28e Megève Jazz Contest

Detailed program :

This 2024 edition offers a competition of 6 orchestras faithful to the Jazz Contest, enlivening the four corners of the village.
The public will award four prizes.

Friday July 12
16 p.m.-17 p.m. – festive fanfare “La Bandastico” – Rues du Village
19 p.m.-20 p.m. – festive fanfare “La Bandastico” – Jumping site, Palais esplanade
Between 20 p.m. and 22 p.m. – Orchestra concerts – partner restaurants


Saturday, July 13
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – festive fanfare “La Bandastico” – Rues du Village
Between 12:30 p.m. and 14:30 p.m. – Orchestra concerts – partner restaurants
15:30 a.m. – 16:30 p.m. – festive fanfare “La Bandastico” – Rues du Village
16:30 p.m.-20 p.m. – Competition with public voting, 6 New Orleans Jazz orchestras – 3 podiums (Amphitheater Megève Tourisme, Quartier St Paul, Place Gérard Morand)
20 p.m.-21 p.m. – festive fanfare “La Bandastico” – Streets then Village Square
Between 20 p.m. and 22 p.m. – Orchestra concerts – partner restaurants


Sunday, July 14
From 11:45 a.m. – Beef of the 6 orchestras and the festive fanfare “La Bandastico” strolling – Rues du Village
Departure 11:45 a.m. Fondation Morand Allard, rue de la Poste, rue d'Arly, rue St François, Place Gérard Morand, rue Charles Feige – Arrival 12:30 p.m. Place du Village
15 p.m.-18:30 p.m. – Competition with public voting from the 6 New Orleans Jazz orchestras – 3 podiums (Amphithéâtre Megève Tourisme, Quartier St Paul, Place Gérard Morand)
18:30 p.m. – 19:30 p.m. – festive fanfare “La Bandastico” during the deliberation of votes – Place du Village then Amphitheater Megève Tourisme
19:30 p.m. – Announcement of results, awards ceremony and final jam session – Amphitheater Megève Tourisme

Since 1994, this competition, with its 28 editions, has brought together nearly 300 orchestras and 1800 musicians who traveled for this competition of amateur New Orleans Jazz orchestras. It has become essential throughout Europe.

* In case of rain, modified programming; information at Megève Tourisme.


Poumy Arnaud
Poumy Arnaud, French musician, was Sidney Bechet's last drummer. He was also an honorary citizen of New Orleans since 1996 and Claude Luter's drummer.
To keep the memory of Sidney Bechet alive, in 1999 he created “The Sidney Bechet Memory All Stars” with musicians who accompanied the jazzman from 1949 to 1959. Their last record was recorded in New Orleans, at Pearl Harbor.
Poumy Arnaud, attending Megève since 1939, brought the jazz club “Les Cinq Rues” back to life from 1969 to 1972.
Wanting to enliven the village with the sound of jazz, he created at the request of Gérard Morand, mayor of Megève and Alain Bompard, then President of the tourist office, the Megève Jazz Festival of which he has been the artistic director since 1987
as well as the Megève Jazz Contest in 1994 to kick off the summer season, and this until 2018, the date of the last concert of its orchestra on the village square.
To merge art, sport and music, the French Skating team with Philippe Pelissier gave several galas at the Palais with the Sidney Bechet Memory All Stars orchestra live.
In 2023 Megève paid tribute to Poumy Arnaud with a reissue of the Jazz Contest.


Presentation of the participating orchestras:

**The “Burgundy Swing”**
Born in 2008, this Burgundian Jazz orchestra brings together musicians of an excellent level, who demonstrate infectious energy and overflowing swing. Their music exudes the joy of living and the pleasure of playing together, the atmosphere of the swing years will be there! Regulars at Jazz festivals (Nyon, Le Havre, Saint Thibery, Jazz Band Ball de Paris and others), they won the Megève Jazz Contest in 2015 and are happy to participate once again in this new edition, where you will not will be able to stop yourself from snapping your fingers and tapping your feet.

**The “Five in the Mood”**
These seven musicians from the Bordeaux region have been enlivening the Megève scene since 2014, to the lively rhythm of New Orleans Jazz from the 20s to the 50s. Trumpet, trombone, tenor and clarinet are accompanied by a solid banjo/guitar rhythm, double bass and drums/washboard .

**The “New Chocolate Dandies”**
Their repertoire ranges from Louis Armstrong to Sidney Bechet, including Fats Waller, Clarence Williams and many other jazz greats.
The New Chocolate Dandies are one of those traditional jazz orchestras whose main reason for being is swing. This training is a real cure for good humor and joie de vivre of which only they have the secret.
Admirers of Louis Armstrong, they draw their inspiration from the repertoire of the “Hot Five”, the “Hot Seven” and the “All Stars” of the 1950s. A repertoire served by a swinging rhythm serving an astonishing melodic section.
Composed of musicians mainly from Rouen, the New Chocolate Dandies perform in France, abroad, in concert or in clubs such as Le Petit Journal in Paris and in numerous jazz festivals (Jazz and Cheese, Vercorin, St Raphaël, Annecy , Houlgate, Ste Address, Jazz on the Quais-Cherbourg, Villa en Musique-Cabourg, Jazz Club de Savoie-Chambéry, Jazz Wednesdays-Le Touquet, Curemonte, Café de France-Ste Maxime…etc.)
It is with sincerity and generosity that they transmit to us the love of this music. To consume without moderation.

**The “Southland New Orleans Jazz Band”**
In 1987, a committed music group was formed in Hamburg, Germany, which had a common goal: to perpetuate the original music of New Orleans from the 1920s-1930s. Thus was born the “Southland New Orleans Jazz band”. The group performs music from the greats of this era such as King Oliver, Clarence Williams, JR Morton, Fats Waller as well as that of the young Louis Armstrong. This jazz group has already been invited several times to various international festivals in France; notably in Saint Raphaël and also several times in Megève and are delighted to be part of it again.

** The “Nolacoustik” **
NOLA = New Orleans LouisianaA
NOLAcoustik for traditional jazz with traditional and vocal instruments. Classical repertoire from New Orleans, personal and standard arrangements and French adaptation. Nolacoustik is an orchestra of the evolution of the “Jazzcats” with a renewal of a few musicians.
These musicians, all from Toulouse, have been involved for a long time in other orchestras of the same style and some have already participated in the Megève Jazz Contest.

**Orchestra to be confirmed**