The Corsica Blog

Held every June (21st to 26th June in 2011) the Calvi Jazz Festival is a wonderful time to visit Northern Corsica. I came across the festival by accident during my first visit to Corsica many years ago. I fell in love with Corsica and the Jazz Festival. Here’s why!

After a morning enjoying the crystal clear waters of one of the many stunning beaches of La Balagne and an afternoon exploring the delightful villages nestled in the hillsides…

Cynthia Saint-Ville Quartet, Calvi Jazz Festival 2011

…I sipped a cool beer by the marina with views across the waters to snow capped mountains while listening to a free jazz concert, before dining at one of the many lovely restaurants that can be found in Calvi. While I ate another band started playing. They moved from restaurant to restaurant, along the marina and through the backstreets. After dinner I saw a fantastic concert at the foot of the citadel and as I still had just a little energy left I ended the day listening to more live jazz in a bar until the early hours.

On another evening, for a change of scene, I tried the free early evening concert in the Oratoire in the citadel. The gigs here cover a variety of other musical genres and this is probably my favourite venue. It is an intimate, peaceful setting for a concert. Although the quality of the artists is sometimes not quite as high as in the other venues, some of acts I have seen here have been truly outstanding. In 2006 I was lucky enough to catch the Cuban duo, Alma n Niurka. The gig started with a half empty room but their stunning vocals and exciting guitar playing quickly enticed passers by in off the street and soon the room filled up. A wonderful concert followed and I eagerly bought their CD at the end. One of my favourite concerts of all time and still one of my favourite albums.

This year the week started with a free concert by Tao By timed to coincide with Fête de la Musique (the annual music festival held across France to celebrate the summer solstice). Other headliners for the week included Panam Panic, the Andy Emler MegaOctet, Marc Lelangue and the Heavy Muffuletas with a Ray Charles tribute night and finishing on Sunday with the Florence Fourcade Quartet.

Orlando Poleo y su Chaworo, Calvi Jazz Festival 2011

I particularly enjoyed Salsa Night! The Saturday night by the foot of Calvi’s citadel started with a dance display by the local salsa club followed by a great concert: ‘Orlando Poleo y su Chaworo’ that had everyone out of their seats dancing. Percussionist Orlando led the band with gusto and did a particularly memorable solo that stopped the dancing in it tracks as the audience stood still, transfixed by his drumming.

Orlando Poleo, Calvi Jazz Festival 2011

For me this year’s line-up didn’t disappoint with numerous jazz bands, choirs, a percussion troupe and the fantastic salsa band. Although true jazz fans may prefer it if there was less variety to the musical styles on offer I felt there is still plenty of jazz at the Calvi Jazz Festival.

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Another glorious day and I’m off to L’Ile Rousse, a laid back coastal town about 11 miles from Calvi with a beautiful sandy beach set against a back drop of the La Balagne mountains.

Parking near the train station the walk into town offers a lovely view of the beach. I’m here to photograph the town and start by exploring the cobbled streets near the beach filled with numerous enticing restaurants and interesting little shops, as well as the usual seaside postcard and souvenir outlets and a charming covered market.

The smell of fresh fruits greets me as I wonder from stall to stall, stopping a while by the honey as the stall holder insists that I try every single variety of honey he has (and there are quite a few) followed by a rather delicious glass of mead. Having purchased my favourite pot made by bees that have fed on the marquis (the wild herbs growing over much of Corsica), I move on past stalls of cured meats, fresh fish, oils and local cheeses. Tempting, but it’s back to the beach for me. The water is the clearest blue I’ve ever seen and so inviting but instead of swimming I try to capture its beauty with my camera.

That evening, I dine with friends in one of the many fabulous restaurants here. As we are finishing our meal a choir gathers outside and bursts into song! It is World Music Day after all – a tradition started in Paris in the 80s known as Fête de la Musique where concerts are held across France to celebrate the summer solstice every 21^st June.

The original idea was that amateur and professional musicians perform in the streets all-night. Two conditions sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and all performers donate their time for free. World Music Day is now celebrated around the globe and in fact I first heard of it while travelling in Africa.

Before dusk a concert starts in L’Ile Rousse’s town square – musicians of all ages entertain locals and tourists alike into the early hours. Luckily my friends’ son has no school tomorrow!

There is also a free concert going on in Calvi tonight to celebrate Fête de La Musique and to mark the start of the annual Calvi Jazz Festival.

Back in Algajola another concert is still in full swing under the arcade close to my hotel and I am tempted to join in the celebrations but I have an early start in the morning. Luckily in my hotel room the noise is unobtrusive and I easily fall asleep, dreaming of another wonderful day in Corsica.

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