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No great surprise therefore if, this summer, Jazz In Marciac defiantly reaches a new level in its ongoing Ascension (John Coltrane’s that is, not Jesus-Christ’s). For, although the history of this prestigious French jazz festival (based in Gers) has revealed and cherished a great many fantastic artists, never before has its whole program been so enticing.

As a matter of fact, all the regular performers – including, no need to say, Wynton Marsalis who has turned half Gascon by now – will be here. For all of them, their appearance at Marciac has been some sort of celestial pause in their career. Roy Hargrove and Marcus Miller are determined to pay homage to the god Miles ; Ahmad Jamal delighted to introduce a young girl he’s particularly fond of : Hiromi ; Jamie Cullum who had to take a long break following his intense previous show on this very same stage three years ago ; Kenny Barron and McCoy Tyner, willing to undertake some crazy keyboard marathon ; the high-spirited Cuban tandem, Roberto Fonseca and Chucho Valdés ; John Zorn, the pyromaniac saxophonist determined, once again, to set the marquee on fire ; Gilberto Gil who, according to rumor, feels easier on the scarce grass of the local rugby ground than on the Macarana super field…

Still, considering conviviality is one of Marciac Jazz festival’s trade marks, the program is also open to good spirited newcomers. Such as Paco de Lucia, the renowned flamenco-jazz guitarist ; Goran Bregovic, the Serbian rock star close to Iggy Pop, Johnny Depp ; or even Kyle Eastwood, daddy’s boy who, thanks to hard work, has turned into some worthy bassist. Without forgetting Allen Toussaint, the New Orleans rhythm and blues legend.

Well, as we can see, no part of the 2010 Jazz in Marciac program can be discarded. Nor even any controversy triggered off, since the festival starts off with a special evening dedicated to Yaron Herman and Diana Krall – the mathematician and the diva – whose encounter is bound to be an electrical storm.