PRESS RELEASE the 35Th Edition of the Cully Jazz Festival Starts Friday!

PRESS RELEASE Cully, le 29 mars 2017

The 35th edition of the Cully Jazz Festival starts friday!

The Cully Jazz Festival opens its doors to the public this Friday, 31st March. For 35 years the Festival celebrates the beginning of spring with nine nights of discoveries and rediscoveries of today's talents and of the most amazing jazz musicians. Rhythms from the African continent will be guiding this weekend's concerts with Les Amazones d'Afrique, the Swiss-Malian duet Kala Jula and the songwriter Blick Bassy. Even though some concerts are sold out, there are still tickets available on sale for most evenings.

A place full of discoveries and creativity, the small winemaking village of Cully transforms itself every year for 35 years now in the capital city of Jazz. A place of freedom, full of creativity and open to the world, where the aim is to show the unknown to the world by exploring ever changing territories, and by honouring and giving space the best European and international jazz scene. During those nine days, we will travel to Ethiopia, to the banks of the Mississippi, to Mali, searching for Cuba's African origins, and stopping by Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra's United States.

The African continent will play a leading role for the opening of this new edition, in a hurricane of notes, colours and harmonies, Les Amazones d’Afrique, all-star formed of the greatest singers and musicians of West Africa will unite their voices in a fight against violence against women. The Coup de cœur of this year's program, the young singer Alsarah, will be performing as their opening act alongside her compelling Nubian retropop rhythms. Friday will be performing at the Next Step Oddisee the rapper considered as one of the most listed indie hip-hop figures, at the Temple the duet formed by Lars Danielsson and Grégory Privat, Tony Allen and his tribute to his idole Art Blakey, and also the double bassist Avishai Cohen for an unforgettable double concert. Other events not to miss on this first weekend: songwriter Blick Bassy from Cameroon who will take us on the a journey following the footsteps of the legendary Skip James, and a celebration of tango lead by the Quarteto Gardel accompanied by the accordion player Lionel Suarez.

The rest of the week will be full of journeys, a blues evening close to the Delta with Fink and Big Daddy Wilson, a quick stopover in Los Angeles with Miles Mosley and breathtaking band The West Coast Get Down, and a return trip to Africa with the king of ethio-jazz Mulatu Astatke. His concert will be followed by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, who has scoured stages from all around the world and enhances his father's musical heritage, Fela Kuti, by adding his touch of soul, rap and funk.

All the jazz and 90 free concerts The Cully Jazz Festival is also an occasion for many free rendez-vous in twelve locations of Cully. The OFF, important strength of the Festival, offers around 90 free concerts and presents the audience with a large variety of up and coming jazz as well as from its origins. $the high quality of the OFF program makes the limits with the IN Festival hardly noticeable, as proves the many residencies as well as the Club who welcomes this year the drummer and composer Anne Paceo, who is already an important artist in the French contemporary jazz scene, and Italian composer Manuel Volpe who enjoys mixing jazz to world music. And as always, supportive Festival, that couldn't do with the courageous, motivated, high spirited and relentless team of volunteers. In 2016, there were more than 500 active in all sectors of the event, from the bars to the security, from the logistics to the infrastructure without forgetting the boutique, the drivers or the maintenance team.

Ten years of Lavaux Unesco To celebrate it's 10th anniversary, Lavaux Unesco is getting together with the Cully Jazz Festival's traditional musical bal(l)ades, lead by the notorious guide Pierre Corajoud, and is putting up an exhibition on the docks of Cully.

Access and transport Trains have been added to the regular CFF timetable for the beginning and the end of the evenings between Lausanne/Vevey and Cully, as well as in the station of Grandvaux. Post coaches will provide services to Lausanne and Vevey for the return journey of the festival goers. All the connecting lines available on the online timetable cff.ch and on www.cullyjazz.ch/en/practical/transportation/.

Ticket Office Tickets are on sale on the website cullyjazz.ch, in the Festival office in Cully and in all FNAC and Starticket sales outlets.

Contact presse The press folder is available online cullyjazz.ch/en/press/ Photos and biographies of the artists are accessible on cullyjazz.ch/presse/galeries

Press office Sophie Grecuccio ▪ T. 021 799 99 00 ▪ M. 078 905 84 86 ▪ [email protected] Cassandre Berdoz ▪ T. 021 799 99 00 ▪ M. 079 589 57 18 ▪ [email protected]