The wonderfully laid-back Jazz in Marciac festival takes place in southwest France every August - and the area has plenty to offer jazz atheists too, writes Clare Doyle
'If music be the food of love, play on." I think Shakespeare might have had Gascony in mind when he wrote these words, because during the summer in this region of France you can have both the music and the food, in abundant quantities (the love part is a personal matter).
Throughout the holiday season this normally quiet part of France is awash with festivals. Some are intimate and local, while others have achieved an international reputation, such as the Jazz in Marciac festival.
Marciac sits in a smiling valley between Tarbes, the not-so-lovely departmental town of the Hautes-Pyrénées, and Auch, the more distinguished administrative centre of the Gers. When Jean-Louis Guilhaumon arrived in the 1970s to teach English in the college in Marciac, he wanted to shake the place up a little. The first jazz festival was held in a garage, but it did feature Jean Louis's friend, Guy Lafitte, emblematic French jazzman.
It couldn't be held in a garage now, not unless it was one built to house an Airbus A380. The rugby pitch houses the Chapiteau, the big top that seats 6,000 people. The sound is advanced, and the large screens that flank the stage are crystal clear in their definition.
There is nothing amateur about the conditions under which these world-class artists are expected to perform, and yet the festival as a whole retains a quality of friendliness, of informality, that is part of its charm. Despite the staggering numbers of visitors (about 180,000 to this town of 1,300 souls), the organisation of the festival is still handled by local volunteers, students, mothers, grandfathers, retired teachers, the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker.
Over the years I have seen some of the biggest stars of jazz play at Marciac (Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson, Joe Cocker, Herbie Hancock among others), and discovered many new artists. I suppose I had always thought of jazz as being essentially urban, belonging in the dimly lit bars of New York, New Orleans, Berlin, or Paris, but listening to it seated on a plastic chair with grass underfoot somehow makes it all the more precious, paradoxical.
For the duration of the festival - August 1st-16th - Marciac takes on new life. The edges of the normally empty square fill with stalls selling exotic clothing, hand-crafted jewellery, CDs, books, ornaments, organic food, African drums and carved artefacts. There is music everywhere, sparkling out of the open windows of the old houses, drifting down the cobbled streets. Bistros and bars spring up in barns and tents, offering cuisine from all over the world.
Through the day there are free concerts from the open-air stage in the square, and the music continues, buskers along the arcades, small combos in the many restaurants and, late at night, young musicians in the centre improvising with sound.
In all the many times I have been in town, early or late in the day, whether it is crowded or quiet, there is a sense of enjoyment, of openness. Despite all these people being in close proximity, and despite the flowing wine, the Armagnac, and the many bars, I've not seen a fight, nor picked my way past the drunks. Is it music, or is it Marciac?
If jazz isn't your thing, well, the region can cope with that. Tarbes hosts not only the European Equestrian festival (this year July 29th to August 3rd) but also a festival of Argentine dance, Tarbes En Tango (August 18th-24th). Also, in Vic-Fezensac, just up the road from Marciac, the Tempo Latino festival (www.tempo-latino.com) takes place from July 24th to 27th, during which the town gives itself over to salsa to the point that sand is scattered along the main streets to facilitate the dancing. This is to say nothing of Le Country in Mirande (July 11th-15th), where every aspect of American country music is represented, including parades of Harley Davidsons, classes in line dancing, and cattle calling.
Moving away from Marciac, the road to Auch wanders along the ridge, passing through small "bastide" towns. These are walled villages, half-timbered houses in warm stone, the squares arcaded, so that lunch outdoors is comfortable in the shade. Generally speaking, a liking for duck is useful when eating in Gascony, but there is much else besides foie gras, confit, magret de canard, and all the other iterations of that humble bird.
The local jambon du pays is excellent and teams perfectly with the famed melons from Lectoure, whose fragrant, juicy flesh bears no relation to their pale cousins beloved of the supermarkets. In every town in the region, most of which boast pretty galleried market squares, you can find excellent fresh fruit, peaches, apricots, and figs, and the vegetables aren't bad either. Then there is the wine: spicy reds such as Madiran (the village that gives this wine its name, in the nearby Hautes-Pyrénées department of southwest France, hosts a festival of wine on August 14th and 15th) and the rich, sweet white Pacherenc, which goes perfectly with foie gras, or even the aforementioned melons.
To help you recover from the excitement of this celebration of music and food there is always the canine festival in Auch (July 17th), or better still the festival of astronomy in Fleurance (August 4th-10th), during which the observatory (L'Hameau des Etoiles) opens its doors and runs courses and activities to explain the wonders of the astonishingly clear skies to visitors. There is something for everyone, in fact, and perhaps best of all for anyone coming from a city, within moments of any of these centres you can find utter peace and tranquillity in a gentle rural landscape. There are myriad gîtes (holiday homes for rent), many bed and breakfast possibilities, and comfortable local hotels in all the towns.
To get in the mood, listen to the Marciac Suite composed and performed by Wynton Marsalis as part of his devotion to the festival and the area, once you've heard Loose Duck, Armagnac dreams, and Sunflowers, you'll be raring to get there.
Go there
Several airlines fly into regional airports in Gascony. It is advisable to hire a car. Aer Lingus ( www.aerlingus.com) flies to Toulouse and Bordeaux from Dublin, and Ryanair flies to Biarritz and Rodez from Dublin. Ryanair flies to Carcassonne from Cork and to Biarritz from Shannon. Jet2 flies to Toulouse from Belfast twice a week. Aer Arann flies to Bordeaux from Galway and Waterford.
Where to stay and where to eat if you're in southwest France
Where to stay
Marciac
Hôtel les Comtes de Pardiac. 28 Place de L'hôtel de Ville, 00-33-5-62082000, www.hotel-marciac.com.
Pierre et Vacances Hameau du Lac. Lac de Marciac, www.booking.com/hotel/fr/hameaudulac. Comprising nine buildings, Hameau du Lac is divided into apartments and blocks of houses. Unwind in the swimming pool with its wooden deck overlooking the lake.
Camping du Lac. 32230 Marciac, 00-33-5-62082119, www.camping-marciac.com. A good campsite in Marciac.
Maubourguet
If you want to escape the excitement of the jazz festival, this small market town is convenient to Marciac, and offers several choices:
La Maison. 00-33-5-62317119 www.maisonatmaubourguet.com. Bang in the middle of Maubourguet, this upmarket BB offers a haven of tranquillity, a secluded garden and a swimming, pool.com.
Hotel de France. 75 Allée Larbanés, 00-33-5-62960101, www.hoteldefrance-maubourguet.com. A small hotel with a popular restaurant, a walled garden and a swimming pool.
Mirande
A lovely walled town with an excellent market on a Monday.
Hotel du Prince. 15 Avenue d'Etigny, 32300 Mirande, 00-33-5-42541034, www.hotelduprince.com.
Gîtes
There are also many gîtes (holiday homes for rent) throughout the region.
www.gers-gites-france.com/uk.
Where to eat
Marciac
Le Coin Gourmand. 7 Rue Juillac, 00-33-5-62093874. During the jazz festival there are restaurants everywhere in Marciac, but for good local food in a tranquil setting with friendly service look no further.
Maubourguet
Boucherie Dubertrand. Rue General de Gaulle, 00-33-5-62963198.
If you want to put a picnic together, this butcher's offers excellent ham, rillettes d'oie, jambon du pays, and foie gras. There are several first-rate bakers in Maubourguet to complete your meal.
Auch
Hôtel de France. 2 Place de la Libération, 00-33-5-62617171, www.hoteldefrance-auch.
Treat yourself to superb Gascon cuisine in a restaurant overseen by master chef Roland Garreau. The hotel has 29 rooms.
Fleurance
Le Pere Francois. 2 Place de la Republique, 00-33-5-62066791. A good-value dining restaurant. If you're taking in the Hameau des Etoiles, Fleurance, a pretty Gascon town, is a must-see.