Land of jazz
" When the jazz, when the jazz is there. La samba s'en, la samba s'en va! " These words sung by Claude Nougaro - born in Toulouse and raised in the Minimes neighborhood evoked in his song "ô Toulouse" - attest to the importance of the musical formations formed around jazz. Its history goes back to the beginning of the 1930s, when the terraces of the Café des Américains and the Albrighi (two large competing establishments located at the crossroads of Jean-Jaurès) welcomed a new public conquered by this music from across the Atlantic. In December 36, Michel Tapié de Céleyran and Paul Ollé founded the first Hot-Club of Toulouse to defend this music, giving an important place to improvisation and syncopated rhythmic accents. Nowadays, a passionate venue welcomes you: Le Taquin (rue des Amidonniers) as well as several festivals such as Jazz sur son 31 (Haute-Garonne) or JIM-Jazz In Marciac (Gers) attracting international artists on their rural or more intimate but equally demanding and passionate stages. Jazz being well anchored in Gascony, the Aretha Franklin high school in Marciac proposes in its school programs hours of initiation! Consequently, if you want to listen to jazz all year round, go to the Midi-Toulousain region
Current music
Since the end of the 80's, the musical scene of Toulouse has been the talk of the town. The group Image ignites the summer evenings with its song Les démons de Minuit while the rock group from Tarn, Gold, takes us a little closer to the stars, making us shed a tear on Capitaine abandonné! The electropop or New Wave wave reveals the singer-songwriter, Jean-Pierre Mader, who has had many successes. Like many artists of his generation, behind the lively music are hidden serious social issues as in his song Macumba. Very committed and militant, the group Zebda is very successful with the public and critics with the albums Le Bruit et l'Odeur (1995) and especially Essence ordinaire (1998) for which they receive many awards. Magyd Cherfi writes the texts of the group. He is now a recognized novelist, including Ma part de Gaulois (2016) and La part de sarrazin (2020) both published by Actes Sud. Even today, Tomber la chemise ambiance the dancefloors. And who is not Motivated?
The new generation within the region also has its flagship artists: Cats on trees, a pop rock band from Toulouse, revealed in 2010 at the Printemps de Bourges festival; Jain - a singer-songwriter recognizable by her black dress with a Claudine collar and her assertive looks - whose musical style mixes pop with many other musical genres: electronic, reggae, and various world music inspired by her numerous stays abroad. Rapper brothers BigFlo and Oli write incisive lyrics supported by actions on social networks and download platforms. Their track Sacré bordel (2022) is accompanied by a video clip shot in Place du Capitole in Toulouse, the two artists are installed in a Plexiglas cube then transported to different places in France. The song is more political than the previous ones: France with its faults and its qualities is the central theme. Young artist named Album revelation of the year, in 2019 at the 34th ceremony of the Victoires de la musique for Îl, Foé starts a career. Where will it lead him?
Iconic concert halls: the Bijou and the Bikini.
Certainly in one of the most important concert halls in the region. In Toulouse, Bijou and Bikini have been selling out for almost forty years! Independent venues, each with a distinct bias. The Bijou was a neighborhood bistro, located in Croix-de-Pierre, before becoming a concert hall in 1987. The restaurant is still active, you can eat there for lunch and dinner, in a spirit of both canteen and bistro! Over the years, it has become a place of reference for the discovery of new artists, a real "talent scout". Many artists have performed on this small stage (Zebda, les Têtes Raides, Bénabar or Cali) long before they were recognized by the general public. Le Bikini organizes 200 concerts per year. The concert hall has a modular capacity on two levels, ranging from 400 to 1,500 seats. Immersive concerts close to the artists is its DNA. For the past 10 years, in early June, the Weekend des Curiosités has been organized there: by the pool, two days of non-stop concerts with confirmed or emerging, French or international artists.
Other venues: the Chorus opened in June 2020, at 144 avenue de Muret. On Tuesdays, it's an open stage for all the talents of the artistic scene, and on Wednesdays it's a karaoke night from 8:30 pm with no less than 36,000 songs referenced. Everyone can sing along. Otherwise, on Friday it's Jam session, jazz musicians (and not only) can jam on stage; and the Metronum, located in the Borderouge district, at the end of the metro line. Impeccable acoustics, a 600-seat hall, a program with a special touch: Terre Noire, Dick Annegarn, Kid Wise, Berywam... and a festival to promote female music: the Women Metronum Academy. Nearly 300 female artists propose their musical projects which, once selected, benefit from a professional accompaniment including coaching sessions and personalized training. At the end of this process, the artists and their mentors, Flavia Coelho and Sônge, perform on stage.
Make way for lyricism and dance
Victor Capoul (1839-1924) and Mady Mesplé (1931-2020) have made their brilliant voices resound in the greatest opera houses in the world, but it is in Toulouse that they expressed themselves at the beginning of their respective careers. The Théâtre du Capitole is renowned for the quality of its operas. Installed since 1671 in the walls of the city hall, it houses the National Orchestra. Complemented by the Halle aux Grains (3000 seats), inaugurated in 1974 under the initiative of the iconic conductor Michel Plasson, with its exceptional acoustics, they have co-produced large-scale opera shows and concerts and have considerably renewed the Toulouse repertoire. Fidelio in 1977, Les Maîtres chanteurs de Nuremberg in 1979, Aida in 1981, La Vestale in 1982, Faust (Grand Prix for staging) in 1983, Montségur (Grand Prix of the critics) in 1985, Otello in 1986 and Nabucco in 1988. The Orchestre national du Capitole, with its 125 musicians, performs some of the great repertoire during the Festival des Nuits Musicales en Armagnac in Lectoure (Gers). On the dance side, since 2012, the star dancer and choreographer Kader Belarbi has been directing the Ballet national du Capitole, a troupe of 35 dancers of 14 different nationalities, which is opening up dance to the current generation by inscribing it in the modernity of the style, such as Toulouse-Lautrec, a world creation presented for the first time in October 2021. The male dancers wear tutus, the female dancers... mustaches.
