After a special concert at the Estivales du Château in Chambéry as part of the “Regards tactiles” exhibition by Alain Mikli, Moncef will be back at the MontreuxJazz Festival, where after having played at the last two editions he’ll be one of the official jury members of the annual Piano Competition on July 16th, 17th and 18th. After that he’ll head to Crans-Montana where he’ll perform “Novecento,” a theater play with longtime friend Patrick Moret, at the Sommets du Classique Festival on July 25th. For more details, please check out the “Tours” section. Have a great summer, everyone !

Moncef will perform at the 5th edition of the Jazz à Carthage Festival in Tunisia with his Swiss Trio accompanied by Paris-based, Tunisian-born sax wonderYacine Boulares. His next spring dates will be during the first weekend of May where he’ll play at the Derry Jazz Festival and Cathedral Arts Festival in Derry and Belfast, Nothern Ireland, with a who’s who of local talent including guitarist Mark McKnight and Linley Hamilton on trumpet. After that it’s back to Switzerland for gigs in Geneva and Sion. Details in the “Tours” section.

On a sad note Moncef and his entire team would like to extend their condolences to the friends and family of Boubacar Joseph Ndiaye, the legendary and esteemed curator of the House of Slaves on the Island of Gorée in Senegal, who passed away in Dakar at the age of 86. Ndiaye appeared in the film Return To Gorée – which featured Moncef and Youssou N’Dour – the opening and closing scenes of which were shot in Gorée. He was a key figure in the defence of the memory of the Atlantic slave trade, and those he guided on their visit of the island (including dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, and Bill Clinton) will forever remember the passion with which he took his noble task to heart.

Happy New Year to all! More Swiss dates confirmed for Moncef in various formations: Check him out in Lausanne (in piano duet), Yverdon-les-bains (solo) and Crans-Montana (quintet), before an Easter escapade to Tunisia (in quartet) for the Jazz à Carthage festival in April. All details are in the “Tours” section.