"It was women who were at the origin of the first sounds of blues": we met the singer Marion Rampal at Jazz à Juan

Her voice? Captivating. Her spirit? Free.

A few hours before performing at Jazz à Juan on July 14, Marion Rampal, author, composer and jazz singer from Marseille, spoke of her pride at the idea of treading the legendary stage of the Pinède Gould. "When you come from the South, the region's legendary festivals remain legendary."

Between two anecdotes about her grandfather, a pianist in the casinos of the Côte d'Azur after the liberation, and her years in the jazz class at the Marseille Conservatory, the artist unveils a more personal project: a tribute album to the American singer Abbey Lincoln, scheduled for October. "She has a voice and a style of writing that have accompanied me a lot," she confides, her eyes sparkling.

A bold work of reappropriation, where, far from simply reproducing, she revives a "very little played and covered" repertoire, daring to rearrange melodies and atmospheres.

Between homage and combat, jazz reinvented

"We too often forget that it was women who were at the origin of the first sounds of blues," recalls Marion Rampal, an active campaigner for the recognition of women in jazz.

His fight? To bring about more diversity in juries, to defend small independent productions and to pass on knowledge to young artists.

Between concerts, she campaigns for a more inclusive jazz, without ever falling into empty rhetoric: "Commitment is in our actions before being in our words," she says, preferring concrete action to posturing.

Between transmitting jazz heritage and reflecting on the contemporary challenges of the profession, Marion Rampal gently traces her path, without deviating from her principles.