"Jazz in Marciac" a Marciac Travel Page by kokoryko

This festival takes place every year in the small village of Marciac in the Gers depertment in France, not far from Pau or Toulouse; this festival is less known than Montreux (Switzerland) or Vienne or Antibes, but it is a wonderful one and the great artists who play in Marciac appreciate a lot:
The public
The organisation
The local food, hotels and homestays

Dee Dee Bridgewater, a few years ago was supposed to perform from 10 pm to 11:30, and she kept on stage, with the whole public “performing” with her till 3 am; I did not believe when I first heard it, but other confirmed; so in Marciac, the artists communicate with the public, more than in other “chic” places, and that makes the secret of the success of “Jazz in Marciac”, which gets more and more known and is now broadcasted live on Radio France. Other great jazz men (and women) tell lots of memories about their experience in Marciac, because it is one, specially for those coming from over the Atlantic.

In Marciac is the official festival, which takes place in the arena or a big tent mounted on the rugby field, and there is the off festival, the one which takes place in the streets, in bars, or on a stage on the main place of the village; many bands play there, and in the afternoon or evening it is a pleasure to listen to these musicians, while having a drink or even a dinner before going to the official show.

Marciac is a nice little village in the Gers (The place where the famous movie: “Le bonheur est dans le pré” takes place), an archetypal countryside area, with wonderful food, nice villages and places around; sorry, one of the local specialties is goose or duck liver (the stuffed geese. . ). So called nature lovers, ecologists, animal rights defenders and who knows what else stubborn narrow minded integrist militants and ayatollahs, scream so much (they even do not realize they are manipulated by politicians and lobbies, who want to tax European food going to US or elsewhere, but of course want to feed European with US, or from elsewhere plastic food) in order to try to forbid this duck or geese stuffing.
Ah, it was about music here. . . Ah, the country side is beautiful. .