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Banlieues Bleues Paris Jazz Festival

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Jazz group Sweetback performing at Banlieues Blues in 2009.

Jazz group Sweetback performing at Paris jazz festival Banlieues Blues in 2009.

Mateo de la Vega/Some rights reserved under the Creative Commons License.

Jazz Performers Working Magic Just Outside Paris:

Jazz fans visiting Paris might instinctively attempt to track the ghosts of greats like Dizzy Gillespie or Django Reinhardt at some of the city's more classical jazz clubs, but the contemporary pulse of jazz-- with the exception of edgier clubs like New Morning-- is mostly now found in the northern suburbs. The Paris jazz festival dubbed Banlieues Bleues takes the northern towns of St Denis, Pantin and others by storm every year in the early spring, proffering a dizzying program of jazz talents from around the world. All genres, from Afro-Cuban rhythms, New Orleans style, to acid and experimental, are represented.

Banlieues Bleues 2011 Program Overview:

The 2011 Banlieue Bleues Jazz Festival is on from March 11th to April 8th and features a full roster of performances from fresh and established artists from around the globe, including Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Napoleon Maddox, Mary Halvorson, Christian Laviso Trio and the Joëlle Léandre Sudo Quartet. For the full program, scroll down to the last section.

Banlieues Bleues 2011: Reserving Tickets and Participating Venues:

When: March 11th to April 8th, 2011
Tickets: Tickets for single concerts are 12-18 Euros in 2011. If you want to see several shows, consider a "Pass Festival" card, good for entry to three performances of your choice among a selection of 11, then a reduced price for additional shows.
To Reserve: E-mail bb@banlieuesblues.org or call +33 (0)1 49 22 10 10 to debit your card immediately. Reservations are highly recommended as shows sell out fast. You can also reserve online here (In French, browse concerts and click "Reservez vos places").
Locations: Various locations around the Seine-St-Denis region-- see more below.

Paris Jazz Festival - Banlieues Bleues 2011 Locations and Full Program:

This year's festival takes place at 20 different venues across the Seine-St-Denis region, making up several towns in Paris' northern suburbs. Main metro/RER stations include Aubervilliers - Pantin - Quatre Chemins, Porte de Pantin and Stade de France/St Denis. To get oriented, visit the welcome center at La Dynamo, located at 9, rue Gabrielle Josserand in Pantin (Metro Aubervilliers-- Line 7).

2011 Program Details and Venues

To view the full program and list of venues for the 2011 Banlieues Bleues festival, visit this page at the official website. The program is exclusively in French, unfortunately, but you can find information on the show's location by clicking on the pink "en savoir +" links below each show description. The main program is also detailed below. For more information on venue locations and to buy tickets and passes, contact the festival by email at bb@banlieuesblues.org or call +33 (0)1 49 22 10 10.

Friday March 11th, 8:30 PM
GATO LOCO/ JACQUES SCHWARZ-BART ''JAZZ-RACINES HAÏTI''
Location: SAINT-OUEN, Espace 1789

Saturday March 12th, 8:30 pm
NAPOLEON MADDOX ''A RIOT CALLED NINA''
Location: AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, Le Cap

Saturday March 12th, 8:30 pm
INTERACTIVO / SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA
Location: EPINAY/SEINE, Espace Lumière

Friday March 18th, 8:30 pm
CHRISTIAN LAVISO TRIO / DEDE SAINT-PRIX ''A VAN VAN''
Location: VILLEPINTE, Espace V

Saturday March 19th, 8:00 pm
LAÏKA ''NEBULA''
Location: SAINT-DENIS, Théâtre Gérard Philipe

Saturday March 19th, 8:30 pm
BOBAN I MARKO MARKOVIC ORKESTAR
Location: STAINS, Espace Paul Eluard

Sunday March 20th, 5:00 pm
NAPOLEON MADDOX ''A RIOT CALLED NINA''
Location: LA COURNEUVE, C-C Jean Houdremont

Monday March 21st, 8:30 pm
EMILE PARISIEN QUARTET / JEAN-REMY GUEDON-ROCE ''LE REVE DE NIETZSCHE''
Location: PANTIN, La Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues

Wednesday March 23rd, 8:30 pm
AFTERLIFE MUSIC RADIO / TONY MALABY'S APPARITIONS
Location: PANTIN, La Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues

Thursday March 24th, 8:30 pm
CONGOPUNQ / TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE
Location: AUBERVILLIERS, Espace Fraternité

Friday March 25th, 8:30 pm
TAYLOR HO BYNUM SEXTET / JOËLLE LÉANDRE ''SUDO QUARTET''
Location: BOBIGNY, Salle Pablo Neruda

Saturday March 26th, 5:00 pm
CONCERT ACTIONS MUSICALES : « PERKALIBI »,
Location: STAINS, Espace Paul Eluard

Sunday March 27th, 4:00 pm
BAL CREOLE OUTRE-MER (Creole Ball)-- with NEGOCE & SIGNATURE / TI-COCA & WANGA-NEGES
Location: PANTIN, Salle Jacques Brel

Wednesday March 30th, 8:30 pm
VINCENT COURTOIS TRIO '' THE MEDIUMS '' * / ALDO ROMANO ''COMPLETE COMMUNION TO DON CHERRY''
Location: TREMBLAY-EN-FRANCE, L’Odéon – JR Caussimon

Thursday March 31st, 8:30 pm
CARATINI JAZZ ENSEMBLE & ALAIN JEAN-MARIE, with special guest ROGER RASPAIL
Location: PIERREFITTE-SUR-SEINE, Maison du Peuple

Friday April 1st, 8:30 pm
DJANGO BATES “BELOVED BIRD” ** / RADIATION 10
Location: PANTIN, La Dynamo de Banlieues Bleues

Saturday April 2nd, 8:30 pm
BOMBINO / AZIZ SAHMAOUI ''UNIVERSITY OF GNAWA''
Location: LE BLANC MESNIL, Deux Pièces Cuisine

Sunday April 3rd, 5:00 pm
SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80
Location: GONESSE, Salle Jacques Brel

Tuesday April 5th, 8:30 pm
''TIRTHA'' featuring VIJAY IYER, PRASANNA, NITIN MITTA ** / PORTAL-LUBAT IMPROVISTA
Location: CLICHY-SOUS-BOIS, Espace 93 Victor Hugo

Wednesday April 6th, 8:30 pm
ANTHONY COLEMAN SOLO & ''ECHOES FROM ELSEWHERE/RENVOIS D’AILLEURS'' * / ONJ DANIEL YVINEC : ''SHUT UP AND DANCE''
Location: LE BLANC MESNIL, Le Forum–Salle Barbara

Wednesday April 6th, 8:30 pm
MARY HALVORSON TRIO / ESPERANZA SPALDING CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY
Location: SAINT-OUEN, Espace 1789

Thursday April 7st, 8:30 pm
LES MUSIQUES A OUÏR ''DUKE & THELONIOUS'' * / THE DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND
Location:AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, Espace Jacques Prévert

Friday April 8th, 8:30 pm
PEDRITO MARTINEZ GROUP ** / ROBERTO FONSECA QUINTET WITH SPECIAL GUESTS DANAY & MAYRA ANDRADE
Location: BOBIGNY, MC93

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