Paris, France — There were the mythical venues like the Bilboquet, the Montana, venues in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood of Paris, a neighborhood  where the greatest jazz men of the 20th century could be found performing and where the contemporary jazz scene continues to play on. Miles Davis, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Sydney Bechet, Thelonious Monk were all there. Each year the Jazz Festival of Saint-Germain-des-Prés brings this tradition even further to life with unique concerts and events held in exceptional venues in the neighborhood. And this year there is no lack of celebrated staging places with great acoustics like the Odéon Theatre where the Stacey Kent Trio will open up the festival on May 13th accompanied by the Akilone String Quartet performing works by Michel Legrand, Jacques Brel and Richard Rogers. Kareen Guiock Thuram will be performing Nina Simone in the Theatre of the Alliance Française and the internationally renowned pianist Shani Diluka who recently paid tribute to Philip Glass and John Cage on her latest album Pulse will be performing at the opulent Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The festival, which is being held for the 23rd time this year, runs from May 13th until May 20th. Additional reporting Sylvain Loire. ©The Gourmet Gazette. For full program, tickets and additional information: https://festivaljazzsaintgermainparis.com/home/