Voice’n’Combo

The remote origins of jazz sing to us about the pain of imprisoned men and their hopes for liberation. Originating in the cotton fields and churches, it celebrated funerals and spread over a vast territory, but it was in New Orleans that it found the most fertile terrain in which to grow and become a relevant art form. It arose from the countless differences in the United States: between rich and poor, fortunate and unfortunate, town and country, black and white, men and women, between the old Africa and the old Europe. It is an art of memory. An explosive mixture of African rhythms and melodic, harmonious and formal elements from the European tradition. It is a musical identity that echoes the laments and protests against oppression, the fight for civil rights, a message of hope and affirmation in the face of adversities. It also echoes two world wars, the economic depression and, at the same time, embodies the drama of the history of the United States.

The programme of this concert takes us on a brief journey through the history of jazz, highlighting the differences between periods, underlining its specificities and revealing the mutual exchanges and influences that these have established between one another.