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Headliners and Rising Stars at the 2018 Montreal International Jazz Festival
ByThis year marked one of the best and most well-balanced indoor (paid indoor events) and (free) outdoor lineups at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (FIJM). The strength of the lineup stretched across genres and also maintained a consistency over the course of the entire festival. There wasn't any day in the 10-day marathon that I could take a break and catch up on some sleep. Since the early days (maybe beginning in year 5 or so), the jazz festival has been positioned as a celebration for the city of Montreal and presents a musical lineup without sharp dividing lines or borders. The goal is to please both jazz aficionados as well as to appeal to music lovers who may prefer other genres. There have always been critics that lamented that fact and even questioned why you would call this a jazz festival when there were so many non-jazz artists. It's not an argument that you can win. You simply have to pick sides. What is indisputable is that every year, the festival offers an abundance of great jazz. I've tried to embrace it all over my many years attending the festival as have most of my peers. We have learned much along the way and have been amply rewarded.
The festival has always featured some of the biggest names in musical entertainment such as

Bob Dylan
guitar and vocalsb.1941

Sting
bass, electricb.1951

Van Morrison
vocalsb.1945

Robert Plant
vocalsb.1948

Tony Bennett
vocals1926 - 2023

Aretha Franklin
vocals1942 - 2018

B.B. King
guitar, electric1925 - 2015

Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991

Sonny Rollins
saxophoneb.1930

Dizzy Gillespie
trumpet1917 - 1993

McCoy Tyner
piano1938 - 2020

Oscar Peterson
piano1925 - 2007

Keith Jarrett
pianob.1945

Diana Krall
piano and vocalsb.1964

Renee Rosnes
pianob.1962

Christian McBride
bassb.1972

James Carter
multi-instrumentalistb.1969

Melody Gardot
guitar and vocalsb.1985

Cory Henry
keyboardsb.1987
There are pictures at the bottom of this page. Feel free to scroll down to view them before continuing on to read the text in its entirety.
I've had the pleasure of seeing

Cecile McLorin Salvant
vocalsb.1989

Christian Sands
pianob.1989
My knowledge of " data-original-title="" title="">Seal stems exclusively from his R&B hits some 25 years ago. I can't say I've kept up. Much to my surprise, he fronted a massive 18-piece jazz orchestra and performed standards and Broadway tunes. He channeled

Frank Sinatra
vocals1915 - 1998

Bela Fleck
banjob.1958

Herbie Hancock
pianob.1940

The Headhunters
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1973

Lionel Loueke
guitarb.1973

James Genus
bassb.1966

Thundercat
bass, electricb.1984

Jaco Pastorius
bass, electric1951 - 1987

Marcus Miller
bassb.1959

Stanley Clarke
bassb.1951

Victor Wooten
bassb.1964

Shabaka Hutchings
woodwinds
Johnny Dyani
bass1945 - 1986
Chris McGregor
b.1936Brotherhood of Breath
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1969

Sun Ra
piano1914 - 1993

Sons of Kemet
band / ensemble / orchestra
Theon Cross
tuba
Tom Skinner
drumsEddie Hick
drums
Henry Threadgill
woodwindsb.1944
The discovery of new music is one of the best parts of the festival experience. Sometimes the acts are newcomers to the scene, and other times, they are journeymen or veterans of music wars that have just not been on my radar. I've been hearing about the legendary jazz-rock/prog rock pioneers,

Soft Machine
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1966
M. Ward is a veteran indie-folk rocker. He is perhaps, best known as a member of folk-rock "supergroup," Monsters of Folk (yes, that is what they are actually called). He is also part of the duo, She & Him with Zooey Deschanel. They are better than you think. I have to say that my knowledge of Ward's solo work is pretty thin, but I came away rather impressed. Ward performed on the Rio Tinto outdoor stage in front of a large and (mostly) appreciative audience. His music touches on a lot of reference points including, country, rockabilly, surf guitar and the blues. He's a very fine guitarist and animated performer. Ward has a soft voice and a laconic delivery. I have to think that this music would work even better in a more intimate setting. Ward fronted a quartet of like-minded musicians, drawing on music that (I believe) spanned his career. The alternatively humorous and melancholy folk ballad, Chinese Translation (from the 2006 album, Post War), evoked an energetic, enthusiastic response from a small group of young people standing near me. I have heard for many years that M. Ward is a talent deserving wider recognition and I have to say that I am in agreement.
No jazz artist has received more mainstream media attention in recent years than tenor saxophonist

Kamasi Washington
saxophoneb.1981

Pharoah Sanders
saxophone, tenor1940 - 2022

Archie Shepp
saxophone, tenorb.1937

Ryan Porter
trombone

Miles Mosley
bassPatrice Quinn
vocals
Brian Blade
drumsb.1970

Wayne Shorter
saxophone1933 - 2023

Chick Corea
piano1941 - 2021

Joshua Redman
saxophoneb.1969

Bill Frisell
guitar, electricb.1951

Myron Walden
saxophone, altob.1972
Maison Symphonique is a magnificent hall, completed in 2011, principally used by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. It's a beautiful space with pristine acoustics that can seat up to 1900 patrons. I attended just one concert at the venue, but it was an exceptional one.

Zakir Hussain
tablas1951 - 2024

Dave Holland
bassb.1946

Chris Potter
saxophone, tenorb.1971
The excellent

Renee Rosnes
pianob.1962

Steve Nelson
vibraphoneb.1954
The musical duo of

Emile Parisien
saxophone, sopranob.1982

Vincent Peirani
accordionb.1980

Steve Kuhn
pianob.1938

Richard Galliano
accordionb.1950

Michel Portal
clarinet, bassb.1935
I don't think Steve Kuhn would quite qualify as a headliner. At age 80 and some 60 years into a stellar career as both a sideman and leader, he is probably not a rising newcomer either. Kuhn is a distinguished pianist and composer who is still at the peak of his powers as he enters his 9th decade. This marked his 11th appearance at the Montreal Jazz Festival, first being in 1984. I saw him most recently in 2013, accompanied by Steve Swallow and Joey Baron on drums. That was a genuinely outstanding concert. Although this year's performance did not quite rise to that standard, it was most enjoyable. Kuhn played music from a vast repertoire including standards and originals. He was ably accompanied by

Aidan O'Donnell
bass
Billy Drummond
drumsb.1959

Joe Lovano
drumsb.1952
Every year, there is a blockbuster event to close out the festival. The event is held on Place de Festival, which is a very long and wide city block that is repurposed for large festival events (see the crowd photo). The crowds for these events, including this one, often number in excess of 100,000 people. They have continually modified the space, adding grandstands, sponsors and press tents, food and beverage stands, and a couple of restaurants along the sides. They have impressive lighting effects (sometimes overkill) and surprisingly good sound. There are also video screens distributed throughout to support viewing by fans further back from the stage. The stage is elevated by about 10 feet above street level. There is a photographers pit with an elevated platform to enable them to take pictures. There are typically 5 or 6 photographers present for a given concert. On this occasions, there were maybe 30 to 40 in the enclosed space. Although things remain reasonably civilized, we were all jockeying for positions. The featured act was the indie-rock band, The War on Drugs. They are a band on the rise and was awarded a Grammy for Best Rock album for their recent album, A Deeper Understanding. I have been a fan since their excellent 2014 recording, Lost in a Dream. The six-piece band is known for their fine songcraft and on record, the compositions are privileged overs displays of musicianship. They also happen to be an excellent live band. The group is led by singer-songwriter and lead guitarist, Adam Granduciel. Their sound can be characterized as a blend of 80s/90s indie guitar sound coupled with synth/keyboards and the occasional use of horns. On stage, Granduciel is the dominant force and his guitar, the primary instrumental voice. He unleashed several blistering guitar solos that suggest a guitar prowess not readily apparent on record. The one thing War on Drugs is not is a party band and perhaps, not the best choice for this kind of event. They are not likely to exhort the audience to get up and dance or to engage in some soul-clapping or even to sing-along. Their music offers the potential for an immersive experience, rewards careful listening and knowledge of the songs. This was undoubtedly lost on some of the audience. On the other hand, many of us thoroughly enjoyed their live performance and others soaked in the festive experience. View Slideshow
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In Pictures
Dave Kaufman
Canada
Montreal
Bob Dylan
Sting
Van Morrison
Robert Plant
Tony Bennett
Aretha Franklin
B.B. King
Miles Davis
Sonny Rollins
Dizzy Gillespie
McCoy Tyner
oscar peterson
Keith Jarrett
Diana Krall
Renee Rosnes
Christian McBride
James Carter
Melody Gardot
Cory Henry
John Kelman
Mark Sullivan
Cecile McLorin Salvant
Christian Sands
Seal
frank sinatra
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Herbie Hancock
Headhunters
Monterey Jazz Festival
Lionel Loueke
James Genus
Thundercat
Jaco Pastorius
Marcus Miller
Stanley Clarke
Victor Wooten
shabaka hutchings
Johnny Dyani
Chris McGregor
Brotherhood of Breath
Sun Ra
Sons of Kemet
Theon Cross
Tom Skinner
Eddie Hick
Henry Threadgill
Very Very Circus
Soft Machine
kamasi washington
Pharoah Sanders
archie shepp
Ryan Porter
Ronald Bruner Jr.
miles mosley
Patrice Quinn
Brian Blade
Fellowship Band
Joshua Redman
Bill Frisell
Myron Walden
John Cowherd
Zakir Hussain
Dave Holland
Chris Potter
jny= Phoenix
Steve Nelson
Emile Parisien
Steve Kuhn
Richard Galliano
Michel Portal
Aidan O'Donnell
Billy Drummond
joe lovano
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