One of the best evenings I've ever spent in France was an opening night of Vienne's Jazz Festival. I already had a soft spot for this ancient bruiser of a town that guards the first Côtes du Rhône vineyards south of Lyon. As dusk fell over the valley, its Roman theatre filled with a brilliant mosaic of outfits. Then the instruments took off. It was the musical equivalent of watching swallows at sunset, only the scene continued late into the night.
Over the ensuing week the heart of town filled with music every evening and I joined locals listening to free fringe events on cafe-lined squares. Each night as I walked back to my bed, I was serenaded by curious musical screeches and soft notes. I was hooked.
France's love affair with jazz began when America entered the first world war in 1917 and black musicians were among the many US soldiers. The ground-breaking New York black band-leader, Jim Europe, was instrumental in introducing the first jazz sounds on this side of the pond when, after serving on the front, his band toured France. From the 1920s onwards, a hugely enthusiastic minority embraced the movement and its musicians - many of whom had flocked to France to escape stifling racism back home. After the second world war American jazz musicians again returned to France, and some, most notably Sidney Bechet, settled there.
It was around this time that French jazz festivals really took off. Nice hosted the first in 1948, with Louis Armstrong causing a sensation. But it's not only major holiday resorts and towns that pull off brilliant festivals, dozens of miniscule villages host them too and during the summer you will often find somewhere down the road from your gite is hosting its own do.
Even if you're not a big jazz aficionado, you can't fail to tap a toe when a village square bursts into life to the strains of trumpets, sax and drums.
Here are some of the best . . .
Festival Jazz & Musique Improvisée – Franche-Comté
This feisty jazz festival in eastern France focuses on improvisation. Top French musicians are joined by the likes of virtuoso Vietnamese flautist Nguyen Duyen Thin and American trumpet player Rasul Siddik. The Théâtre Musical and Cinéma Kursaal in Franche-Comté's elegant regional capital, Besançon, host most of the concerts, although other fine historic buildings, such as the Château de Joux near Pontarlier, become venues too. This year's opening event, at Arc-et-Senans's sensational Unesco world heritage site, the Saline Royale, an old saltworks, is an intriguing "concert de cuisine spectaculaire", two chefs "playing" live alongside the musicians - a treat for the eyes, ears and tastebuds, say the promoters.
• 12-27 June, aspro.impro.free.fr, €3-€15 per concert.
Stay: Hôtel Charles Quint (0033 3 81 82 05 49, hotel-charlesquint.com, €89-145) in central Besançon, is an 18th-century property with nine antique-filled rooms.
Django Reinhardt Festival – Samois-sur-Seine, Ile de France
You'll find major summer jazz festivals in central Paris (notably in the Bois de Vincennes's Parc Floral on weekend afternoons in June and July, or at Parc de la Villette, first fortnight in September; see new-paris-ile-de-france.co.uk). But a more secret and enchanting event is held on an island in the middle of the Seine at Samois, beside Fontainebleau forest, 60 km southeast of the capital. Django Reinhardt lived out his final years, and was buried here. This year gypsy jazz phenomenon El Cigala tops the billing.
• 25-28 June, festivaldjangoreinhardt.com, tickets €22-27, four-day pass €80.
Stay: Le Victoria (0033 1 60 74 90 00, hotelvictoria.com, €88-180) is in Fontainebleau where there's a shuttle to the festival, or ask Seine-et-Marne tourism bureau to arrange a package: +1 60 39 60 66, resa77.fr.
Vienne Jazz Festival – Rhône-Alpes
This year the organisers are mixing the genres, fusing established jazz musicians with celebrated singers from other disciplines, such as Randy Crawford, Seal, Youssou N'Dour or France's rapper-extraordinaire, MC Solaar. Concerts take place in Vienne's stunning Roman theatre, and aspiring musicians can sign up for workshops at Vienne's Académie du Jazz.
• 27 June-10 July, jazzavienne.com, tickets €30-38, 7-concert pass €130.
Stay: Recently revamped Grand Hôtel de la Poste (+3 4 74 85 02 04, hoteldelapostevienne.com, €66-104) is central with colourful rooms.
Chartrestivales – Chartres, Centre-Val de Loire
The summer-long Chartrestivales music festival has one week devoted to jazz. Events take place under the covered market close to the gothic Notre-Dame cathedral (which is France's largest), so rain can't stop play. Among some great jazz quintets featuring this year, Zitoun Quintet play with a modern twist with funk, pop and rock influences.
• 29 June-4 July, chartrestivales.com, free.
Stay: Le Parvis (+ 2 37 21 12 12, leparvisdelacathedrale.fr; €120 first night, then decreasing rates) has five cathedral-side B&B rooms, with wooden floors and exposed beams.
Jazz à Luz – Luz-Saint-Sauveur, Pyrenees
Jazz à Luz has altitude as well as attitude. It takes place in a spectacular village in the Pyrenees national park 30km south of Lourdes. This year its innovative music policy stirs up jazz with rap, beat box and even comedy. Look out too for fine guitarists such as Marc Ducret and Noël Akchoté.
• 10-13 July, jazzaluz.com, tickets €5-15, some events free, day-pass €27, 4-day pass €65-€85.
Stay: A "formule tout compris" package, including accommodation and pass, can be booked via the festival website or Luz tourist office (+5 62 92 38 30, luz.org) from €184pp.
Jazz in Marciac – Gers, Midi-Pyrénées
The most famous of the small, intimate jazz festivals is Marciac, a tiny Gascon bastide which is annually swamped by a huge, genial army of jazz lovers.
Now internationally renowned, and attracting world-famous performers, this festival began 30 years ago, when a local teacher organised a one-off concert. As it grew, it totally transformed the character of this sweet village, between Pau and Auch - and the local school even offers a specialist jazz education. International acts appearing in the main marquee this year include Sonny Rollins, the Buena Vista Social Club and Wynton Marsalis, but savour the atmosphere around the village with all the free concerts.
• 31 July-16 August, jazzinmarciac.com, tickets €20-60, passes €150-410.
Stay: Marciac tourist office (0033 5 62 08 26 60, marciactourisme.com), can book accommodation, including homestays.
Jazz à Juan – Côte d'Azur
Hip grand-daddy of France's jazz festivals, Juan-les-Pins's celebration turns 50 next year, but in 2009 it's honouring hugely influential Sidney Bechet 50 years after his death. Bechet so loved Antibes that he married here in 1951, though Cole Porter arrived first, partying here from 1922. For this year's festival, the Sidney Bechet Memory All Stars and Bob Wilber feature first, before the likes of Jamie Cullum and Joss Stone. The festival stage is set up in a dreamy pine-scented beach-side park.
• 11-19 July, jazzajuan.com, tickets €15-75.
Stay: Hôtel La Jabotte (+4 93 61 45 89, jabotte.com, €79-110) in Antibes has funky rooms just 50m from the beach.
Megève Jazz Contest – Savoie-Mont-Blanc
In winter, wealthy skiers flock to the beautifully turned-out Alpine resort of Megève for its chic boutiques, hotels and spas. But in summer it lets its hair down for an annual jazz contest in the tradition of New Orleans big bands with a dozen orchestras amiably vying to outdo each other in outdoor venues.
• 12-14 July, megeve.com, free except for grand final at €15.
Stay: Hôtel La Chaumine (0033 4 50 21 37 05, hotel-lachaumine-megeve.com, €73-86) is a classic wooden chalet.
Souillac en Jazz – Aquitaine
The first notes of Souillac's jazz festival ring out in the Grottes de Lacave, some of southwest France's most spectacular caverns near Rocamadour, before the proceedings shift to this little town on the Dordogne. French talents such as Sylvain Luc and Médéric Collignon perform on the main stage, but with typical southwestern generosity, there's plenty of free al fresco entertainment to enjoy day and night.
• 21-26 July, souillacenjazz.net, many gigs free, tickets €18-28.
Stay: Stay at the heart of the action in the Grand Hôtel de Souillac (+5 65 32 78 30, grandhotel-souillac.com, €49-75) with its incredible central atrium.
Festival de Jazz en Touraine – Montlouis-sur-Loire, Loire valley
Just east of the smart city of Tours, Montlouis-sur-Loire proposes a mellow mix of jazz and wine on its September menu. Stars performing in the modern auditorium this year include Selmer 607, plus there are free outdoor concerts beside a gourmet village where you can taste Montlouis white wines - the vineyards lie across the Loire from rival Vouvray.
• 10-20 September, jazzentouraine.com, tickets €25-28, 8-concert pass €170
Stay: Tours' Hôtel du Manoir (+2 47 05 37 37, site.voila.fr/hotel.manoir.tours, €50-65).
• For more French jazz festivals see afijma.asso.fr.
