Jazz Avignon Musics Festival

The Avignon Jazz Festival has become a must-attend event for jazz musicians and a cultural highlight eagerly anticipated and attended by an ever-growing audience.

The next edition takes place from July 28 to August 2.

On the program:
- Tuesday, July 28 at 9 p.m., Square Agricol Perdiguier: NAFT
NAFT is an explosive Belgian tech house sensation, fusing the power of brass with the pulsating rhythms of techno and house. With a unique and highly electrifying live show, tested and approved on hundreds of stages, the six-piece band pushes the boundaries of electro-acoustic performance. Their vibrant energy, relentless beats, and pure “rave” spirit deliver an impressive live experience capable of rivaling any DJ set—an electrifying journey that resonates long after the concert ends.
Free admission

- Friday, July 31 at 8:30 PM, Cloître des Carmes: Tremplin Jazz d'Avignon
Finale of the Tremplin Jazz d’Avignon, with three bands taking the stage at the cloister.
Free admission

- Saturday, August 1, Cloître des Carmes:
* at 8:30 PM: Ola Tunji
Centered around saxophonist Ornella Noulet and their shared passion for the music of John Coltrane, this Brussels-based quartet is named after Ola Tunji, the African percussionist from New York who left his mark on the New Thing movement of the 1960s. Winners in 2025 of the Avignon and Ghent jazz festival showcases, the quartet presents the repertoire from its critically acclaimed debut EP, as well as excerpts from a future album set for release in 2026 on the Belgian label WERF.

* at 9:30 p.m.: Célia Kameni
"While her deep, textured voice excels in jazz and she has been hailed as one of today’s best French singers (she won the 2025 Victoire du Jazz in the vocal artist category),
Célia Kameni had already demonstrated her ability to embrace a wide range of musical styles by infusing them with her own sensibility, collaborating with the Geneva Camerata symphony orchestra, the Franco-Israeli singer Yael Naim as with the Neapolitan duo Nu Genea (for the global hit “Marechià,” which has garnered 50 million streams).
Released in the fall of 2025, her debut EP *Meduse*, which blends elements of soul, folk, and pop, was widely acclaimed by the media. Exploring the human experience, Célia Kameni’s music is an invitation to immerse oneself in her complex narratives, to feel the pulse of the emotions woven into every note, and to witness the transformative power of shared artistic expression.
While echoes of Nina Simone, Björk, and Nick Drake resonate in her music, Célia Kameni also follows in the footsteps of contemporary artists such as Moses Sumney, Shida Shahabi, and Arooj Aftab. Her vocal art is a true quest for visceral expression, her voice becoming a channel for unexpressed emotions. The result is a harmonious blend of sounds and feelings, where vulnerability and authenticity reign supreme.”
Prices: €32.20 / €27.20

- Sunday, August 2, Cloître des Carmes:
* at 8:30 PM: ODEZA
An electro-jazz trio offering compositions that will have you singing and dancing. The blend of the vibraphone, drums, and piano creates a truly original sound. Their style blends influences from jazz, hip-hop, classical, and rock.

* at 9:30 PM: Karen Guiock Thurman
A lifelong lover of singing, she has established herself as a unique voice on the French jazz scene. In 2023, she released her debut album, *Nina*, a vibrant tribute to Nina Simone, a major figure in jazz and the civil rights movement.
On stage, Karen Guiock Thurman delivers a performance that is both intimate and powerful, blending emotion, elegance, and commitment. Accompanied by musicians, she reinterprets Nina Simone’s greatest classics while infusing them with her own sensibility and artistic identity.
Her warm and expressive voice, acclaimed by critics, transports the audience into a world of jazz and soul that is accessible and deeply sincere.
This concert is therefore much more than a tribute: it is an encounter between two women, two eras, and a shared artistic intensity.
Prices: €32.20 / €27.20

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