Jazz à Junas: 20th Anniversay Interview with Stéphane Pessina Dassonville artistic director of Jazz à Junas July 2013 by Achille Brunazzi
Pascal Domenech, Stéphane Pessina Dassonville,
Fabrice Manuel (the three founders) Edmond Zimmermann andGuy Lochard (20th Annyversary DVD's makers)
and Michel Muller (Major of Junas)
In the wild and gorgeous South-Eastern French countryside a real
musical miracle " takes place every mid-July from 1993.
The tiny and medieval village of Junas (date of birth 1384) represents, one might
say, the most suitable location for this unique event: Jazz à Junas. Junas is a
bunch of stony, ancient and restored houses surrounded by a huge and thick oak forests,
was " elected " the village of Jazz. Since 20 years jazz musicians from different
parts of the world had been playing on the stage of the amazing "Carrières
de Junas". Unlike well known French Jazz festivals, Jazz à Junas raised
dramatically despite small budgets thanks to the huge passion by his actual director:
Stéphane Pessina Dassonville, the co-director Fabrice Manuel and hundreds of precious
volunteers. During the edition 2013, for www.jazzitalia.net
we got the chance to talk with Stéphane Pessina Dassonville to celebrate the twentiest
anniversary of the festival.
Where the
idea of Jazz à Junas comes from?
Jazz à Junas was a three people's idea: Fabrice Manuel – the actual co-director
– Pascal Domenech and myself. Fabrice and Pascal are both from Junas while I'm from
another village not far from Junas (Vauvert). Our friendship started at college;
we all shared the passion for music and attended concerts, even if I was more involved
in jazz than they were: my best friend's father used to take me and watch "the cats"
like Michel Petrucciani, Miles Davis etc. Being part of another
Association from our respective elder relatives, we organized concerts that were
hosted at the "Carrières of Junas" already. But we wanted our
own festival and in 1993 we conceived
the first edition of Jazz à Junas focused on Lituania. From the really beginning
the Municipality of Junas and The Association of the "Rencontres de la Pierre" really
helped us to us the " Carrières " as the natural theatre for the Festival. We also
got financial help from some public institutions like the French Ministry of Culture
(DRAC), Region of Languedoc-Roussillon, Department of Gard and a group of Municipalities
around Junas (Communauté de Communes du Pays de Sommières) and recently from a group
of individuals (patrons) who love jazz (CLAJJ).
Tell us about the Association Jazz à
Junas and the spirit of the Festival.
I'd like to talk about the number of volunteers who are the most important
part of this Association: they are like 120 and the Festival stands notably on their
shoulders. Jazz à Junas was and is still thought for passionate and never changed
in the last 20 years. The countryside represents another very peculiar aspect of
what occurs every mid-July and we love to keep this unique atmosphere; all the musicians
understands our genuine dedication and love very much to play at Junas.
I'd like also to talk about the great job done by our two employees: Lou Prigent
and Sébastien Cabrié (the Project Manager). They're on the front line all the
year long and do a very important work to organize day by day and the Jazz Festival
and the Jazz Season.
Is there anything that you retained
throughout the last 20 years?
I do remember the " Italians " like
Enrico Rava,
Furio Di Castri
and our great friend
Paolo Fresu.
I recall the edition 2001: that Festival was
dedicated to Armenia. The Armenian musician Tigran Hamasyan went out for
the first time of Armenia to play in Junas with Christophe et Philippe Le Van and
played also with Daniel Humair and Pierre Michelot. Tigran now lives
in New York and won the important Thelonius Monk Prize. Those concerts were unbelievably
intense and I can still feel the same vibes as that day. On the same level I would
quote " the Angel Quartet " by
Furio Di Castri,
Nguyên Lê, Paolo Fresu and
Roberto
Gatto and I regret that this band broke up. Also I like to remember
with pleasure, the Duo made by
Paolo Fresu
and Furio Di
Castri who has been playing for a decade at the Protestant Church of
Junas http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Junas_Temple_4194.JPG where we organize
smaller and inner musical events, mostly acoustic.
Concerning the American jazz star (Archie
Shepp,
Ahmad
Jamal, David Murray,
Dave Liebman,
Billy Hart, Nicole Mitchell,
Brian Blade,
Hamid Drake
for instance) they were always nice with the Festival. I think they could immediately
feel how passionate we are and love for music we have and so appreciate that. I
personally remember Christian Scott and Nicole Mitchell, two great
artists and wonderful persons.
Do you follow any artistic front at
Jazz à Junas?
The Festival is a free space for all musical cultures. Every edition is dedicated
to a specific subject. In 2008 Jazz à Junas
was focused on Sardinia and Sardinian musicians: Elena Ledda,
Antonello
Salis, Mauro Palmas, the project "Sonos e Memoria" and the Sardinian
Fanfara. With Fabrice Manuel, we appreciate mainstream jazz, but we also want to
present experimental music. For example among the Americans, Nicole Mitchell
played very energetic black free jazz music and stayed in Junas for the whole Festival.
We conceived Jazz à Junas as a place of " Rencontres " and discoveries. We try to
schedule the concerts in order to allow at least some of the musicians to make the
most of the Festival ambiance.
When the next edition of Jazz à Junas
starts?
Every September myself and Fabrice Manuel we start dreaming about the next Festival;
we don't consider any budget but just passion drives our thoughts.
What about your friendship with Paolo
Fresu and the Festival of Berchidda in Sardinia?
I know Paolo since 1995. I was hosted at Berchidda
several times and I was always amazed by the passion for music in Sardinia and the
kindness of the people there. Berchidda is the result of a work community around
the Festival, right like in Junas. Paolo represents a precious music advisor for
our organization too.
Do you want to say a special " thank
you " for anybody who made Jazz à Junas possible?
The 120 volunteers and our two employees: without them Jazz à Junas wouldn't exist.
What do you think about the modern jazz
versus the one played in the 50's, 60's and 70's?
I like the cats who made jazz legendary, but at the same time I really deep into
the contemporary jazz music and its various influences around the world. Jazz for
me is a way of life, and subsequently a way of being with other people (musicians
and the audience).
Do you play any musical instrument?
I do sing since a little while and started play the trumpet thanks. To hear
Paolo Fresu
and Enrico
Rava in 1996 in Junas was a kind
of revelation. I really like that instrument because it's one of the closest of
the human voice, but this is very hard J
What's the future of Jazz à Junas?
We'd love to keep the original matrix of the Festival. On the other hand we are
trying to further expand our musical perspectives. Also our partnership with the
cultural TV channel ARTE, TV SUD and MEZZO allowed to better know the environment
around and the way the public can discover that. We'd like to propose musical promenades
and discoveries of the Natural and Architectural Heritage of Junas, especially show
the 34 street of Junas renamed with some of the great artists of the Festival. Finally
we'd like to open regularly the Protestant Church of Junas with its new stained
glass created by Daniel Humair, a great European drummer and a great painter.
