The fourth annual ‘Palais en Jazz’ event was held recently at Paris’ Imperial Palace Compiègne.
Co-sponsored by Amadeus loudspeakers and Solid State Logic, the performances were all supported with the Amadeus’ PMX, DIVA and MAESTRO products, with an SSL Live. L500 console at front of house.
Following in the footsteps of Manu Katché, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Peter Cincotti, and Michel Legrand, among many other performers at past events, this year Palais en Jazz presented Marcus Miller, the American jazz composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, best known as a virtuoso bass guitarist, performing on the opening evening and kicking-off his French Afrodeezia Summer Tour.
The former residence of the kings of France and Napoleon, the Imperial Palace Compiègne has been home to Palais en Jazz since its inception.
Founded in 2012 by Emmanuel Starcky, director of the National Museums and the estates of the Compiègne and Blérancourt castles, along with producers Hugo Brugière and Gaetan Byk, the festival aims to blend different time periods and cultures in an effort to create one synonymous jazz sound.
“I found the evening mesmerizing, intoxicating, all the emotions and vibrations of the music created a moment that was simply magical,” says Emmanuel Starcky.
“The close relationships that we maintain with Solid State Logic and Amadeus are fundamental, considering the acoustical and technical constraints of the Cour d’Honneur performance area, in which the Palais en Jazz festival takes place. The quality of the solutions, services and technologies implemented by Solid State Logic and Amadeus makes this great sonic and artistic adventure also a technological one!” adds Emmanuel Starcky.
With the quality of SSL Live and Amadeus loudspeakers a match for Miller’s music, the Palais en Jazz engineers were happy with the sound they achieved.
Olivier OLRY, Palais en Jazz Festival sound engineer, says, “The development philosophy of these two prestigious brands, Amadeus and SSL, and their rich heritage and reputation from the Studio, offer a parallel experience in live sound mixing and monitoring—but at a very large scale! As a FOH sound engineer working at the newly-opened Philharmonie de Paris concert hall, I am lucky to work daily with a combination of the SSL L500 console and the Amadeus DIVA Series line array speakers.”
Grover Washington III, front of house engineer for Marcus Miller, who has also worked with Missy, P. Diddy, Danity Kane, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent/G-Unit and others, says, ”Mixing on the SSL was a first for me, but it was simple to get around on, especially with the help of two knowledgeable techs from both SSL and Amadeus. Combined with the Amadeus PA system the sound was warm, with great presence.”
Commenting on the SSL L500, Wahington adds, “The EQ was smooth and functional. I was intimidated, at first, by the many ways to customize ‘your’ desk, but within a few songs I felt right at home. The on-board effects sounded great as well. I wish I could have this console for every show I mix, front of house or monitors!”
From SSL’s perspective, the Palais en Jazz could not have been a better indication of the capabilities of the L500.
“The SSL Live console is designed to help highly skilled operators deliver outstanding performances in the most demanding applications, and this festival is definitely an example of this,” says Philippe Guerinet, director of international sales for Solid State Logic.
“The high calibre of the technical set up and excellent on site team made it possible for us to reproduce these great performances with immaculate natural detail. I feel everyone, from the musicians and engineers to the audience and hosts, really appreciated the quality of the whole event.”
