On Sunday 21 July, the Marseille Jazz des cinq continents festival takes over the outdoor spaces of the Mucem to create veritable musical stages open to all forms of jazz !

With no less than four concerts in the program, top of the bill is saxophonist Donny McCaslin, who led David Bowie's last group (11pm, place d'Armes du fort Saint-Jean). He is preceded by Samy Thiébault's Caribbean jazz (8.30pm, Place d'Armes), songs of love and exile by Elina Duni & Rob Luft (9:45 pm, cour de la Commande), and virtuoso piano by Omri Mor (9:40 pm, J4 terrace).

Coproduction Mucem / Marseille Jazz des cinq continents

Samy Thiébault

8.30pm, place d’Armes du fort Saint-Jean

Samy Thiébault (saxophone tenor, alto flute, compositions and arrangements), Ralph Lavital (guitar), Felipe Cabrera (double bass), Inor Sotolongo (percussion), Arnaud Dolmen (drums).

In his new album Caribbean Stories, saxophonist and flautist Samy Thiébault combines jazz with Caribbean music to reveal all of its richness and rhythmic sophistication: merengue, calypso, and cha-cha-cha mingle and interweave in a musical journey that takes us from Miami to Caracas via Trinidad and Puerto Rico.
Around him, the Parisian artist brings together a group from across this broad geographical area, that was held so dear by the West Indian poet Édouard Glissant: percussionist Inor Sotolongo, drummer Arnaud Dolmen, bassist Felipe Cabrera, and guitarist Ralph Lavital—two Cubans, a Guadeloupean and an Englishman ... a renewed musical reminder that jazz is a rhyme for melting pot.

Elina Duni & Rob Luft

9.45pm, Cour de la Commande

Elina Duni (vocals) and Rob Luft (guitar)

A new gem of European jazz, Elina Duni made her first solo album, Partir, last year, in which the young Albanian artist, who is based in Switzerland, sang about uprootedness in nine languages. Tonight, she performs Chansons d’amour et d’exil (Songs of love and exile) with Rob Luft, hailed as one of the most talented guitarists on London's contemporary jazz scene, and whose music is influenced by English folk, indie rock. and the sounds of West Africa.

Omri Mor

9.40pm, J4 terrasse 

Omri Mor (piano), Karim Ziad (drums), Michel Alibo (bass) 

Omri Mor is a young virtuoso pianist whose scintillating music reveals the multiple influences of an exceptional talent. If his name is familiar, it is because he has already played in Marseille, accompanying Avishai Cohen's double bass. This year, he is back with songs from his debut album, It's About Time, in a sparkling trio with drummer Karim Ziad and bassist Michel Alibo.

Donny McCaslin

11pm, Place d’Armes

Donny McCaslin (saxophone), Jeff Taylor (vocals, guitar), Jason Lindner (keyboard), Owen Biddle (bass guitar), Zach Danziger (drums)

Having led David Bowie's last group on the album Blackstar, in 2018 Donny McCaslin, a leading figure of the international jazz scene, released the album Blow., without doubt the most ambitious work of his career.
With this project, he takes his music to new territories, between Progressive, Rock Art, and instrumental sequences inspired by both the Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest. The sheer power of his solos remains undimmed, just like the awesome artistic connection he maintains with Jeff Taylor and the other members of his group.