Festival Jazz à Vialas

Jazz in the heart of the Cévennes

Nestled in the village of Vialas, at the foot of the majestic Trenze rocks in Lozère, the Festival Jazz à Vialas was born in 2008 from a summer encounter between musician friends. Nicolas Arias, a pianist from the village, had invited his bandmates on vacation. At the initiative of saxophonist Vincent Strazzieri, the group decided to return with their instruments to play in the street and share their passion for jazz with the locals and visitors. Due to the spontaneous success of this initiative, the event became an annual festival.

A collective of committed musicians

Supported by the association Jazz en Cévennes, created in 2011, the festival is driven by a collective of about fifteen regular musicians, joined by guest artists from all over France. Over the years, more than fifty musicians have participated in the adventure, helping to make Vialas a must-visit jazz event in Lozère and Occitanie.

A week of music and sharing

Every day of the festival, the village comes alive to the rhythm of jazz. The apéro JAV sessions, led by the Jazz à Vialas collective, kick off the festivities in the late afternoon with a bar and food service starting at 7 PM. Evening concerts begin at 8:30 PM and feature various ensembles: quartets, collectives, jam sessions, and open stages. The festival also offers daytime musical conferences, providing educational insights into the history and instruments of jazz.

An eclectic and accessible program

The festival's program is resolutely jazz, while also allowing for excursions into funk, Brazilian music, swing, and improvised music. Past highlights include vocal quartet concerts, gypsy jazz ensembles, explorations of the bossa nova repertoire, and tributes to the great standards of American jazz. The festival has notably hosted artists such as Virginie Teychené, The 4Tune Tellers, Pedacito, Romain Morello, and Florent Briqué.

An exceptional setting

Vialas, a small Cévenol village located at an altitude of 600 meters, offers an exceptional natural setting for this festival. Concerts take place outdoors or in the village's heritage sites, amidst stone alleys and shaded squares. The family-friendly and convivial atmosphere, the generosity of the musicians, and the wild beauty of the Cévennes make Jazz à Vialas a unique event, true to its original purpose: pleasure, conviviality, sharing, and generosity. The festival helps to dismantle the elitist image sometimes associated with jazz, making it accessible to all through a free contribution entry.