THE MUSICIANS
HOT SWING SEXTET

photo Fred Encuentra_BarbotStudio
Live, Thursday July 17 and Friday July 18, 2025 at 8pm on the Promenade du Peyrou.
The HOT SWING SEXTET invites you to step back in time for a trip to the frenetic atmosphere of the jazz clubs of the 30s. Between Paris and Harlem, between Django Reinhardt and Duke Ellington, via Louis Armstrong, the Hot Swing Sextet has organized a “tailor-made” trip for you, in the direction of “le Swing”.
Embark with these six musicians brimming with energy. “Swaying” and good humor are on the program of this great crossing of “middle-jazz”.
Carolina Reapers Swing

Live, Saturday July 19 and Sunday July 20, 2025 at 8pm on the Promenade du Peyrou.
When Carolina Reapers Swing take the stage, you know what to expect: irresistible swing, boundless energy, a good dose of madness, but also a unique repertoire, a touch of finesse, irrepeatable moments – and the certainty of wanting to dance to their music to the very last note.
The septet, formed in 2016, is now a favorite among European swing dancers, and is on the bill of festivals in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Athens, Sofia, Vilnius, Geneva, Warsaw, Valencia, Rome, Turin, Bern, Krakow, Stuttgart, etc., as well as all over France.
Their repertoire combines arrangements from the Swing Era with improvisation on the era’s favorite standards.
A team of gifted, creative soloists, backed by a pure swing rhythm section: trumpeter Guillaume Gardey de Soos, trombonist Sami Khalfoune, saxophonist Mickaël Pernet, pianist Joseph Vu Van, guitarist and singer Charles Huck, drummer Arthur Defrain, and Fernando Morrison, double bassist and band leader.
Surprising performances, full of spontaneity, where sparkling personalities, inventive solos, hypnotic riffs and charming vocals make each Carolina Reapers Swing show unique and full of life.
Jungle Cats

Live, Friday July 18, 2025 at 2pm at the Polygone shopping center in Montpellier, as part of the festival warm-up.
Jungle Cats takes us back to the jazz clubs of New Orleans, revealing all their madness. More than a concert, the sextet takes you on a journey to the origins of jazz, with a frenzied swing that transports you into a frenetic, unforgettable atmosphere. Between interpretations of jazz standards and original compositions, the musicians take you into unexplored territories where improvisation reigns supreme.
Jungle Cats’ all-consuming energy is rooted in their history of brass band experience and street performances, and in the joy of sharing a moment with their audience. Their original repertoire will delight Jazz Festivals as much as swing and Lindy Hop dance lovers, as long as the fun is there. No tricks, just raw energy and a touch of madness: you won’t come away from a Jungle Cats concert unscathed!
Little Guinguette

Live, Saturday July 19, 2025 at 1pm on the Promenade du Peyrou.
Little Guinguette takes us back to the days when Swing was all the rage in the smoky bars of Harlem and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. From Billie Holiday to Sidney Bechet via Joséphine Baker, the trio from Montpellier brilliantly interprets the great Jazz standards as well as the little forgotten treasures of the 1930s and 1940s. The velvety sound of the clarinet, mingled with the sweetness of the voice, the finesse of the cornet and the sensuality of the saxophone, all transported by the swing of a gypsy guitar and the percussion of a pair of clappers. This alchemy of timbres revives the blues, ballads and charlestons of yesteryear.
Audrey Leclair, a well-known singer on the Montpellier swing scene, her deliciously old-fashioned vocal timbre is sure to charm the audience. Some will recognize the vocal inflections of Billie Holiday and other blues singers. But that’s not all: she’s equally adept at improvising with her voice and her piston cornet, and, wearing a pair of tap shoes, she’s sure to demonstrate her rhythmic skills. Her qualities as a multi-instrumentalist make her a remarkable musician.
Virtuoso clarinettist David Tavani is sure to thrill listeners with his lyricism and melodic flights of fancy. And because one talent can hide another (or several!), he will also seduce you with the suave sound of his tenor saxophone and the ardor of his soprano saxophone as he reinterprets the finest works of Sidney Bechet.
Abel Pamies, straight from Catalonia and a graduate of the Conservatoire de Jazz de Paris, recreates the typical swing of the Roaring Twenties with a solid, energetic rhythm section.
There’s no doubting the musical and human complicity of these three musicians. Their music exudes good humor and their pleasure in playing it is contagious: the audience, always conquered, leaves the hall with joy in their hearts and a hint of nostalgia.
Petit Vince trio

Live, Sunday July 20, 2025 at 1pm on the Promenade du Peyrou.
This group of young people from Montpellier share a passion for American music of the 50s. With country, blues and rock’n’roll standards… This period reflects a pivotal evolution in the history of popular music. It’s exactly this era that the trio wants to bring back to life, with covers of well-known tunes by Chuck Berry and Elvis, as well as a more traditional repertoire of country and rhythm’n’blues.
The project was born around Vincent Bassou, the guitarist and singer. From an early age, he’s been a passionate fan of American music, from swing to rock’n’roll. A member of the “Gry Grys” 70s rock band, as well as the swing band “Crooner Discount” and leader of the rhythm’n’blues project the Big Marteen’s, he brings tradition, composition and freshness to the Montpellier music scene.
He is accompanied by Gildas Le Garrec, a swing and blues double bass player who has been playing in regional bands for over 10 years. And Simon Laurent, a drummer who plays traditional jazz, swing and rhythm’n’blues, and is the driving force behind a number of bands including Orchestre Syncopatique and Crooner Discount…
To relive the birth of 50s rock’n’roll with Petit Vince Trio, this orchestra brings out the great known and lesser-known standards of this post-war American music, between blues, boogie, rockabilly and the swing of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran… But also original compositions will make you quiver with the desire to dance and move.