Dass der Pfälzer Wein mit zum besten gehört, was die Pfalz hergibt, dürfte bekannt sein. Und vermutlich hat es sich auch bis zu den Musikern des Roy Hargrove Quintets herumgesprochen. Denn als Justin Robinson (sax), Gerald Clayton (p), Danton Boller (b), Montez Coleman (dr) und natürlich Roy Hargrove (tp) nach der Pause auf die Bühne zurückkehren, haben einige von ihnen ein Glas Rotwein in der Hand - und legen nun ausgesprochene Spielfreude an den Tag.

Und so erleben die Zuschauer auf dem Historischen Rathausplatz in Annweiler doch noch ein mitreißendes Konzert im Rahmen des Palatia Jazz-Festivals, bei dem auch das Wetter nicht allzu übel mitspielt. Die mitgebrachten Schirme müssen nur einmal kurz aufgespannt werden. Das Material vom neuen Album Earfood überzeugt und verbindet gekonnt hard-boppigen Jazz mit eingängigeren Tönen. Dass Hargrove ein Mann des Pop, ja beinahe des funky Hip Hop ist, beweisen ja nicht nur seine musikalischen Ausflüge mit RH Factor, sondern an diesem Abend seine schwarz-pinken Nike-Sneaker zum beigen Anzug und Hipster-Hut.

Alles in allem war es ein sehr angenehmer Abend mit begeistertem Publikum, entspannter Atmosphäre und gut gelaunten Musikern. Und der Pfälzer Wein hat tatsächlich gut gemundet.

Now that I'm back in cold, rainy Germany, it's easy to reminisce about the sunny, blissful days we had in Sète. Sunday was a blast. I spent about twelve hours at the beach, listening to one great DJ after another, sipping on the excellent rosé wine, dancing in the water, meeting beautiful people, grooving on the beach, enjoying the sun, and all in all having one of the best days in my life! It's hard to pick any highlight because the whole day was so great I didn't even return to the hotel to eat something as I had intended. I just stayed there at the beach and had a wonderful time As promised, I uploaded a bunch of pictures to a Flickr album, I hope you enjoy my impressions from the South of France. Oh, and before I forget it, Lefto has of course also blogged about the fourth day of the festival, including a video.

After catching up on some sleep, we warmed up on the beach once again. This definitely is a great location, even if the sky's a little bit cloudy. When it was time to move towards the Théatre De La Mer, many people simply kept on dancing to the music - of course, nobody wants to leave a party that has only just begun. Anyway, on our way we stopped for an half hour at Raphael's trailer for a beer or two. Then it was Mocky time. So beautiful, the band had so much fun on the stage, even given the fact that the audience was very small at the beginning. But people kept pouring in, and when Gilles demanded to hear "that whistling tune" ("Birds Of A Feather" from Mocky's new album Saskamodie) again, everybody was happy. Especially with a perfect view of the Mediterranean like we had.

Jimi Tenor afterwards gave the last show at the Théatre for this year's edition of the Worldwide Festival with his smashing Afrobeat performance. People were dancing in front of the band like crazy. Once in a while I had to climb the stairs towards the upper ranks of the amphitheatre to enjoy the gorgeous view you have from up there. We didn't move directly to the lighthouse afterwards but returned to the trailer once more for a beer. There, we also met with Elan Mehler (who got a beer, too, of course); he's such a nice guy! We should meet him again later when Laurent Garnier broke it down after Fulgeance and a sensational set from Jazzanova's Alex Barck. I missed the last act of the day, Boozig, because I had to get me some french fries at the restaurant close to the venue - that's where I not only met some more German guys, but where Jimi Tenor satisfied his appetite for fries with lots of mayonnaise

As always, I'd like to recommend Lefto's account of what happened the day as well as his excellent video coverage of the events:

Sébastien Schuller

The second day at Sète will be hard to beat. After relaxing at the beach with some beers, good music, and very nice people (cheers, Karl!), one highlight chased the other. First, Elan Mehler and Adam McBride-Smith kicked it off at the Théatre de La Mer which really is a magic place - a stage seemingly hovering over the Mediterranean sea. Their gig was so good it brought me close to tears Next up came Sébastien Schuller with his cinematic soundscapes and a voice reminding me of Thom Yorke. After these two relaxing sets, it was the mighty Soil & "Pimp" Sessions from Japan who made everybody jump to their feet and dance. So powerful, an overwhelming experience!

Then we all moved to the Phare du Mole once again, where we arrived after a little snack just in time to witness probably one of the most memorable sets ever. Dorian Concept from Vienna was killing it big time, even when the rain set in after some minutes. Everybody kept dancing until at once the lights went out, and the music, too. For five minutes, it seemed that the rain had won, but after it was over, Dorian Concept continued with full force, followed by an equally energetic set bei Dubstep wizard Martyn. Carl Craig put the finishing touches to a perfect evening.

Once again, Lefto wrapped it all up in a video:

I'm off to the beach right now, but will add some fotos soon!

Beatspoke

First of all, this blog post will be in English because I haven't met anyone from Germany so far. Worldwide Festival goers seem to come mainly from France and Britain. I know, there must be some German speaking people around, but I haven't found them yet. That said, I'm still revcovering from last night with the wonderful Emilie ChickBeatspoke, with Principles of Geometry, Theo Parrish, and Diplo.

So, I skipped yesterday's warm-up party at the beach because I have a beach right here across the street. Could hear the beats, though. Everything seems to be in walking distance, great! After stuffin myself with delicious French food, I went to the lighthouse at the mole of Sète where one stage of the festival is set. Arrived just in time to experience the last moments of Emilie Chick'sBeatspoke - they finished with a beautiful cover version of Fat Freddy's Drop's "Cay's Crays"

After that, Principles of Geometry gave us their interpretation of French electro funk or whatever, but that's not exactly my kind of music. First couple of songs rocked, but the remainder of the set jut didn't work for me. Theo Parrish lifted everyone up, but then some of his hardware - mixer? - stopped working. The otherwise excellent sound system couldn't compensate for that, the mood dropped instantly. I guess his set would've been excellent without the technical problems, but whatever. I got to know some funny people in the meantime.

If anyone was a little tired by then, Diplo woke everyone up with his distinct, in-the-face beats; his style brings you to feet and keeps you moving. Easily the best set of the night. And because you should get out while the going's good, I left after a while. Missed Stereotyp, but sometimes you just can't have it all. Was a wonderful night nevertheless. And I'm excited about what today will bring: Elan Mehler, Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, Dorian Concept, and Martyn, to name just a few.

Pics will follow, gotta go to the beach now Also check Lefto's pics and video:

Update: I removed Emily Chick's name above and replaced it with Beatspoke - please check them both out! Plus I added some pics