Interview with Vincent Bessières

“I want this festival to continue offering discovery, strong musical experiences, and meaningful opportunities for both artists and audiences,” says Vincent Bessières, the newly appointed Artistic Director of Jazzdor, taking over from Philippe Ochem. Although this is Bessières‘ first time as director of a festival, he has been involved in a whole host of different aspects of jazz over the years.

The first ten years of his career were as a journalist, with roles including Associate Editor of Jazzman, the leading jazz magazine in France throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s – he left at the time of the merger with Jazz Magazine. He has also worked for France Musique, the national radio station, and has also been involved in record production as well, founding his own label, jazz&people, which has released around 50 albums featuring French, European, and international artists.

He has also been a curator of major exhibitions, notably on celebrating Miles Davis in 2008 at the Cité de la Musique in Paris, another on Django Reinhardt in 2013, and more recently, one about Jean-Michel Basquiat’s relationship with music at the Philharmonie de Paris.

UKJN: You have such a broad range of experience!

Bessières: Yes, and for twelve years, I also served as artistic director for Sorano Jazz, a monthly concert series in Vincennes, just outside Paris. It’s a small venue – about 200 seats – but with excellent acoustics and a strong program of 13 or 14 concerts each season, from October to June. I presented both French and international artists there, and also produced larger concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris, such as a Bird with Strings tribute to Charlie Parker, for which I even brought in Jaleel Shaw from New York next to some of the finest French altoists.

All of these experiences led me to apply for the Jazzdor position when Philippe Ochem decided to retire. I had built up a strong network of musicians and professionals both in France and abroad. Vincennes is wonderful, but I felt it was time for a bigger challenge. Jazzdor has a strong identity, and Philippe did great work preserving that, so I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to build on his legacy while starting a new chapter.

UKJN: Was there a selection process?

Bessières: Yes, there was an open call for applications. A jury reviewed our CVs and project proposals outlining our vision for the festival. Six candidates were invited to interviews, and after a long and detailed process, I was selected.

UKJN: Philippe Ochem had been in the role for a long time, right?

Bessières: Yes — for 36 years! Quite impressive.

UKJN: Do you plan to continue along the same path, or do you have changes in mind?

Bessières: I want to preserve some core values Philippe Ochem championed. He was never concerned with trends, what’s fashionable, or which artists are “hip.” I think that independence is vital, especially because many festivals nowadays tend to book the same bands, often working with the same agencies, which creates a kind of homogenization.

Even in Vincennes, I always tried to strike a balance: booking both well-known artists and those that audiences might not have heard of yet. The idea is that people trust the programming and are open to discovering new musicians because past experiences have been positive.

So I want to maintain that spirit of originality and artistic independence. I also want to continue developing commissions, premieres, and collaborations — offering musicians the space to realize projects they’ve dreamed of for years. Festivals can serve as the platform where these ideas come to life.

UKJN: In terms of artistic direction, will you shift the musical focus?

Bessières: Slightly. My personal taste leans more toward jazz and creative, contemporary improvised music. I’d like to keep it balanced – fresh, innovative, and original – but perhaps slightly “jazzier” while still embracing a wide artistic spectrum.

UKJN: What about the festival structure? Jazzdor Strasbourg currently runs over two weeks.

Bessières: Yes, and to me, that feels a bit long and too spread out. I’d like to shorten it while offering more concerts per day. That way, people can come for a long weekend and enjoy several performances rather than just one or two shows per evening. It would create more of a true “festival atmosphere” and attract audiences from outside Strasbourg who might want to travel for a few days of music.

UKJN: Will you also continue Jazzdor Berlin?

Bessières: Yes, Jazzdor Berlin has now reached its 17th edition, and I think it’s important to continue. But I also believe the event needs some reshaping. We might work with smaller venues that already have a strong jazz identity, making it easier to attract the local jazz audience who are used to frequenting those places. The current venue is beautiful and well-equipped, but perhaps not ideal for building a consistent audience.

UKJN: Do you envision maintaining international collaborations, like the Polish partnership?

Bessières: Yes, absolutely. This year’s partnership with Karolina Juzwa and Intl Jazz Platform from Poland, for example, allows the musicians to perform multiple times — in Poland, Strasbourg, and here — which is meaningful. What I want to avoid are one-off collaborations that don’t go anywhere. Real partnerships develop when musicians already have connections, and we can build upon existing collaborations. Many artists have studied abroad, made contacts, and started working together. I want to identify and nurture those relationships for both Jazzdor Berlin and Strasbourg, fostering European cultural exchange.

UKJN: You also mentioned Budapest.

Bessières: Yes, but so far, only two editions of that collaboration have taken place due to the pandemic. The Budapest Music Center is very interesting: it has recording studios, a concert venue, and a label that already features many French artists. This kind of partnership makes sense — it’s cost-effective, aesthetically compatible, and could serve as a model for future international collaborations in other countries as well.

UKJN: What about programming across generations? Do you aim to feature both young and established musicians?

Bessières: Yes — for me, it’s crucial to include artists from their twenties to their eighties. Of course, it’s not always easy to find younger musicians who are fully ready for major stages, but part of our mission is to support emerging talent. Jazz is a lifelong journey, and many musicians continue to evolve creatively well into their later years. The bigger challenge is actually the age of the audience: we need to expose younger generations to the music, or soon there won’t be anyone left to attend concerts.

That’s why I plan to introduce a children’s festival within Jazzdor Strasbourg — a mini festival specifically designed for kids, with shows and concerts tailored to them. The younger they experience live music, the better the chance they’ll grow to love it.

UKJN: You also seem interested in bringing in new audiences through innovative formats.

Bessières: Absolutely. Traditional concerts are wonderful, but younger audiences sometimes want something more dynamic. I want to explore different performance formats — immersive concerts, non-traditional venues, collaborations with chefs where cooking and music intersect, even outdoor performances or concerts utilizing 360-degree sound systems. People today want experiences — things they can photograph, share, and remember. The festival needs to create an environment that draws people in, and once they’re inside, the music will speak for itself.

UKJN: And in terms of funding?

Bessières: Jazz in France is mostly publicly funded — we receive support from the State, the region, the European Community of Alsace and the city — but of course, that’s never quite enough. We also need to find private sponsors and secure additional funding for specific projects, including educational activities with schools and students, which we plan to expand.

UKJN: It sounds like you have a very ambitious but thoughtful vision.

Bessières: Yes — I believe jazz still has enormous vitality and creative energy. Our job as a festival is to create opportunities for audiences to encounter that energy in meaningful ways.

UKJN: You’ve spoken about partnerships and collaborations. Are you also thinking of bringing in more well-known French artists, or artists with existing connections to Germany?

Bessières: Yes, absolutely. There are French artists on ECM, or ACT, for example — labels that have strong ties with German and European audiences. Developing partnerships along those lines makes sense. Philippe, my predecessor, had a very clear and uncompromising approach; I might take a slightly more collaborative path, looking for opportunities to join forces with local partners who can help give the festival greater visibility and impact.

UKJN: What gives you the most satisfaction in your role?

Bessières: What makes me happiest is bringing musicians in front of an audience who often don’t know who’s playing — and then seeing that audience leave the concert saying, “Wow, that was amazing!” That kind of trust and discovery is incredibly rewarding. I believe in the artists and their music, and when that belief is confirmed by the audience, it’s deeply satisfying.

Artistically, I trust my instincts. I listen constantly, I speak with musicians, I go to clubs, read magazines — I stay fully engaged. My background as a journalist also shaped my interest: I was never particularly focused on interviewing famous names, but rather on discovering young, emerging voices.

UKJN: Can you give an example?

Bessières: For instance, years ago I interviewed Avishai Cohen — the bassist — or Steve Lehman very early in their careers, while they were playing clubs in Paris, long before they gained wider recognition. Avishai hadn’t yet formed his own trio or reached international fame, but I sensed something special in his music. Some of the artists I’ve followed early on have become well-known, others haven’t, but my interest is always in finding new voices — whether avant-garde or more traditional — who have their own distinctive sound.

For example, I admire both Craig Taborn and Sullivan Fortner. They represent very different aesthetics, but both have strong, individual voices. I see no contradiction in programming both of them at the same festival — just as I wouldn’t hesitate to present Kris Davis and Kenny Barron side by side.

UKJN: You’ve also mentioned an interest in American musicians living in Europe.

Bessières: Yes, I want to work more with American musicians who are now based in Europe — people like Joe Sanders, Aaron Parks, Jim Black, or Seamus Blake here in Germany. Joe Sanders, for example, played on an album I recently produced with pianist Rob Clearfield, who’s originally from Chicago but now lives in Marseille.

These musicians are here, they’re part of our environment, and I believe it’s more meaningful — and more sustainable — to work with them than to chase after big American names, spending huge sums to fly them over for a single performance. Plenty of other festivals do that. Instead, I want to encourage these transatlantic musicians to collaborate with European artists, as Jim Black has done, blending roots, influences, and cultures.

Of course, I fully recognize that jazz remains, at its core, African American music. But Europe has developed its own creative voices as well — you can see that in projects like Branford Marsalis recently recording Belonging, originally by Jan Garbarek, which would have been unthinkable twenty years ago. I find these exchanges very stimulating.

UKJN: And there’s certainly no shortage of great European musicians.

Bessières: Absolutely. There’s amazing talent all over Europe — in Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium — it’s really quite impressive. Supporting both French and European musicians will be central to our mission.

UKJN: What about the Jazzdor label? Do you have plans for it?

Bessières: The label is not a top priority right now. Some recordings are made from live festival performances — like the concerts being recorded this week — and those could potentially be mixed and released. But the market for live jazz recordings is quite limited these days.

I see the label more as a tool to support artists we’re working with — musicians who come for residencies or participate in festival projects. The idea would be to help them develop their careers through recordings and further bookings, perhaps with the support of networks like France’s AJC, which connects many festivals.

Given the volume of music being released today, we should only produce recordings when they’re truly exceptional — whether because of the music itself or the uniqueness of the object, perhaps through special limited editions.

I want this festival to continue offering discovery, strong musical experiences, and meaningful opportunities for both artists and audiences.

This is the third of Francesco Spezia’s three articles from Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin 2025