Experience Québec
Festival international de jazz de Montréal
A musical conversation: “Let’s jazz!”
Three hundred and fifty shows on 12 outdoor stages: the outdoor program of the 29th edition of the Festival international de jazz de Montréal promises to be downright festive! There will be something for everyone. Montréal will jazz like never before for 11 days: a guitar show, intimate conferences with artists, a mural by Armand Vaillancourt, and the chance to go down in history as part of a percussion jam session 4,000-strong. No doubt about it… let’s jazz! 
Once again, the Festival international de jazz de Montréal (FIJM) offers plenty to discover and a few mega-shows thrown in for good measure. Could this be the dress rehearsal for the 30th anniversary? A tribute to Montréal’s Leonard Cohen opens the festival (see sidebar). One of the magical evenings of this edition will undoubtedly be the return of Bran Van 3000, on July 1(see sidebar). The grand finale will take place July 6 with the brilliant Guinean griot and master of the kora Mory Kanté (see sidebar), in an electrifyingly electric show. 
Not all tickets are sold out, and when this article went online, very good tickets remained for certain concerts. Apple’s new advertising/musical muse, Yael Naim (June 27), offers up her New Soul and a few good seats at Place des Arts. Tickets are also available for the most famous minister of culture since Melina Mercouri, Gilberto Gil (June 26), master of the samba. Tickets for gurus of 5/4 time, Dave Brubeck (July 4 and 5) and his quartet are still available. The same goes for Woody Allen (June 29 and 30)!Let’s jazz local…
On the outdoor stages, don’t miss The Blue Seeds (June 26), a Montréal indie-folk group, whose first and eponymous album received critical acclaim in Montréal. For fans of rhythm and sonic colour, the Roberto López Project (June 27) with his multicultural band create a fantastic audio world. A new dancing sensation featuring eight musicians creating a fine brew of Latin rhythms, afrobeat, dub and reggae, The Psychotropical Orchestra (June 28) sings in Spanish. The group was formed in Montréal in 2003 by a Mexican, a Panamanian, a Salvadoran, a Chilean, a Frenchman and two Quebecers, one from Matane and the other from Warwick. With catchy melodies, the Simon Legault Quartet (July 3) is testimony to Legault’s talent and sense of dialogue. And our local talent recommendations would not be complete without Les Moonlight Girls (July 3), young, crazy and passionate about jazz and swing. This trio’s energy is catching. This is jazz sung at its best.
Let’s jazz internationally…
They come from far-off lands, and some have dreamt of Montréal’s stages, in particular the group Bhoomi from India (June 28). Bhoomi means Earth. It is also the best-known traditional Bengali music group in India. Surojit Chatterjee had two dreams as a musician: to put on a show for the UN—mission accomplished in July 2006—and another at the Festival international de jazz de Montréal. 
From France, the group NoJazz (June 30 and July 1) returns for the fourth time with an original concept that will stir the passions: from French chanson to hip hop to jazz. Nate James (July 4), the 100% British soul singer, is heralded as the new Jamiroquai. His influences go back to old-school funk. To round out our international picks, a nod to our cousins to the south with the 10 musicians of Albino! (July 5 and 6) and their tribute to the hypnotic rhythms of Fela Kuti, whose music denounces injustices in Africa.Painted heart
Québec artist Armand Vaillancourt invites you to help him paint a gigantic 100-metre mural, with everyone adding a brushstroke to those of the artist. Vaillancourt explains that he wants to “awaken creative ability” and “create democracy through art.” A specially designed limited-edition silkscreen by the artist, entitled La Révolution du cœur, will also be available.
Striking a chord
Guitar fans will adore the Montreal Guitar Show. Some 50 free mini-concerts will feature virtuosos such as Peter Janson, Brady Cohan, Christine Tassan, Sylvain Provost and Jacques Desfosses. The show has more than one string to its… guitar. Intimate conferences with artists, in particular with Alain Caron, the former bassist for UZEB, and workshops with luthiers, such as Rick Davis, on the history of the guitar. And if a particular instrument makes your fingers fly, you can even buy it!
Jazz talk
You can also hear big names in music talk about their music and their art: The Blind Boys of Alabama, Daniel Lanois, Michel Donato, Gino Vanelli and Oliver Jones. (see sidebar) Here is an overview of the outdoor program. For details, consult the online program.
| Three’s the charm: the megashows! |
Leonard Cohen  “First, we take Manhattan, then we take… Montréal!” Will Cohen bring out the crowds? On June 26, the Festival presents a tribute to the legendary Montréal singer: Zachary Richard, Garou, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Thomas Hellman will sing the songs of our Leonardo da Montreali… The septuagenarian himself will give three sold-out concerts the three days before the event.  Mory Kanté This major Guinean griot says he learned music in the womb. Mory Kanté, a beacon of world music, has many popular albums to his credit. He will perform his greatest hits at the grand finale of the FIJM, on July 6, including the anthem Yéké Yéké.  Bran Van 3000 Enfant terrible of Montréal’s hippest dance floors since the age of… 16, James DiSalvio is the man behind Bran Van 3000. After being absent from the stage for a decade, he offers festival-goers a special gift: a show with the musical flavours of the world and heart that’s made in Montréal. July 1. |
| Make some noise! |
| Patumbum! Patumbum! Come jingle your tambourine at the biggest jam of the festival. On July 2, starting at 6:00 p.m., 4,000 members of the public, using thousands of percussion instruments distributed for free, will patumbum together for an hour-long piece, accompanied by 16 musicians and four dancers from the professional percussion group Samajam. |
André Quenneville & Sylvain Lacoursière
Photos: Montreal International Jazz Festival
2008-06-27
