Jazz in the Valley

Souillac en Jazz every July

A week-long celebration to the rhythms of Jazz. Don’t miss the spectacular outdoor concert setting in front of Souillac’s 12th century Abbey where you can catch the leading lights of the French and International Jazz scene.

Abbey Jazz - Groovy in July

France has had a long love affair with the evolution of Jazz.
Part of the Dordogne Valley summer music festivals season, a must-see for jazz aficionados in the yearly concert calendar includes the renowned Souillac en Jazz. Every year in the third week of July, this week-long Dordogne Valley favorite has been hosting big names in French and International Jazz for over 40 years. Art Blakely once famously played here, Memphis Slim and Archie Shepp to name but a few… Not on the grand scale of Montreaux or Marciac it is precisely its small size that allows you to get up close to the performers.

Exceptional setting

On concert nights in the Place Pierre Betz of Souillac, the intimate outdoor stage, constructed in front of the 12th Century medieval abbey, is what makes this festival special. Watch leading Jazz artists perform as the dark blue dusk sky turns to night and the Jazz crescendos under a now starry sky. Lovely acoustics resonate in the medieval abbey square and make for a fabulous evening in an exceptional setting.

An American in Souillac

The Souillac Jazz festival was founded in 1976 by Sim Copans, an American G.I. who helped liberate France during the Second World War. Copans settled in the Dordogne Valley after the war and was instrumental in cementing Jazz radio into French life with his extensive contacts with the U.S. Jazz scene.