A Sting In The Tail - Nice Jazz Festival

At the heart of the summer season on the Côte d’Azur the Nice Jazz Festival returned for three evenings of open air concerts featuring the very best of jazz and contemporary music.

Held in the centre of the city on the periphery of Place Massena and in the Theatre de Verdure, the festival is one of Europe’s oldest jazz festivals and a must attend event at the heart of the summer season in Nice.

Naïka currently has the honour of having her single One Track Mind being the second most played song on French radio at the moment. Anyone holidaying in France this summer will not escape hearing this Latin flavoured song.

Naïka

Nice Jazz Festival

Her stage presence owed a lot to Dua Lipa with a touch of Shakira for good measure. There was a lot more to her than her current single, from the smooth jazz of Sade to the more African vibes of What A Day! Naïka was impressive, inspirational and inspiring, winning over many new fans in the process.

Sting has been touring his current show for over a year now, reverting to the three piece one up that made The Police one of the most successful acts of inspiring, eighties, this was a well oil performance that included some of the most recognisable pop songs of the last fifty years.

From opening with Message in a Bottle to concluding with Fragile this had been a greatest hits show in every sense, including, of course, the jazz- flavoured Englishman in New York. A worthy headliner on the first evening of the festival, his performance had also been a major coup for Nice for managing to book a world class writer and performer.

Durand Bernarr apologised for his stage attire as he opened up the second day of the festival; apparently an over-eager fan had spoilt his original outfit with minutes of his arrival on stage. Wearing what he described his “old school days clothes” his performance was certainly not worthy of an apology.

The GRAMMY-nominated singer was a captivating showman with a voice that ranged from the deep soul of Barry White to the falsetto of Philip Bailey from Earth Wind and Fire. Stuck was jazzed up for the festival whilst SHARP!, a track from his latest album, showcased his soulful vocals.

Busta Rhymes has been a key figure in hip-hop since the mid-nineties, having collaborated with Public Enemy, Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey, to name a few; his performance at the festival was highly anticipated.

His enthusiasm and energy never faded as he launched into Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check, his iconic 1996 debut solo single, keeping the momentum sharp and electrifying. Instantly, he drew the crowd into a thunderous call-and-response, barking, "Everybody, let me hear you say, turn it up," before repeating the refrain again and again, pushing the audience until their voices were almost hoarse in what was another worthy headline performance.

Gabriel Jacoby, on the closing night of the three-day festival as part of his debut tour in Europe, lacked the energy and spontaneity of any of the other acts. His big hat, which covered most of his face, didn’t help either. Whether this was a case of jet lag or otherwise, this had been a missed opportunity to introduce himself to a wider audience.

On the contrary Lola Young, a graduate from the prestigious BRIT school looked to follow in the footsteps of some of her other famous attendees at the arts and media secondary school with a performance that was bold, breezy and brilliant.

She ran through her sixteen-song set without a hitch, only apologising for her weak French. Young was utterly refreshing with a youthful exuberance.

Her powerful vocals filled the Place Massena with effortless power and clarity, while the crowd's booming singalongs threatened to drown her out during the choruses of Dealer and the hit single One Thing.

Ending with Messy, her biggest hit to date, a song about the flaws we all have, has been a flawless showcase and a jubilant end to this year's Nice Jazz Festival.