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The greats, outdoorsGet a charge at no charge amid the
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Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the Montreal International Jazz Festival once again offers a smorgasbord of fun, free outdoor shows clustered around Place des Arts. Below are a fistful of standouts worth jotting down on your calendar right now. Stevie Wonder: Talk about playing a strong card right off the bat! The fest kicks off in top-notch style with a visit from a true legend of soul music, a gentleman who lives up to his last name, and it’s bound to be among the most memorable of the Jazz Festival’s many centrepiece main-stage outdoor shows through the years. Wonder will doubtless bust out “Superstition” but let’s hope someone convinces him to throw in his early gem “Uptight.” And hey, bonus, Montreal’s master of funky wax, DJ Kobal, warms up the crowd beforehand! At General Motors stage (Jeanne-Mance and de Maisonneuve), Tues., June 30, 9:30 p.m. Gypsophilia: What began as a Haligonian homage to Django Reinhardt is now much more than a Gypsy jazz jam. The septet now incorporate touches of klezmer, bebop, art rock, funk, tango, reggae and cartoon kookiness—most of which can be found in their recent album Sa-Ba-Da-Ow!’s jittery title track. A high-energy and highly unpredictable mish-mash from the Maritimes. At the General Motors stage, Thurs., July 2, 6 p.m. Alice Russell: Formerly a vocalist with the Quantic Soul Orchestra, the U.K.’s Russell has stepped out on her own as the latest singer to resurrect the classic, Motown-and-Stax era of soul music, getting the vintage flavour just right—imagine Amy Winehouse minus the dour disposition and possible death wish. Guitarist TM Juke lends Russell a hand for this stripped-down outdoor set. At the Bell stage (Clark and de Montigny), Thurs., July 2, 10 p.m.
La Fanfare du Belgistan: Apparently the latest nation to achieve sovereignty on our globe is Belgistan, a breakaway state formerly attached to Belgium. Its population totals eight dudes with an affinity for brassy Balkan and Middle Eastern heat. The Flemish may see this as a kick in the ass to separate, but the rest of us can call it a worthy excuse to dance. At the CBC stage (Jeanne-Mance and Ste-Catherine), Sun., Tues. and Thurs., July 5, 7 and 9, 4:30 p.m. Patrick Watson: With bonus strings and horns, guests including old pal Lhasa de Sela and nutty drum wizard Guy Nadon, and visual elements to make this their most spectacular show yet—and that’s saying something—Montreal’s potent piano-man Patrick Watson and his quirky quartet unwrap a stack of tunes from their impressive sophomore effort, Wooden Arms. At the General Motors stage, Sun., July 5, 9 p.m. Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae: Coinciding with the launch of a substantial documentary film on a high point for Jamaican soul, the late-’60s rocksteady era, the Jazz Fest’s “grand évenement” parades a veritable who’s-who of great voices of the genre, including the swanky Ken Boothe, Leroy Sibbles and a pair well known to Bob Marley fans, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths. For lovers of classic island vibes, this is simply not to be missed. At the General Motors stage, Tues., July 7, 9 p.m. Occidental Brothers Dance Band International: With a pair of indie rocker/jazzbo types from Chicago, a couple of veteran highlife players from Ghana and a Puerto Rican bassist to boot, the OBDBI is indeed a genuinely international outfit, and their playful, sparkling Afro-pop cover of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle,” liable to be the trump card in their Jazz Fest set, is bound to make their fanbase equally global. At the Bell stage, Thurs., July 9, 8 p.m. The Heavy: This often ghoulish soul-punk powerhouse from the U.K. certainly live up to their name, as anyone who caught their sweat-soaked, ear-popping Montreal debut at la Sala Rossa last year might attest. With a promising second album of blistering rhythm ’n’ bruises, The House That Dirt Built, due for the fall, their Jazz Fest appearance is an excellent chance to get an early earful. At the Bell stage, Fri., July 10, 10 p.m. The National Parcs: This Montreal-based trio have built a name for building flavourful funk-pop out of their audio-visual excursions into the hinterlands, but for their Jazz Fest set, the video component is out, so the focus is exclusively on the tunes—which merit consideration on their own, after all. Listen carefully. At the Bell Stage, Sun., July 12, 10 p.m. FOR MORE INFO GO TO |
