Final free fest funs

Some tail-end treats at the Jazz fest that
are heaven-sent but won’t cost a cent

HEADED OUR WAY: Way Out West`

By RUPERT BOTTENBERG `

Only four days left—the 2008 Montreal Jazz Festival wraps up on Sunday, July 6. That doesn’t mean there isn’t still a heap of cool and interesting acts to catch, even if you just stick to the free, outdoor shows. Here’s a few you’ll be glad you dropped by for:

ECLECTIC: Zaki Ibrahim

Way Out West: This sextet, not to be confused with the Bristol trance act, `really ought to be called Way Out East and South. Based out of Melbourne, Australia, they weave a modern jazz sound boasting elastic grooves and brisk percussion, but their ace in the hole is Dung Nguyen, who’ll at times put aside his guitar and take up Vietnamese zithers called dan trahn and dan bau. This ain’t no worldbeat novelty stunt—the instruments are worked in artfully, and beyond them, there’s a melodic sense to the whole band, led by award-winning trumpeter Peter Knight, that draws on sounds from east, west, north and south to create something honest, inventive and original. At the Carrefour GM stage (Jeanne-Mance and de Maisonneuve) on Friday, July 4, 9 p.m.

Zaki Ibrahim: It’s certainly a nice gesture that Toronto newsweekly Now selected Vancouver-born Ibrahim as Toronto’s best R&B singer in 2007, but even a category that loose won’t do to encompass the diverse resources which feed her carefully crafted, smooth yet percolating tunes. Not for nothing did she use the title Eclectica (Episodes in Purple) for an indie EP preceding her forthcoming debut album with Red Ink/Sony BMG. It’s a safe bet that the thumbnail stylistic comparisons to Nelly Furtado, Amy Winehouse and Feist may soon be replaced by a public profile to match those ladies. At the Bell stage (Clark and de Montigny) on Friday, July 4, 10 p.m.

ANTIQUE FREAK: The Real Tuesday Weld

Raymond Scott Quintette-Concordia University: The original Quintette led by Brooklyn-born composer, pianist, producer and inventor Scott (actually a sextet, which should give you an idea of his sneaky humour) is long since gone—Scott passed away in ’94, and is now fondly remembered for such off-the-wall creations as “Powerhouse” and “Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals,” numbers dismissed in their day as corny novelties by the gatekeepers of jazz but close to the heart of any cartoon buff (Carl Stalling ransacked Scott’s repertoire for numerous Looney Tunes shorts). A fistful of Con U kids are tackling Scott’s tasty treats, so finely tuned fun is what’s in store here. At the Rio Tinto Alcan stage (at the Ste-Catherine entrance of Complexe Desjardins) on Saturday, July 5, 4 p.m.

Albino!: There’s no shortage of decent-or-better Afrobeat derivatives at the fest this year, what with Montreal’s Papa Groove launching their debut album on the Bell stage at 8 p.m. on July 3 (see Discs, p. 22, for CD review), and Toronto’s activism-oriented Mr. Something Something, same place, same timeslot the night after. But if you gotta have wild ’n’ crazy outfits and choreographed dance moves to go with the great big brass and vertiginous polyrhythms the style demands, you’d do well to check out San Francisco’s Albino!, the West Coast’s one to watch. Did I mention the dual baritone saxes? Now that’s some heavy stuff. At the Festival stage (de Maisonneuve and St-Urbain) on Saturday and Sunday, July 5–6, 8 p.m.

BARIS SQUARED: Albino!

Alejandro Escovedo: There’s no question that Tex-Mex troubadour Escovedo has music in his blood—his brothers Coke and Pete have both played percussion with Santana and his niece is none other than Sheila E. But timbales and such aren’t Escovedo’s instrument of choice. He’s a guitar guy who cut his teeth in punk band the Nuns and roots-rock unit Rank and File before his solo career took wing, and while hardly a household name, he gets the thumbs-up from even the most finicky of roots music fans. No Depression saluted him as the ’90s’ Artist of the Decade, in fact. Of course, you can’t pick all your fans—Escovedo’s refused to play his tune “Castanets” live after it was revealed to be on the iPod playlist of very-soon-to-be-former U.S. President (and embarrassment to the great state of Texas) George W. Bush. Here’s hoping Escovedo will repeal the ban just for us, or at least in ’09. At Club Soda on Sunday, July 6, 7 p.m.

The Real Tuesday Weld: Also known as the Clerkenwell Kid and just plain Stephen Coates, the Real Tuesday Weld (you mean the foxy actress was a fake?) is the English pioneer of what he calls “antique beat,” a sound that gathers up dusty old swing, big band and music hall sounds, and shuffles them all up with new-fangled dance-jam zing. What really brings it all home is Coates’s wicked, wordy, Wilde-style wit. Following his last studio album, The London Book of the Dead, Coates recently released a live joint, The End of the World, which, if you’re just clueing into this cat, could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. At the Rio Tinto Alcan stageon Sunday, July 6, 8 p.m.