Unbeatable treats and untreatable beats

The 2008 Jazz Festival has plenty of good
stuff to see, hear and shake your rear to

STILL RISING: De La Soul

By RUPERT BOTTENBERG

It’s Thursday, June 26 today, and as of this afternoon, the 29th edition of the annual Montreal International Jazz Festival is off and running for an 11-day stretch that wraps up July 6. As nice as the weather is likely to be, and as much fun as it is to chug beer in the street without stink-eyes from the cops, a nice place to start the fest might be indoors in the dark—specifically, in the Salle Claude-Jutra of la Cinémathèque québecoise. That’s where, at 5 p.m. every night of the fest but July 1, you can catch some configuration of local avant-jazzbos Jean Derome, Normand Guilbeault, Joanne Hétu, Pierre Tanguay and François Bourassa accompanying excellently selected silent films. Buster Keaton’s The General is tonight’s offering, others include Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney and Josef von Sternberg’s seminal gangster flick Underworld, but the Russian classic of early experimentation and honest social realism, Man With a Movie Camera by Dziga Vertov (screening July 28) is arguably the most promising.

3K IN PLAY: James DiSalvio

There’s no shortage of solid soul music at the Jazz fest this year. The heavy hitters are the right Reverend (and rightly revered) Al Green, preceded by Lizz Wright at Place des Arts on June 28, and further along, the majestic Aretha Franklin at the same venue, July 3–4. That’s hardly it, though. Several artists who never really got their due in the heyday of soul—but are making up for lost time today—are on tap, including bad girl Bettye Lavette, who’s found a home at the Epitaph offshoot Anti-, and Martha High, who backed up his highness James Brown for three decades. Now High’s fronting the Shaolin Temple Defenders, who deserve some sorta award for Best Band Name Ever. And let’s not forget Nashville’s Dynamites, boasting the pipes of Chess recording artist Charles Walker.

The big and the easy

If it’s some horny New Orleans parade funk you’re hankering for, you’re in luck. First and foremost are NOLA’s brassy ambassadors the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, who join the Blind Boys of Alabama at Place des Arts on July 2. Afternoons on the outdoor stages near the PdA fountains, meanwhile, you can catch the likes of Montreal’s Fat Tuesday Brass Band, Bourbon Street and Hot Pepper Dixie.

PARTY TIME: Vive la Fête

Reggae fans have their plates full this year, with appearances by dub lions U-Roy and Lee “Scratch” Perry, the latter joining the Wailers for a double bill at Metropolis on July 5. Also worth noting is the return of the Jamaica to Toronto package, highlighting the Hogtown/Kingston link of the 1970s, as well as Kaly Live Dub, who trade in that dark, nervous, live-band dub style at which the French excel, and intrepid locals the Dub & the Restless.

On the Latin tip, your copa runneth over. Brooklyn’s Olivier Conan, whose Amazonian psych-pop act Chicha Libre are interviewed on p. 28, also brings his pan-American (with bonus yéyé) act Las Rubias del Norte to the festival. Also Brooklyn-based are Pistolera, who blend alternative rock and Mexican folk sounds. Mexico’s Sr. Mandril serve up their easygoing blend of trip hop, acid jazz and summertime house, while Austin’s firmly established Grupo Fantasma, who opened for Prince at the Super Bowl, add a lysergic twist to their Latin funk. Also worth catching are Argentina’s Orquesta Tipica Imperial, the quintet of Cuban jazz pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba at Place des Arts and, on the local front, free shows by Psychotropical Orchestra and Roberto López Project, the latter a pan-Latin effort with Boogat busting some bonus rhymes. Speaking of which…

Synths and cyphers

BIG BANG: Pistolera

It’s a bumper crop of beats and braggadocio this year, with some exceptional scores in the hip hop field. Public Enemy, interviewed on p. 25, are key of course, as is the dynamite double bill of Wu-Tang warriors RZA, in his Bobby Digital guise, and GZA, performing Liquid Swords. For some of that Native Tongue niceness, catch De La Soul at Metropolis on June 28, with Montreal’s Ghislain Poirier in the warm-up slot. Also on the 514 tip are 4Dz Societiez, tonight (June 26) at 10 p.m. on the Bell stage, coming with a full band and a big, big sound, and klez-hop macher So-called, coming with big, big hair, except on top, where he is balding. From a little further away—Senegal, specifically, though they’re now based in Massachusetts—are Afro-rap originals Gokh-bi System.

SEALED WITH A KISS: Bettye Lavette

On the electro-pop front, the circuits are going haywire. Locals We Are Wolves lead the pack with a Metropolis gig (Toronto’s quirky yet catchy Woodhands open), the same venue that later sees the U.K.’s synth-pop sensations Ladytron—their frosty new-new-wave should help cut the summer heat. Continentally speaking, France’s Poni Hoax and Belgium’s Vive la Fête, the latter no strangers to Montreal stages, are also up for grabs. After midnight, June 26–July 1, the Savoy room of the Metropolis hosts Montreal’s JF Lemieux and assorted guests for a series of open-ended electronic jams.

There are a number of shows on the free outdoor stages that defy easy categorization but demand a look-see. Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra interprets the Icelandic elf-queen instrumentally, while Naturally 7, conversely, dish out the sweet R&B with nought but their voices. The U.K.’s the Real Tuesday Weld, meanwhile, dovetails pre-war pop and swing with up-to-the-minute beat techniques, and a delightfully sardonic sense of humour.

Can’t forget the keystone outdoor show at the big GM stage, at Ste-Catherine and Jeanne-Mance, on July 1. It’s a highlight every year, and this time around, it’s no less than James DiSalvio and his recently rebooted Bran Van 3000, busting out their all-inclusive good-time grooves for the first time on stage since they released their new album Rosé.