French jazz brings wonderful colours to the European scene. The 2026 edition of Vive le Jazz, a joint festival of the Budapest Music Center and the Institut Français de Hongrie, celebrates the vivid and diverse world of French jazz in Opus Jazz Club between 8 and 10 October.

On the first day of the festival, Papanosh celebrates its 20th anniversary with a new repertoire. Its title, Yes I Are!, is in keeping with the zany English-language titles of their previous programmes, subtly reflecting their light-hearted approach to the seriousness of so-called contemporary music. To craft this new chapter, Sébastien Palis brings the distinctive timbres of the Mellotron to his piano, whilst Raphaël Quenehen enriches his saxophone with percussion and flutes from around the world.

On 9 October, we will hear NoSax NoClar, whose free and borderless sonic universe is nourished as much by modern jazz as by Celtic, Turkish, Berber and Armenian musical traditions. Their music is made of breath and trance, rooted in rhythm, timbre and improvisation, constantly pushing the expressive possibilities of their instruments further. The duo invites listeners into an instinctive and vibrant journey, somewhere between memory and imagination, celebration and vertigo.

On the last day of the festival, the duo of Charlotte Planchou and Didier Ithursarry enchants listeners with the spontaneity of a high-caliber musical dialogue. Their repertoire consists mainly of covers, ranging from French chanson to jazz standards, with echoes of South American songs and German cabaret. With an exceptional technique rooted in classical singing, Charlotte Planchou embraces every contrast, and her stage presence is breathtaking, while in Ithursarry’s hands, the accordion carries the memory of an era and radiates a profound humanity.

Tickets for the three concerts of the Vive le Jazz festival are available on the spot, online at bmc.jegy.hu, and at InterTicket Jegypont partners across Hungary.