by RUPERT BOTTENBERG | More: FIJM favourites

“In France, people go mental, but they sort of don’t get it,” says Montrealer Josh “Socalled” Dolgin of reactions to his unique musical formula, primarily a collision of klezmer and hip hop. “New York, forget about it. Holy jaded! Eastern Europe, they’re like, loving it, but still trying to figure it out.”

Like the chick with the shiny red shoes once said, there’s no place like home. “It’s always fucking awesome to play in Montreal, and I’m not just saying that. People here really get my shit—there’s a cultural literacy here that’s very refined, so people can make sense of my weird, mushed-up, genre-bending style and get the levels of musical irony and humour and passion.”

In that case, it’s only fair that Dolgin give the home crowd 110 per cent, so he’s pulling out all the stops for the special Socalled Orchestra show at the Jazz Fest’s free, outdoor Bell Stage on Friday. “I have my local crew of freaks and geniuses, plus I’m inviting some special guests,” he says, tossing out the names of Philly “trumpet lady” Susan Hoffman Watts, frame drummer Ganesh Anandan, fiddler Jonathan Moorman and singer Katie Moore—“She just toured with me in France to massive acclaim.”

The set will focus on his forthcoming LP, Ghettoblaster, on an offshoot of the prestigious French jazz label Bleu—“Plus new hits, including ‘(These Are) The Good Old Days,’ featuring an unavoidably funky Hungarian fiddle sample and a sing-along hook.”

Steady as she goes

Dolgin isn’t the only one with a special free show for the homies. Lorraine Muller of Lo & the Magnetics is gearing up for two sets billed as the Fabulous Lolo Sings Rock Steady. “It’s very near and dear to my heart,” she says of the Jamaican soul sound that sits on the timeline between ska and reggae. On the menu are Jamdown classics by Phyllis Dillon and Doreen Schaffer, a young Bob Marley number and Skatalites instrumentals. “We really went through the vaults for this one,” says Muller. “It’s a little bit based on the idea of the All-Stars,” she says of the ninepiece lineup, recalling the Stomp label’s mid-winter sessions with rotating players from the local ska scene. Muller’s secret weapons are bassist Errol Walters, a veteran of the ’60s in Jamaica, and the legendary Caribbean guitarist Lynn Taitt, who she credits with creating rock steady.

“The two rival studios in Jamaica at the time were Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle and Coxsone Dodds’ Studio One. Errol comes from Studio One, Lynn from Treasure Isle, so it was a way to bring those two worlds together. Then we bring them together with the world of Montreal ska as well— members of General Rudie, Kingpins, Planet Smashers and the Magnetics. It’s going to be really sweet.”

Taste and displaced

For further local mini-supergroup action amid the outdoor stage at the Jazz Fest, you can catch Microtone Kitchen at the Bell Stage at 10 p.m. on July 6, for some tasty, top-notch turntablism with a side order of sweet keys. That old chestnut about too many cooks doesn’t seem to apply to DJ Mana and his kitchen staff—Praiz, Midas, Pandazal, Know One, Atsu and Killa Jewel, the latter also joining Buck 65 at Club Soda on July 2.

July 1 is of course Canada Day, a good time to recall that millions worldwide have no home to celebrate. Case in point, the Refugee All Stars of Sierra Leone, on the Bell stage that day. Formed in 2001 in a camp in the Republic of Guinea with whatever banged-up old instruments they could find, the All Stars have earned a lot of attention not only for their tale, both tragic and hopeful, but also for their rich melange of rap, reggae and goombay. For the full picture, catch the documentary The Refugee All Stars at Cinéma du Parc tonight, June 29, at 9:30 p.m. The screening is hosted by the doc’s Chris Velan, who brings his own music—smart, charming folk pop with a strong reggae accent—to the Samsung stage at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday, June 30.

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