Cosmojazz 2016

The annual Cosmojazz festival has grown over the years from a few musicians gathering for a bit of a jam session, to a whole week of live performances taking place all over the Chamonix valley.

This year’s festival runs from 23rd to 31st July and the lineup features artists from all over the world, singing and playing music from diverse cultures.

It’s not just the music that is a bit out of the ordinary, so are the venues. No ordinary festival, Cosmojazz takes the music into the mountains. Here are some of the highlights of this year’s Cosmojazz festival:

Saturday 23rd July

The festival kicks off with an alfresco performance over the Swiss border beside the Glacier du Trient by Amine & Hamza Trio. These Tunisian brothers weave Mediterranean, Andalusian and Indian influences together to create a unique and melodic sound. Starting at 11am, you can hike to the concert site from the Col de Forclaz in about an hour.

Sunday 24th July

Sunday takes us back over the Swiss border to the stunning location of Emosson Dam, for performances by Jeremy Hababou Trio at 11am and GoGo Penguin at 2pm. While the Franco-Israeli Jeremy Hababou Trio is a more traditional jazz combo, the Mancunian GoGo Penguin has a more contemporary sound, mixing electronica and acoustics to great effect. You can either drive to Emosson, or take the train past Vallorcine to Chatelard and then ride the steep funicular up to the dam.

Monday 25th July

Elina Duni returns to the Cosmojazz after her debut performance in 2011. A two hour hike from Vallorcine brings you to the beautiful Alpages de Loriaz, where from midday you can enjoy a mesmerising solo performance featuring vocals, percussion and guitar with folk influences from her native Albania.

Wednesday 27th July

The talented quartet of Biondini-Schaerer-Kalima-Niggli bring their vocals, accordion, guitar and drums to the alpine meadows of Les Houches for an inventive, fun and lively performance from 2pm. You can either take the gondola up directly to Prarion sector, or make an excursion of it and ride the Tramway du Mont Blanc up from Saint-Gervais. This evening welcomes Sparkling Duo to Servoz for an evening of funky tunes that will get you dancing from 8pm at the Maison du Lieutenant.

Thursday 28th July

Originally from Cameroon, Blick Bassy brings his very special blend of folk, soul and blues to Les Grands Montets. Many songs are in his native language of Bassa, accompanied by guitar, cello and trombone. The performance takes place at Lognan from midday and can be accessed from the Grands Montets cable car.

Friday 29th July

Multi-instrumentalist, literally acclaimed jazz musician and wearer of snazzy overcoats, Sylvain Rifflet brings his haunting dreamlike melodies to Brevent. Blending saxophone, clarinet, percussion, guitar, flute, kalimba and various other instruments to create unique and futuristic sounds in a remote setting, take a picnic and enjoy something quite out of the ordinary. This evening Radio Meuh is hosting a Cosmo Party at Hotel Alpina from 10pm, with their DJs playing funk and soul until late.

Saturday 30th July

The usually tranquil pastures of Le Tour get their turn in the limelight today. Hop on the Charamillon gondola or hike up from the car park to see Florian Favre Trio playing piano, double bass and drums in an idyllic mountain setting from 11am. Make a day of it and stick around for the clear tones and powerful emotive voice of Julia Sarr, singing African-inspired jazz accompanied by piano and percussion from 2pm. You can take a picnic, or buy lunch at either of the restaurants at the top and bottom of the cable car.

Sunday 31st July

The final day of the festival brings us to Planpraz to listen to the soulful voice of Amira Medunjanin, dubbed “the Bosnian Billie Holiday”; she’ll be singing at 11am accompanied by Ante Gelo on guitar and Zveonimir Sestk on bass. Go for a short hike or watch the parapenters taking off while you wait for the final mountain concert of the festival at 2pm by the Aziz Sahmaoui Trio. Hailing from Morocco they bring the rich hypnotic sounds of the Berber people to Chamonix, blended with the Senegalese roots of guitarist Herve Samb for a truly unique and atmospheric performance.

As well as the mountain concerts there are also regular performances taking place in Chamonix centre. Be sure to check out the Maison des Artistes and Parc Couttet, a quirky historic house within a landscaped park that has recently been carefully restored and reinvented as a hip jazz club. Concerts take place in Parc Couttet most days from 5:30pm and are followed by the “Yes, We Play” jam sessions every evening at 10pm. Hosted by Guillaume Perret on saxophone, Yoann Serra on drums and Linley Marthe on bass, all musicians are welcome to join in while the rest of us enjoy the vibes at this chilled out venue in the centre of Chamonix.

Don’t forget that there is also the Cosmojazz “OFF” Festival programme, crammed with dozens of live bands and musicians playing in various bars, hotels and restaurants in Chamonix throughout the two weeks. You’ll find everything from lazy summer afternoon beats to full-on funk sessions, so take a walk round town and soak it all up! You can find the full schedule on the official Cosmojazz website.

All of the concerts are completely free of charge, the only thing you need to pay for is a lift pass to access the various mountain sites. If you have a Mont Blanc Multipass then it is valid for every lift in the valley, otherwise you can buy day passes to wherever you want to go.