From 16 to 20 July 2009,

the Dinant Jazz Nights are presenting their 12^th festival edition with

Toots Thielemans as their godfather this year.

Dinant Tourism Office : 082/22.90.38

www.fnac.be or 0900.00.600, www.ticketnet.be or 0900.40.850, Night & Day  shops.

One of the festival values being to choose every year an artist in residence, this tradition will be perpetuated in 2009 with a jazz legend and one of the biggest Belgian pride.

After Eric Legnini, David Linx, Manfred Eicher, Philip Catherine, Paolo Fresu, Stéphane Belmondo or Steve Houben during the past editions, Toots Thielemans will be the artist in residence of the twelfth Dinant Jazz Nights festival.

Among the highlights of this year's festival, the event will host on 17 July one of the best French singer today Michel Jonasz(who has played among others with Steve Gadd, Larry Carlton...) for an exclusive concert in Belgium with his new band made of jazz musicians. No doubt that the incomparable Mr Swing will bring a jazz feeling to its biggest classics and the ones from the "chanson française".

Another legend, one of the best saxophone players today and a Blue Note artist,

Joe Lovano, will celebrate the Adolphe Sax' birthplace on 19 July with a « special band » set up particularly for the festival.

Accordion player and virtuosi Richard Galliano will come for the first time in Dinant on 20 July for what is likely to be one of the strongest emotional moments of the festival thanks to his exceptional band that features Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Richard Bona and Clarence Penn.

Obviously, Belgian musicians will be completely part of this year's festival program and especially on 18 July during the Django d'Or ceremony that congratulates the best Belgian jazz musicians. During that day, our artist in residence this year,Toots Thielemans, will play with a new quartet.