By Siegfried Mortkowitz, DPAÂ
Paris : In summer, the weather is not the only reason the South of France is hot – there's also the music.
As usual, the Riviera, Provence and the Languedoc will turn into open-air concert halls beginning July and offer a mind-boggling variety of musical festivals. But, above all, the region is best known for its summer jazz programming.
Perhaps the granddaddy of all French summer festivals takes place in the Mediterranean resort of Juan-les-Pins. The International Festival of Jazz at Juan (Jazz a Juan) will be held for the 47th time this year.
It came into being the year after the death of legendary jazz saxophonist, clarinettist and composer Sidney Bechet, who was a frequent visitor to the town of Juan-les-Pins and often performed there during his summer stays.
This year's festival, which runs from July 13 to 22, will feature a homage to one of Bechet's greatest musical descendants, John Coltrane.
On July 17, the 40th anniversary of Coltrane's death, saxophonist Ricky Ford's Coltrane Project and the Acoustic Quintet of trumpet legend Roy Hargrove will pay tribute to the great musician.
Singer Norah Jones performs July 18, to be followed by Keith Jarrett's trio and Brazilian Culture Minister (and music legend) Gilberto Gil July 20.
The Nice Jazz Festival, which has become one of the most important events of its kind in Europe, runs almost simultaneously, from July 18 to 25.
Its programme includes not only modern jazz masters such as pianist Marcus Miller, but rock legends Sly and the Family Stone, Jamaican reggae star Jimmy Cliff and R&B pioneer Solomon Burke.
Finally, the farming town of Marciac in southwestern France will play host to an impressive array of jazz musicians from Aug 2 to 14. The guest list reads like a who's who of modern jazz greats and includes Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Pat Metheny and Sonny Rollins.
But there's more to the south of France then just jazz.
For eclecticism, no festival can outdo this year's Festival des Nuits du Sud (Southern Nights Festival), which is held in the lovely Riviera town of Vence from July 20 to Aug 18.
The 10th edition of this popular event features the dynamic South African singer and dancer Johnny Clegg, Cape Verde's Grammy winner Cesaria Evora, Cuba's Los Van Van, Rokia Traore of Mali, Turkey's Burhan Öcal and the Istanbul Oriental Ensemble and the Jjapanese percussion group Gocoo.
Southern France even has something for fans of electronic dance music, the Electromind Festival, which will be held in the city of Montpellier from July 18 to 21.
The festival's climax, at which more than 30,000 people are expected, is the Open Air Party July 21, featuring more than 50 DJs representing almost every known electronic style, including House, Techno, Minimal, Drum N' Bass, Break Beat, Hard Tech, Tribe und Hard.
Other festivals of interest in the area include the Dance Festival of Marseille from June 19 to July 13, which this year features companies from the Netherland, including the Netherland Dans Theater and the company T.R.A.S.H of Tilburg.