularity and the growing demand to organize festivals based on this concept. All the concerts which figure in the Jazz and Wine Bordeaux 2014® are unique to France (except Pat Matheny of whom Jazz and Wine has nevertheless the exclusivity in the South of France). The artistic stage is particularly exceptional with the presence of formidable artists like Pat Metheny, Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltranee, Matthew Garrison, Steve Swallow, Adam Nussbaum, Joe Lovano, Marc Copland, John Abercrombie, Dave Liebman, Richie Beirach, Baptise Trotignon-each an institution in himself. This programming with the presence of international stars, places it amongst the top three festivals of Jazz in France.
On the 27th June 2014, Theatre Femina, situated in the centre of Bordeaux, made for an exceptional venue for the opening event. Pat Metheny who had obtained world fame in the Jazz music scene when he had created Pat Metheny Group in 1977, had Chris Potter, Antonio Sanchez, Ben Williams, Giulio Carmassi. They enchanted the audience on the opening evening of this magnificent festival.
The 5th July 2014 at Maison Blanche –Montagne Saint Emilion saw Jack DeJohnette Trio comprising of drummer Jack DeJohnette, Saxophonist Ravi Coltranee and Guitarist Matthew Garrison, regale the crowd at the second concert which attracted applause from the audiences for more than two hours.
On the19th July 2014 at Eglise Saint Martin- Gajac the concert by “Intermezzo Jazz And Wine” (of Baptiste Trotignon) was purely jazz and classical music. The first part was Mozart/ Franck with the celebrated violinist Florence Roussin; the second part was Jazz Piano Solo. Baptiste is a Parisien who started training and studying Classic Piano from the age of 9. His exceptional musical achievements over the years notwithstanding, especially with his first String Quartet “Empreintes” he has entered the coveted list of the finest international talents in contemporary music.
On the 23rd of July 2014 at Chateau Beychevelle, the concert was presented by “WeThree” which constituted Steve Swallow, Dave Liebman and Adam Nussbaum; the evening was an unforgettable event. A New Yorker by birth, Dave Liebman is indisputably one of the most important figures in contemporary Jazz. In 2011, he received “National Endowment for the Arts” - the most prestigious recognition to an artist in the USA. Adam Nussbaum is not only a fantastic drummer but his knowledge of the history of his art and craft makes him an artist par excellence. Steve Swallow is an expert in electronic music. With the repertoire like this, it took little for these Masters to get the audiences awestruck and mesmerized.
On the 29th July 2014 at Château de la Citadelle-Bourg sur Gironde, Joe Lovano (the great saxophonist from Clevelend, USA), Darryl Hall (the very acclaimed electronic musician from Philadelphia) and Dré Pallemaerts (one of the most prominent drummers in Europe from Belgium) of the “Joe Lovano Trio” enthralled the audiences with the heavenly symphony they created.
On the 7th August 2014 at Château Laroze-Saint Emilion “John Abercrombie and Marc Copland duo” made an eloquent pair. John Abercrombie is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished guitarists of today. With his unique personal language of music which distinguishes him from his other contemporaries, he enthralled all of us that beautiful evening. Marc Copland, who began his career as a saxophonist before establishing himself as one the most renowned pianists of today, had a great complicity with John which made their musical presentation extremely riveting.
27th August 2014 Château Guiraud, Sauternes: Live and fresh in my memory as the concert itself is the last event of Jazz and Wine Bordeaux 2014® by Richie Beirach, the exceptional pianist and Dave Liebman. The stage was set against the backdrop of the extremely beautiful Chateau Guiraud in Sauternes (1er Grand Cru Classé) and what the audience got to hear were not only excellent pieces of extraordinary music but a near divine experience for all the music lovers. During the Tasting after the concert some of the best of the Sweet from Chateau Guiraud were presented. Here I met Hélene Harriet, a spirited young lady who is the director of the Media Partners of the Jazz and Wine Bordeaux®.
Jean Jacques says that a partnership to organize similar festivals in USA and Canada is under consideration. “For me it is no more a festival but an event.” He says with satisfaction and humble pride, ”now it is chateaux who contact me”. His wish is to have Jazz and Wine festivals in all the great wine regions of the world (perhaps India too?!) “Imagine”, he chuckles, “how magical it would be to have musicians from California performing in Bordeaux and vice versa! With big chateaux showing interest in participating, it is becoming bigger and better.” With his intense love and unstoppable passion for music, his whole hearted dedication and insightful understanding of his purpose, I have no doubts that Quesada will take Jazz to newer heights of glory, popularity and reverence.
Music for Humanity
On 13th January 2007, one of the most talented and celebrated Saxophonist of the last 20 years, Michael Brecker died in New York owing to a rare from of Leukemia after having waited for two years for a bone marrow transplant. The Information and Sensitization Campaign to Donate Bone Marrow to give homage to the Saxophonist Michael Brecker ran for its 8th consecutive year during the event.
All that Jazz
Jazz, a musical genre born in New Orleans in the US in the early twentieth century is a cross between Blues, Reggae, and European music. It is hybrid music that brings together African and Western cultures. The idea of pairing Jazz & Wine along with sharing the experience seems quite natural. Like Jazz that draws its treasure of multifariousness from all kinds of music, wine owes its multitude of varieties to many soils, grape varieties and winemaking methods. Plato said “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and gaiety to life and to everything.”
Quite rightly so, Jazz And Wine Bordeaux® as a musical event is actually the celebration of life and the light which guides it.
Pallavi Vatsa
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