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Montreal Jazz Festival Free Outdoor Line-Up

An amazing, multi-faceted program schedule

For its part, the Les Gammes General Motors series will feature top-calibre musicians mostly from around here at 6 p.m. on this same stage. The series, which has a slightly more international line-up this year, showcases jazz with a capital “J”. Festivalgoers can hear the incomparable Guy Nadon, the Rémi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble, the Moutin Réunion Quartet, comprised for the occasion of members of the French trios of Jean-Michel Pilc and Baptiste Trotignon, the all-female Fair Galloway Quintet, and Nick Ali & Cruzao, the 2001 winner of the General Motors Grand Prix de Jazz. The winner of this pan Canadian competition, an excellent showcase for talent within Canada, will be announced as part of this same series on July 6 at 6 p.m. Galaxie, Radio-Canada’s continuous music radio station will present the Prix Étoiles Galaxie as well as award a grant to the composer of the best song selected among the competing groups. All festivalgoers are invited to come down to listen to the groups and artists competing this year. The award will be presented to the winning group during the Festival’s closing concert on July 6 at the Salle Wilfred-Pelletier of Place des Arts, as part of the Pleins feux General Motors series.

The popular Découvertes General Motors series will take place on this same stage at 3 p.m. daily. The series will once more host the best high school big bands, with the exception of the two Saturdays where people can come out to hear performances by bluesman Billy Craig, accompanied by the Big Band Millennium Jazz Orchestra (June 29), a band that people couldn’t get out of their heads after the way it had guests dancing at the Grande Soirée du Nouveau Millénaire on December 31, 1999 at the Palais des Congrès de Montréal. The Valentino Orchestra (July 6), a big band from the purest jazz tradition, will also be down to perform.

The Contact General Motors series, presented at the Carrefour General Motors (situated at the corner of Jeanne‑Mance Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard), will feature two distinct parts. The first, at 6:30 p.m., will be dedicated to different contemporary acoustic guitar styles. Masters of the “finger style” will be there performing solo, and include German Peter Finger, a king, indeed, pioneer of this style, Ryo Kawasaki, an unparalleled Japanese guitarist and the same artist who invented the guitar synthesizer, accompanied by guitarist Shinobu Itho, as well as Marc Vallée, from Québec City, for his first performance in Montréal. Other virtuosos will be playing with their respective groups, including Andrew Downing and The Great Uncles of the Revolution and the American Johnny A. joined by his trio.

At 9 p.m., the second part of last year’s hugely successful Contact General Motors series will showcase artists who explore the boundaries of jazz and world music, such as Dudu Araujo, the international Cape Verdean star on his first trip to Montréal, Claude Marcelin, who made his name with several groups in Haiti and Quebec, in particular with Boukman Eksperyans, the Toronto Tabla Ensemble, a 10-member group comprising five tabla players, whose rhythms are as dazzling as they are sublime. Other “musts”: the fascinating sounds of the Sino-Quebecois Silk Road Ensemble, or Frank London with The Hasidic New Wave Orchestra, providing us with the special chance to hear the sounds of klezmer, jazz and Senegalese rhythms coming together.

It’s also on the Festival’s main stage that the Grand Événement General Motors heats up with Fiesta Nuevo Latino, which promises to be the hottest and the most refreshing free mega show of the Montréal summer! King Changó, the Venezuelan group whose exuberance echoes La Mano Negra, will be coming to Montréal expressly to party and get everyone up dancing starting Tuesday, July 2, at 9:30 p.m. Giant projection screens, dancers, percussionists and surprises are all part of the show!

The popular Labatt Blues stage (located at Parc Fred Barry) once again becomes the enclave where new musical interpretations give birth to a host of other musical genres. At 7:00 p.m. and 11 p.m., Les soirées Labatt Blues puts the spotlight on Quebecois blues, featuring none other than one of our biggest bluesmen, guitarist Paul Deslauriers, on stage at the Festival for the first time in several years after touring with Garou, Brian Monty & The Granary All Star Blues Band, and the great Stephen Barry, who’s always a pleasure to welcome back…over and over again! And will Jordan Officer, who shares the billing at the Spectrum with the one-of-a-kind Susie Arioli Swing Band that same night, join his friend onstage?

Still on the Labatt Blues stage, Les Spectacles Labatt Blues series gets going at 9 p.m., making room for international blues of all musical inspirations, with free performances at half past midnight at the Spectrum. They’ll be serving up blues, blues and more blues, with some of the best American ambassadors of the genre, such as the gospel-spiced blues of The Holmes Brothers, the very “hot” Mississippi Heat, created by Pierre Lacocque, the Belgian harmonicist who now makes his home in Chicago, and the special get-together between the New Brunswick band Glamour Puss and Patrick Verbecke, a French circuit veteran who’s embarking on his first pan Canadian tour.

This year, the theme of the Les Tropiques Bleue Légère series, presented at 7:30 p.m. on the Bleue Légère stage (Parc des Festivals), could be described as “world music for world peace!”, featuring, among others, the American-Pakistan group Shabaz whose world rhythms and dance will make your spirits soar, the Cuban super party hosted by Isaac Delgado, the Haitian group Lataye in a North American premiere, the multicultural rhythms of Atlas Soul, the Arabic drum'n'bass of England’s Horace X, who will undoubtedly prove to be a very nice surprise this year, and not to forget Bonga, probably the most famous Angolan on the planet!

The Groove Bleue Légère series, which happens every night at 10:00 p.m. on the Bleue Légère stage (Parc des Festivals), may be, even in the opinion of its programmers, nothing less than extraordinary…and maybe even more so! Such an outpouring of enthusiasm is understandable, given the roster of groups in town, namely NoJazz, one of the most deserving representatives of the French electronic jazz scene whose music reminds many of St-Germain and Llorca, Voodoo Jazz (one night only), who created a stir at the Festival last summer with their hip-hop flavoured style, Bumcello, made up of musicians who accompanied French singer M at his recent (and powerful) FrancoFolies de Montréal performance. His totally improvised shows come with the bonus of live auto sampling onstage! And what about the Austrian a cappella group Bauchklang, an electronic music band sans instruments that’s really all the rage in Europe right now. Positively impressive. An absolute must-see!

It looks like the Jazz Lounge du Maurier series will have even more crowds flocking to it this year. The series, presented this year at the Club du Maurier (parc Hydro-Québec), starts at 7:00 p.m. and at 10:00 p.m., and will mostly host Canadian musicians, to whom it is mainly devoted, including the likes of bluesman Jeff Healey and his group, Jazz Wizards, who will be giving a very personal interpretation of 20s and 30s jazz, as well as violinist Charles Wizen, accompanied by master accordionist Marin Nasturica and star double bassist Michel Donato. Also making an appearance will be Brette, the jazz fusion group from Québec City, back together again especially for the occasion and “for the simple pleasure of performing”, as well as Daniel Thouin. The latter, whose playing style resembles that of Bernard Primeau and Guy Nadon, and the Festival’s 2000 and 2001 carte blanche recipient, will be presenting three different concerts at this 23^rd edition. The first will be part of the Groove Bleue Légère series, with Dan et les Robots, a 100% electronic project with four other keyboardists onstage; later, with the avant-garde quintet in the same series; and lastly, performing with the Large Ensemble an indoor concert, as part of the Jazz d'ici La Presse series.

The Soirées Toniques du Maurier will be presented at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on the du Maurier stage (located on the de Maisonneuve Boulevard median). After showcasing ska (in 2000) and reggae (in 2001), the series pursues its great musical journey, tapping into Jamaican music this time around to explore dub. The programmers have carried out the incredible feat of bringing together a spectrum of groups – certainly a rare commodity in this milieu! We’ll be getting our fix of, to name just a few, the rhythmic harmonies of Ark of Infinity, led by Mossman, THE dub master in Montréal, Lynn Taitt & The Jets, whose native Trinidadian leader has collaborated on an impressive number of albums over the last thirty years, High Tone and Zenzile, two representatives of the wildly popular French dub scene, and Systemwide, from Portland, Oregon, whose leader, Ezra Ereckson, heads the BSI Records label. The series will close with a tribute to Geoulah, the reggae group that is making its official homecoming performance with ten or more musicians onstage, many of whom will be sporting the copper shades of California, the place they’ve called home for the past few years. It’s a series that promises to deliver!

The Les Voix Banque Nationale series, now presented at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on the Banque Nationale stage (the lovely bandstand-shaped platform on the Place des Arts esplanade), offers an exceptional program of intimate concerts that you can comfortably listen to them from the neighbouring terraces. A number of beautiful jazz voices will be filling the air, including that of the incredible Diane Nalini, Pascale Lavoie, who has been accurately compared to Diana Krall, Michel Roy (yes, the father of the famous hockey player), with bossa nova-style songs from his most recent album, “L’acadien errant”, and Fredric Gary Comeau with his intoxicating Leonard Cohen-style poetry and melodies. There will also be a very special visit from Garland Jeffreys, an artist and songwriter of unbelievable talent. A real treat for festivalgoers!

The Jazz Louisiane series gets shaking at 8:00 p.m. and 10 p.m. on the La Louisiane / Radio-Canada stage (located at the main door of the Complexe Desjardins), and promises even more diverse acts than in the previous three years. Festivalgoers will be able to see Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas, back after the sensation they created in 1999, J. Paul Jr. & The Zydeco Nubreedz, who catch more than a few people off guard with their special blend of zydeco and hip-hop, the very jazzy sounds of Los Hombres Calientes, and the blue notes of Little Freddie King and Sun Pie & The Louisiana Sunspots, who will thrill authentic New Orleans music lovers. Now that’s what we call a party!

And let’s not forget the Jam Sessions, taking place at the Wyndam Montréal’s du Maurier stage this year, after moving from the Jeanne-Mance room (Lobby level) to allow a greater number of jazzophiles to participate. These free-spirited evenings, where audiences get to enjoy totally intimate and improv performances by musicians participating in the event will start at 11:00 p.m. each evening. The host is none other than the celebrated Vic Vogel and his Trio, the only artist who can boast of having participated in all editions of the Festival since its beginnings. Please note that, given the limited number of places available, the Friends of the Festival card now gives cardholders special access to the Jam Sessions.

Music-filled afternoons!

The great celebration of music will start each day at noon on the Complexe Desjardins’ Grande-Place stage, while the Les midis Complexe Desjardins series will give festivalgoers the opportunity to see and hear several talented and surprising artists, such as the remarkable saxophonist, drummer and keyboardist from Project XX, the Mike Gauthier Organ-Ization, which boasts one of Canada’s best jazz guitarists, or Y-Nut and Quatuor à Médée, who hail from Québec City and Estrie respectively.

The ever-popular Petite École du Jazz with James Gelfand and his musicians, La Bande Magnétik and Jacques L’Heureux, will also be presented inside the Complexe Desjardins at 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. by the President’s Choice brand, and provides a splendid occasion for young and old to be initiated to jazz. Following its recent success last winter in Guadeloupe, this wonderful project launched by the friends of the now famous Ste-Cat cat 13 years ago might go international too.

Another Festival “must”: the Dixieland-style bands, which include Québec City’s Sax-O-Matic, who are participating in the Festival for the first time this year. They’ll be livening up festivalgoers’ daily visits, as part of the Jazz Radio-Canada series, held this year at 4 p.m. on the La Louisiane / Radio-Canada stage. Festivalgoers can also take complete advantage of the beautiful summer days with the Les midis Grand Marnier series (at noon and 1 p.m. on the Terrasse Grand Marnier), Les Après-Midis Banque Nationale (at 2 p.m.) and Les 5 à 7 Banque Nationale (at 5 p.m. on the Banque Nationale stage), and in the evening, as part of the Les 7 à 8 Grand Marnier series (from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the Terrasse Grand Marnier).

For the official opening of the site’s evening activities, the new Parade du Festival, presented by the Québec government, will make its way through the Festival site each day, starting at 5:30 p.m. (departure at Ste‑Catherine in front of Place des Arts), joined by the Blueberry Brass Band (a Dixieland-style group from Lac St-Jean, no less!). Festivalgoers will also be able to enjoy the musical events at the Brasserie Labatt (Place des Arts esplanade, close to de Maisonneuve Boulevard), from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with J.D. Slim (from June 27 to July 1) and Robert David (from July 2 to 7). There’s all this, plus the Festival’s 150 concerts held indoors and around Montréal, where all groups perform in different clubs as part of the Nuits de Montréal and the Off-Festival. Now here’s something to infuse Montréal with that deep, joyful jazz ambiance!

For more information on the Montréal Jazz Festival, please call toll-free 1-888-515-0515 or visit www.montrealjazzfest.com

Edited by Dave Shultz

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