Le Journal

Would the President (of JIM not of ASM) have some acquaintance with Bernadette Soubirous, his (high ) Pyrenean neighbour ? Or has he been dealing with some sort of occult and vague Hootchie Cootchie Man follower of a New Orleans magic juju ? Thus explaining Wynton Marsalis’ suspicious presence at each festival edition, and confirming by the way the current rumours of a secret worshipping the Marciacais would devote to the cheerful trompet player’s, as his own statue erected in the village could already betray.

But lets stop joking around ! For anyone having visited the premises, the answer is crystal clear. The best musicians of our times come back regularly to Marciac, simply because they feel good here. That’s why, this year again, they’re all rushing in to be part of the scene. From the blues brother Robert Cray to the batucada minister Gilberto Gil, from the Cuban Chucho Valdès to the diva Diana Krall, from Miles Davis’ spoiled child Wayne Shorter to the flamenco player Paco de Lucia, from the funk maniac Maceo Parker to the Turbo folk Goran Bregovic —the latter to the delight of the local serb community. Joe Cocker himself — having kept a fine memory of his last appearance in Marciac— is said to have favored his Gers venue at the expense of some umpteenth celebration of Woodstock. As for Michel Portal and Kyle Eastwood, they were so eager to be part of the show that both of them complied with the harsh part of sidemen. The former for Jacky Terrasson, the latter for Al Jarreau. Finally, regarding the new guests, two names stand out from the bill : David Sanborn, saxophonist with astonishing credentials (James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Gil Evans, Steely Dan…), and George Benson whose smooth jazz hits should not let us forget that he has previously been known as Wes Montgomery’s heir. Let’s bet that with those two musicians also, the Marciac love affair is just about to start too.