Jazz Festival at Saint-Germain-des-Prés
Jazz lovers will not want to miss the 10th annual “Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés” this year. The festival offers two full weeks of entertainment from May 16th through 30th, with concerts scheduled every day and free photo expositions that highlight several aspects of this musical genre in Paris and New York.
Sunday’s opening schedule consisted of a free concert at the Eglise Saint-Germain that featured new female talent. In fact, most of the concerts offered during the two week period are free of charge. Venues for these concerts include FNAC Montparnasse, Starbucks Coffee at various locations in central Paris, and the Sunset and Sunside jazz club (one drink minimum here), while ticket purchase is required for concerts being held at the Théâtre de l’Odéon, the Hôtel Meridien Montparnasse, and other grander sites. (Note that the venues are not restricted to Saint-Germain-des-Prés.)
Photo expositions are hung at the Hôtel Bel Ami (which is also celebrating its 10th anniversary this year), the Bibliothèque André Malraux, and the Hôtel Lutetia (which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year). The show at the Bel Ami, and one of the expos at the Bibliothèque, trace the history of the Festival. But the most spectacular exhibit will undoubtedly be the display of a collection of Philippe Levy-Stab’s photos entitled “Jazz, Spirit of New York” at the Brasserie and the Salon Saint-Germain of the Hôtel Lutetia. This expo will is scheduled to end on 31July 2010, long after the festival is over.
To see the entire schedule for the festival, click here.
