A Jazz Lover's Guide to Nice, France

The region’s love affair with jazz began in the 1920s. France first became acquainted with jazz during World War I, when African-American soldiers introduced it to the locals when stationed in France, but it was in the ’20s when the sound took hold in local culture. Wealthy American socialites and artists arrived on the Riviera, holding lavish parties for their wide social set and encouraged jazz legends from the United States to play. One such person was the author of The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald – king of the “jazz age” – who made the Riviera his home for much of the ’20s and early ’30s.

Visit the Hotel du Cap, which was Fitzgerald’s setting for the 1930s classic, Tender is the Night (the hotel was the inspiration for the Hotel des Etrangers in the book). It is still a stylish place, firmly proud of its artistic and cultural legacy and a great place to watch the world go by.

Hotel du Cap, Boulevard JF Kennedy, Nice +33 (0)4 93 61 39 01

F Scott Fitzgerald took a villa in Juan-les-Pins in 1926, down the road from Nice, and invited the jazz greats to play for his friends. Today, you can visit the very same villa that Fitzgerald rented (Villa St Louis) which is now the five-star Hotel Belles Rives. Fitzgerald’s quotations about how it was his favourite place to be, are engraved in marble at the entrance to the villa. It was here that he wrote his classic, Tender in the Night, published in the 1930s.

Hotel Belles Rives, Juan-les-Pins +33 (0)4 93 61 02 79

During World War II, jazz musicians (among other artists) ran from occupied areas in northern France to set up home on the Riviera and the place became synonymous with jazz once more. At the end of World War II, Louis Armstrong played with his All Stars at the first jazz festival in Nice, and the festival was born. It is the oldest international jazz festival in the world.

It was 23 years before the next jazz festival occurred in 1972 under the name, Grande Parade du Jazz, and from 1974, the festival became an annual affair. Visit the Cimiez arena, where the jazz festival was held until 2011. The arena dates back to Roman times, when the town of Cemenelum (Cimiez in French) sat above the port of Nice. It’s high in the hills, among the beautiful architecture of old villas and the Chagall and Matisse museums (who both lived locally).

Cimiez Arena, Cimiez, Nice

In 2011, due to its ever-increasing popularity (30,000 people descend on the centre of Nice for the festival each July), the festival moved to Nice’s New Town, to the more central and larger, Place Masséna. It’s a beautiful square with or without the festivals (Nice’s carnival uses this square for all its parades every February) and it isn’t a long walk to the Musée Masséna, which houses ornate 19th-century carvings, murals and paintings.

The festival has evolved over the years – jazz bands now play a variety of jazz on different stages over a four-day period and in 1994, the name was changed to the more internationally sounding Nice Jazz Festival. It’s the place to be for jazz lovers and has run every year (the only exception was in 2016, when it was cancelled after the terror attacks on the Promenade des Anglais). Over the years, famous jazz greats have headlined the festival from Dizzy Gillespie to Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis. In recent years, the festival has begun to feature more world music, such as Erykah Badu, Gregory Porter and the Jimi Brown Experience.

Place Masséna, Nice

Nice Jazz Festival is in July (see the official website for annual dates).

In the 1960s, a more unconventional jazz festival sprang up in nearby Juan-les-Pins. It’s worth a visit for jazz lovers who like their jazz a little more bohemian and independent. Set near the house that Fitzgerald rented all those years ago, it’s a two-week festival that kicks off after Nice’s has finished.

Jazz à Juan, Juan-les-Pins

Finally, a visit to Nice wouldn’t be complete with a night out listening to jazz in one of Nice’s clubs. There are two which are dedicated entirely to jazz and open most nights of the week. Shapko is open every night until 2.30am and B Spot, which is more intimate, is open until midnight, although it sometimes has jam sessions that run later. Check Shapko’s Facebook and B Spot’s Facebook pages for up-to-date info.

Shapko, 5 Rue Rossetti, Nice +33 (0)6 15 10 02 52

Opening hours: Every night, 6pm to 2.30am

B SPOT, 24 Avenue du Marechal Foch, Nice +33 (0)4 93 92 00 90
Opening hours: Wed – Sun, 7pm – late. Closed Mon – Tues.