The MAMA JAZ festival unveils its Grand Concerts program for April, featuring a series of unmissable musical evenings at the Galerie du Génie, Édith, in Port-Louis. Every Wednesday from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM, audiences are invited to explore distinctive artistic worlds brought to life by local talent.
A whole month vibrating with sound and emotions
On Wednesday, April 1st, the stage opens with FLER LATMOSFER | Mama Krea Yvette Dantier. A guitarist and vocalist in equal measure, Yvette Dantier delivers an intimate performance where raw emotion meets rich sonic texture.
Wednesday, April 8th, brings EVEY, an ensemble featuring Jean Noël Ladouce on saxophone, Steve Desvaux on bass, Patrick Desvaux on guitar, and Jalill Auckbaraulee on drums and percussion. This tight-knit lineup promises a dynamic, immersive musical conversation.
On Wednesday, April 15th, REZONANS | Mama Krea Ila Rio takes the stage with a hybrid sonic offering. The group brings together Vincent Nombro (keyboards, bass, and baritone guitar), Asheel Tymun (guitar, percussion, sound effects, and backing vocals), Jason Kong (trumpet and backing vocals), and Ila Rio (lead vocals, electronic percussion, and drums), a compelling exploration spanning acoustic and electronic worlds.
Wednesday, April 22nd, sees LAMOUR, LAVI & LAMOR | Mama Krea Sarah Honoré, a performance marked by sensitivity and poetic depth. Sarah Honoré, on vocals, strings, and percussion, is joined by Tharun Seeburruth on keyboards, MAO, voice, and percussion.
Rounding out the month on Wednesday, April 29th, the Samuel Laval Quintet closes the festival in style. The ensemble features Jérémie Augustin (keyboards and bass), Fabien Gourdin (percussion and drums), Nethaneel Sahye (guitar), Mervyn Padaruth (keyboards), and Samuel Laval (keyboards and saxophones), coming together for a richly nuanced collective performance.
As for tickets, the Grand Concerts are available at Rs 800 in advance or Rs 1,000 at the door, through Ticketbox.mu. For the most dedicated music lovers, the Mama Kombo Pak offers access to all five Grand Concerts plus KRI, the special evening on April 30th, for Rs 3,000. This offer is valid until April 1st, with only 50 passes available, on sale at Partyapp.mu.
For more information about the festival, visit mamajaz.org.
A conversation with Yvette Dantier, Mauritian singer and guitarist
To set the mood, we sat down with Yvette Dantier, Mauritian singer and guitarist, who opens the MAMA JAZ Grand Concerts with Fler Latmosfer, a performance built around intimacy and what truly matters.
Who is Yvette Dantier?
I am myself, a Mauritian singer and guitarist, deeply shaped by bossa nova, a music that has defined the way I inhabit every note.
These days, I've turned toward writing and composing my own songs with Rien Ke Mwa. It's a journey back to the self, discovering what remains when you strip things away, layer by layer, until only what's true and essential is left.
That's where this choice of simplicity was born: a guitar, a voice, and harmonies.
A space where music doesn't try to fill the room, but to move you, where silence holds as much weight as words and notes.
What does MAMA JAZ mean to you, for Mauritius and for the island's professional arts scene?
To me, MAMA JAZ is a genuine space to breathe artistically, a place where you discover artists in a whole new light.
It's a festival that celebrates creation and gives us the chance to experience artists in a dimension you simply don't find anywhere else.
In more conventional circuits, there isn't always room for free expression, and that's exactly what MAMA JAZ makes possible.
That's what makes it precious, in my eyes, to both Mauritius and its artists.
What sets MAMA JAZ apart from other festivals in Mauritius and beyond?
What sets MAMA JAZ apart is that you don't come here to consume music; you come to truly listen to it.
In a world of constant noise and distraction, MAMA JAZ creates a rare space of silence, where every note and every breath fully exists.
You absorb it, you breathe it in. It's that quality of listening — almost sacred, really — that makes the experience unlike anything else.
Tell us about Fler Latmosfer, your mama kreasion for the MAMA JAZ Grand Concert, and what you hope it inspires.
I love that concert name because, in itself, it's an invitation to feel and reconnect with what surrounds us. And for me, that reconnection always begins with yourself.
It also deeply reflects my album: this duality between the tangible and the intangible, between what can be explained and what you feel without ever quite being able to name it.
In these times of great upheaval, both in the world and in Mauritius, how do you feel on the eve of the festival?
Upheaval has always been with us. What matters is how we choose to respond to it. My choice is music, gentleness, and creating a moment that is deeply, genuinely positive.
In times like these, I feel an even stronger need to reconnect with music and offer something that soothes, brings people together, and simply does good.
Which other festival performances are you looking forward to, aside from your own? What inspires you about the MAMA JAZ April 2026 lineup?
I'm truly spoiled for choice. The programming is so diverse, and each artist brings such a distinct world to the stage.
I want to discover everything, to let myself be surprised. It's hard to choose when so many beautiful projects are on offer, and honestly, that's exactly what makes MAMA JAZ so inspiring.
Do you have a message for our readers to encourage them to experience MAMA JAZ?
Come with curiosity, with openness, with no expectations. MAMA JAZ isn't something you consume, it's something you live.
If you take the time to listen to these musical projects, crafted with such dedication, devotion, and love, you can't help but walk away with something deeply precious.
I can't wait to share this moment with you.
