The Montreal International Jazz Festival Festival is again taking downtown by storm once this summer. This 42nd edition, presented by TD Bank Group in collaboration with Rio Tinto and running from June 30 to July 9, means the public can soak up that thrilling festival vibe for 10 fun and festive days.
In addition to the stellar program announced earlier, the festival presents brand-new initiatives that will make downtown Montréal shine and treat music lovers to a feast for the senses.
CLUB MONTRÉAL TD
The Festival is celebrating some new additions to Montreal’s cultural scene, including the Club Montréal TD. Located on the Esplanade of Place des Arts — in a relaxed, colourful and urban ambiance — the Club will present free shows by some of today’s hottest artists, or two to three concerts a night.
It will also serve food prepared by a restaurant owner firmly rooted in Montréal’s culinary culture (stay tuned to find out their identity!) and a 100 per cent local drink. Some must-see concerts include:
Fernie, at Les Sessions TD, Friday July 1 at 7 p.m. — Free{/span}
Inspired by contemporary artists like Frank Ocean and Daniel Caesar, Brazilian-Canadian Fernie will be playing his lush and soulful R&B sounds at Club Montréal TD. Member of the collective Kids From the Underground, he dazzled the Montréal music scene this past August with the release of his album Aurora.
Emma Beko, at Les Nocturnes TD, Friday, July 1 at 11 p.m. — Free
Get set to watch singer and rapper Emma Beko heat up the Club stage! The other half of the electro-pop duo Heartstreets just released her second album Digital Damage unanimous acclaim.
Suuns, at Les Nocturnes TD, Friday, July 8 at 11 p.m. — Free
The unmissable Suuns will be performing on the Club Montréal TD stage. The Montréal cult band released The Witness last fall, which Pitchfork hailed as their most cohesive. The album is a departure from their somewhat mysterious and claustrophobic krautrock the past, making room for more spontaneity and improvisation, two touchstones of the group’s performances.
Chiiild, at Les Nocturnes TD, Saturday, July 9 at 11 p.m. — Free
Though now based in Los Angeles, Yonatan Ayal (alias xSDTRK) and Pierre-Luc Rioux have not forgotten their Québec roots. Individually, they have worked with Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Skrillex and even Céline Dion. Together, they make up Chiiild, the soul and psychedelic duo that will play the final show at Club Montréal TD.
Les Envolées du Festival, June 30, July 2, 3, 8 and 9 at 1 p.m. — Free
While many seasoned performers will be gracing the Club Montréal TD stage, keep your eyes peeled for headliners that include five projects from five different Québec universities.
LE STUDIO TD
Le Studio TD, formerly L’Astral, throws its doors open for two concert series each night from 6 to 10 p.m. The Entrée Libre TD series will feature jazz’s biggest stars. As the name says, entry is free and is on a first come, first served basis. It’s an awesome opportunity to make new discoveries. Some must-see concerts include:
Marianne Trudel & John Hollenbeck, Dédé Java Espiritu + Time Poem, at Entrée Libre TD, Thursday, June 30 at 6 p.m. — Free
Get an inside peek at the contagious creativity at work between pianist Marianne Trudel and drummer John Hollenbeck. Together, they created the Dédé Java Espiritu project, or what they see as an ode to beauty, intuition, and spontaneity.
Julian Lage Trio featuring Scott Colley & Dave King, at Entrée Libre TD, Thursday, June 30 at 10 p.m. — Free
Here’s a chance to see celebrated guitarist Julian Lage playing in a trio with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Dave King. The two musicians will accompany Lage as he plays his new album Squint, his first with the prestigious Blue Note label.
Louis Cole Big Band, at Entrée Libre TD, Friday, July 1 at 10 p.m. — Free
Composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Louis Cole is in Montréal with his Big Band. The group, whose fans number Flying Lotus, Quincy Jones and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, promise an electrifying evening of hot jazz with electrofunk influences that will have you on your feet and dancing.
Kamaal Williams, Entrée Libre TD, Wednesday, July 6 at 10 p.m. — Free
There has been a genuine resurgence in British jazz over the past few years thanks, in no small part, to Kamaal Williams. Whether on the excellent Black Focus released in 2016 with Yussef Kamaal or his solo project, the Taiwanese Londoner loves mixing worlds, styles and cultures to create a hybrid jazz driven by strong rhythms.
Laufey, Entrée Libre TD, Friday, July 8 at 10 p.m. — Free
Icelandic jazz singer Laufey has already been conquering the hearts of Gen Z, one viral video at time. Approved by Billie Eilish and Willow Smith, Laufey will be playing songs from her EP Typical of Me, released last year, as well as new songs Valentine and Everything I Know About Love.
“TD Bank Group is once again proud to present the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal for the 12th consecutive year,” stated Sylvie Demers, Chair, Québec Market TD Bank Group. “Music has this extraordinary ability to bring us together, draw us closer and touch our hearts. After two difficult years, we are thrilled to help reunite jazz artists and their fans and create memorable moments in the city’s downtown together.”
FABRIQUE MUSICALE RIO TINTO
This brand-new installation on Sainte-Catherine Street is exciting, colourful, interactive, and inclusive and invites people of all ages to unleash their fun and creativity! With a theme of “our bodies: music makers”, the different activities proposed let people tap into the relationship between body movement and music.
“Rio Tinto has been teaming up with the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal since 2006 and we are happy to announce that we’ve renewed our partnership for the next three years,” stated Ivan Vella, Chief Executive, Rio Tinto Aluminium. “No other cultural event better captures Montrealers’ joie de vivre than the Jazz. We are thrilled that it is returning in all its glory, with an impressive line-up of artists from here and afar, adoring crowds of music lovers and activities for the young and the young at heart.”
NEW FACES ON THE OUTDOOR STAGES
Clay and Friends, Aguà, Les Performances TD, Thursday, July 7 at 9:30 p.m., TD Stage — Free
After two sold-out concerts at MTELUS, Clay and Friends, one of the hottest groups in Québec, will have festivalgoers grooving to their new EP AGUÀ, released last fall.
Bran Van 3000 Celebrating the 25th Anniversary: “The Deer and The Bunny”, Les Performances TD, Friday, July 8 at 9:30 p.m., TD Stage — Free
Montréal’s legendary Bran Van 3000 will be lighting up Place des Festivals a quarter century after their smash album Glee conquered the world. James Di Salvio and his group will be playing the retrospective concert Celebrating the 25th Anniversary: “The Deer and The Bunny”.
Orchestre National de jazz de Montréal, with guest Ingrid Jensen Equal=Orchestra, Groove Rio Tinto, Sunday, July 3 at 8 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage — Free
Canadian world trumpet sensation Ingrid Jensen will be playing with the Orchestre National de Jazz de Montréal. She’ll be joining her talented sister, conductor and saxophonist Christine Jensen to present Equal = Orchestra. The project brings together works by Tara Davidson, Marianne Trudel and Christine Jensen that highlights the concepts of equity and inclusion
The Weather Station, Groove Rio Tinto, Wednesday, July 6 at 8 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage — Free
Ontario folk group The Weather Station will be stopping off in Montréal. The group had a spectacular 2021, not to mention its album Ignorance being short-listed for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize. Released this past March, their sixth album How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars has conquered critics’ hearts.
OTHER CAN’T-MISS SHOWS
Lindsey Stirling, Événements Spéciaux TD, Thursday, July 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
Hubert Lenoir En direct du… Gesù, Jazz Dans La Nuit, Sunday, July 3 at 10:30 p.m. at Gesù
DOMi & JD Beck, Les Couleurs Delta Air Lines, Wednesday, July 6 at 9 p.m. at Club Soda
This is just a taste of what is going on at this year’s festival. For the full programming, visit https://www.montrealjazzfest.com/fr-CA/Programmation/Concerts
— Montreal International Jazz Festival Festival
— A. Bonaparte
Source: thesuburban.com