Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Montreal Jazz Festival: Days 4-6, July 4-6, 2009
Montreal Jazz Festival: Days 4-6, July 4-6, 2009
Joshua Redman By Invitation Day 1 / Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band
Joshua Redman By Invitation Day 2 / Kenny Werner Quintet
Jeff Beck / Anat Cohen
Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
July 4-6 2009
With the new Maison du Festival housing the press room, performance spaces and more, the closing of Montreal's legendary Le Spectrum club a couple years back is quickly becoming a distant memory. There's a lot of construction and renovation going on in Montreal to increase the availability of performance spaces, including a new 2,000 seat venue being built in Place des Arts as a permanent home for the Montreal Symphony, leaving the larger Wilfred Peltier hall available and wired for non-classical performances. And as the terrace behind the Maison du Festival nears completion, the downtown core of Montreal is turning into a cultural mecca few cities can match.
That a festival can close off six square blocks in the core of a busy urban center is remarkable. That it can do so and create a party atmosphere that's like being on another planet is even more incredulous. But visiting FIJM is truly like being transported to another place where it's easy to lose track of the days and what's going on in the outside world, and instead become immersed in nothing but music.
The 30th anniversary continues with saxophonist
Joshua Redman
saxophoneb.1969
Brian Blade
drumsb.1970
Kenny Werner
pianob.1951
Jeff Beck
guitar1944 - 2023
Anat Cohen
clarinetb.1975
The festival also continues to reach into the music industry with both the general Salons des Instruments de Musique de Montreal (SIMM) and the more specific Salon de Guitare de Montreal trade shows—the latter a three-day mini-festival that features free workshops and performances by a broad range of six-stringers. It's difficult to imagine how much further FIJM can expand, yet each year there's something new to broaden the appeal of the festival to include fans of all ages, as well as professional and aspiring musicians.
Chapter Index
- July 4: Joshua Redman/Aaron Parks/Matt Penman/Eric Harland
- July 4: Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band
- July 5: Joshua Redman/Joe Lovano/Sam Yahel/Reuben Rogers/Gregory Hutchinson
- July 5: Kenny Werner Quintet
- July 6: Jeff Beck
- July 6: Anat Cohen
July 4: Joshua Redman/Aaron Parks/Matt Penman/Eric Harland
With saxophonist
Joshua Redman
saxophoneb.1969
Neither release could prepare the capacity crowd for Redman's opening night. With pianist
Aaron Parks
pianob.1983
Matt Penman
bass
Eric Harland
drumsb.1976
l:r: Aaron Parks, Joshua Redman, Matt Penman, Eric Harland
Redman may have arrived on the international scene a little early but, in recent years, he has been delivering on the promise of a beginning that was, perhaps, overly hyped as the next big thing before he was truly ready to assume any kind of mantle. With a set of largely original material by himself, Penman and, in particular, Parks—most of it segueing together to create a series of long, suite-like performances—there was more than enough solo space for everyone and a never-ending sense of excitement that made it one of the festival's hottest shows. Redman also played with an uncharacteristically fierce and visceral power on both tenor and soprano, encouraging screams of approval and applause by the audience from the get-go. Three suites that stretched out over 70 minutes, with little pause in-between and with absolutely no introductions from the saxophonist, wound their way through a variety of feels, tempos and dynamics; a thoroughly modernistic set that was imbued with classical elements, unfettered free expression and a plethora of rhythmic contexts that ranged from delicate and impressionistic to raw, backbeat-driven grooves.
Recruiting a trio that already has considerable chemistry makes for a quick transition into a group that sounds as though it's been playing for years. Parks, Penman and Harland played together on the pianist's debut as a leader, Invisible Cinema (Blue Note, 2008), and a number of pieces from that album provided some of the performance's best moments, including a barnstorming version of the episodic "Harvesting Dance" that featured a solo from Harland, over a relentless ostinato, that literally brought the house down.
And yet, even when the material's often detailed thematic constructs opened up into more open-ended improvisational features for everyone in the group, there was a remarkable focus that avoided excess and, instead, gave the entire performance the feeling of a directed form of free play. Penman, who took a number of outstanding solos, remained the group's focal point, at times barely containing the unbridled energy coming from the rest of his bandmates, but always managing to hold things together. Redman proved an egalitarian leader, leaving considerable space for Parks in particular. Still in his mid-twenties, Parks can only be compared to a young
Keith Jarrett
pianob.1945
But if a single star had to be chosen from the four—a challenge in itself—it would have to be Harland. Shuffling between so many different gigs (in addition to working with the Monterey 4 he'll be in Ottawa with
Charles Lloyd
saxophoneb.1938
When the set ended, and it seemed to go by in a flash, Redman and his quartet received the strongest applause and ovation of any act seen yet this year. Returning to the stage with Parks' very Jarrett-like, gospel-tinged "Roadside Distraction" was an astute choice to feed the audience the encore it demanded, while at the same time slowly turning the heat down to allow the group an easier chance of exiting the hall.
Far too many touring projects don't end up being recorded, but if this project isn't documented, then it'll be more than a shame, it'll be a crime. The heat and excitement of Redman's first show certainly raised the bar—and expectations—for the second one, coming the following evening with saxophonist
Joe Lovano
drumsb.1952
Gregory Hutchinson
drumsb.1970
Sam Yahel
organ, Hammond B3July 4: Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band
Over the years drummer
Brian Blade
drumsb.1970
Kurt Rosenwinkel
guitarb.1970
Jon Cowherd
piano
Myron Walden
saxophone, altob.1972
Chris Thomas
b.1963
While there was plenty to recommend about the group's late night performance at Gesú, this even further slimmed down Fellowship Band—now a quintet with Blade, Cowherd, Walden, Butler and Thomas—still retained its identity, but equally has lost something. The guitar—and especially the combination of guitar and pedal steel—always gave the group a distinct complexion, especially since it's relatively rare to see a horn-led group with both piano and guitar (let alone piano, guitar and steel guitar), and Rosenwinkel, in particular, added a slightly countrified but sophisticated style and ethereal tone that helped give Fellowship its sound.
Still, any opportunity to watch Blade is one worth grabbing, and when he's with his own group, performing his own material, he seems to become even more energized than usual. At the performance he was like a dervish at times, a physical player whose arms seemed to flail and whose body would lift out of the drum chair as he leaned forward to hit the kit with a paradoxical combination of power and grace. Seeing two of the most remarkable young drummers in jazz in one evening—Blade and Harland—only demonstrated the differences between the two. Harland is a crisp and definitive player, while Blade's tone is warm and woody, his cymbals dark-hued. Harland seemingly constructs his solos with great care; Blade enters a zone and plays in an almost stream-of-consciousness fashion, despite remaining completely focused. Both drummers are an education to watch; all the more so for their vastly different approaches.
The quintet wound its way through a set that mixed new material with some culled from Season of Changes, including the opening "Stoner Hill"—a brief, lyrical and folkloric tune that, as gentle as it was, established a very different vibe for a set that gradually turned up the heat to feature strong solos from everyone. Walden was particularly impressive, especially on the haunting "Improvisation," from Season of Changes—a bass clarinet duet with Cowherd on pump organ—and later, when a lengthy alto solo gradually, inexorably built to an almost orgiastic climax that not only had Blade yelling in admiration, but the audience as well. The ensemble work, especially the way in which Walden and Butler orbited, weaved and came together in unison on Blade and Cowherd's charts, was definitive of the Fellowship sound, but while Cowherd did much to capably fill the gap left by Rosenwinkel's absence, that absence was felt nevertheless.
l:r: Jon Cowherd, Myron Walden, Melvin Butler, Chris Thomas
The sold out crowd at Gesú was clearly primed for Blade and the Fellowship Band before it hit the stage, and once it did, all expectations were met for a performance that was almost as cathartic as Joshua Redman's, in the same venue a few hours earlier. But for Fellowship to continue with the sound that has defined it since the beginning, it truly needs to go back to at least a sextet with Rosenwinkel (or any of a number of other guitarists who might fit the bill, although Rosenwinkel has proven himself the right one for the band). As powerful as its performance was, it does run the risk of losing the very qualities that give it a unique and immediately recognizable voice.
July 5: Joshua Redman/Joe Lovano/Sam Yahel/Reuben Rogers/Gregory Hutchinson
For his second By Invitation series performance, saxophonist Joshua Redman took a right turn from the modernistic bent of his show the previous evening to the modern mainstream. Featuring longtime musical partner/pianist
Sam Yahel
organ, Hammond B3Joe Lovano
drumsb.1952
Gene Ammons
saxophone, tenor1925 - 1974
Sonny Stitt
saxophone1924 - 1982
Sonny Rollins
saxophoneb.1930
John Coltrane
saxophone1926 - 1967
Dexter Gordon
saxophone, tenor1923 - 1990
Chris Potter
saxophone, tenorb.1971
l:r: Sam Yahel, Joshua Redman, Joe Lovano, Reuben Rogers, Gregory Hutchinson
Starting with
Booker Little
trumpet1938 - 1961
Ed Blackwell
drums1929 - 1992
Mainstream it may largely have been but it also ventured into freer territory on a visceral look at
Ornette Coleman
saxophone, alto1930 - 2015
Wayne Shorter
saxophone1933 - 2023
Lennie Tristano
piano1919 - 1978
Redman and Lovano commanded the set with an ability to push each other to greater heights, switching to soprano saxophones for the modal "Mantra #5," but Hutchinson came a close second; a powerful drummer who may not have the cachet of Harland or Blade but joined them, on the strength of this performance, in making the 30th edition of FIJM one of the strongest in terms of participating drummers.
July 5: Kenny Werner Quintet
Pianist
Kenny Werner
pianob.1951
David Sanchez
saxophone, tenorb.1968
Randy Brecker
trumpetb.1945
Scott Colley
bassb.1963
Antonio Sanchez
drumsb.1971
Gary Burton
vibraphoneb.1943
Lawn Chair Society found Werner augmenting his piano with keyboards and computer, but his Montreal performance was entirely acoustic and demonstrated that the best material is grist for interpretation, regardless of the context. Opening with the funky "Lawn Chairs (And Other Foreign Policy)," the approach was looser, more open-ended than that on the album, if for no other reason that it was used as a jumping board for solos, with its funky theme acting as a rallying motif to signal that it was time to switch soloists who traveled considerable distance from its core form. David Sanchez, staying exclusively with tenor saxophone, delivered solos that were not surprising for any who'd seen him in Ottawa in 2005 and saw his capacity for transcending his Latin roots into more modernistic territory. Here, his solo features were long-form excursions into areas of free expression that still retained a defined focus and near-compositional concern.
Brecker possesses one of the most distinctive trumpet voices in contemporary jazz, whether he's exploring the music and musicians of Brazil on Randy in Brasil (MAMA, 2008) or delving into big band-driven, uptown funk territory with his brother, the late saxophonist
Michael Brecker
saxophone, tenor1949 - 2007
With Brecker and David Sanchez spending considerable time offstage, it was a pleasure to see Colley featured so heavily, the bassist delivering an elastic yet lyrical solo on Werner's poignant ballad, "Uncovered Heart," written for the birth of his daughter. Colley has long been a ubiquitous player known for being a creative but unshakable anchor, but it's rare that he receives this much solo space; he was, in fact, the most featured voice, next to Werner's.
Werner was, as ever, relaxed and clearly enjoying himself as he created unaccompanied solos of Jarrett-like invention. Werner's Effortless Mastery (Jamey Aebersold, 1996) is the bible for learning how to improvise in ways that eschew falling back on preconceived patterns, and it's clear that while he's a highly regarded teacher on that subject, he's managed to avoid the old adage "those that can't do, teach." Clearly he can do, his opening to "Uncovered Heart" combining a spare left hand motif with rare gentility of the right to create something not unlike the music of ambient forefather Harold Budd's overt classicism, but with greater flexibility and more sophisticated language. When the group came in for the song's optimistic theme, it was almost anti-climactic, so hauntingly beautiful and tranquil was Werner's extended and unaccompanied introduction.
l:r: Kenny Werner, David Sanchez, Scott Colley, Randy Brecker, Antonio Sanchez
Werner has been far too under-recorded in recent years—at least in North America, with albums coming out regularly elsewhere. The fact that he's relying on material from an album that's over two years old, (as outstanding as that album is, and as significant as this all-acoustic performance of often plugged-in music was), only highlights the fact that he should be getting attention from labels like Blue Note to record on a more frequent basis. In the meantime, this performance will rank as one of FIJM 2009's sleeper hits—under-attended with a roughly two-thirds full house at Place des Arts' Thé?tre Jean-Duceppe, but for those who were there, a truly memorable performance of compelling material, strong musicianship and the kind of unfettered interpretation that turned relatively short tunes into lengthy excursions that always retained their relevance.
July 6: Jeff Beck
At an afternoon press conference to receive the first annual Montreal Guitar Show Tribute Award, the affable but characteristically enigmatic Jeff Beck spoke about future plans and the roots of his own brand of fusion. Some artists, like the late
Joe Zawinul
keyboards1932 - 2007
Chick Corea
piano1941 - 2021
John McLaughlin
guitarb.1942
Mahavishnu Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestrab.1971
Jan Hammer
keyboardsb.1948
Wanting to make fusion music that was more accessible than Mahavishnu Orchestra, largely, as the self-effacing guitar icon said, because he couldn't play as well as his heroes like McLaughlin, Beck spoke about Indian sitar legend 
Ravi Shankar
sitar1920 - 2012
The capacity audience of media people at the press announcement also found out that there's a new album in the works—though Beck wouldn't give out much: it won't feature his knockout touring band, though he hopes to continue working with them well into the future; it will be produced by another legend, Trevor Horn; it will be an eclectic mix of styles and sounds; and
David Torn
guitar, electricb.1953
Beck also talked about his other passion, restoring vintage automobiles, and how he's learned to minimize some of the inherent risks after incidences including one where a car began to lower and almost—but, thankfully, not quite—came down on his head.
A slide show prepared by the festival, showing an image of Beck with a constant flow of two-word descriptions solicited from fans that ranged from "Guitar God" to the more clearly descriptive "F@%cking Amazing," lightened the mood even further, though Beck later said he was wondering who they were talking about when he saw all the quotes. Most telling is when he addressed the subject of taking risks in performance: "It's a form of musical Tourrette's, really...I try not to be boring, that's all it is really; I make terrible mistakes. But when there's a result there's a result and if it's a great mistake I put it in there [points to head] and then expand it."
Self-effacing he may be, but confidence has never been a problem with Beck, and his first of two sold-out performances at the 3,000+ seat Salle Wilfred Pelletier in Montreal's Place des Arts, not only made that clear, it proved the value of working with the same group for an extended period of time. Beck has been playing with young Australian bass phenom Tal Wilkenfeld, keyboardist
Jason Rebello
pianob.1969
Vinnie Colaiuta
drumsb.1956
Culling material largely from Performing This Week but with enough changes to some of the arrangements and the inclusion of other material to keep even those familiar with the release on their toes, Beck arrived onstage in all-white, with a spotlight keeping him in focus throughout the 100-minute set. His musicians remained largely in the background, and Beck took the lion's share of the solos, but the strength of his group couldn't be ignored. Rebello, who has played in the jazz world with other British artists including
Courtney Pine
saxophoneb.1964
Tim Garland
clarinet, bassb.1966
Colaiuta is a force of nature and has been for years, but in Beck's group he's found the perfect balance between his larger-than-life arena-style playing, the kind of visceral grooves Beck demands, and some outstanding solos, especially on
Billy Cobham
drumsb.1944
But, as was the case on Performing This Week, it was Wilkenfeld—who, still in her early 20s, is a clear bass legend in the making, both for her work with Beck and her own debut album, Tranformation (Self Produced, 2007)—whose star burned nearly as brightly as Beck's during the show. As expected, she delivered the goods on Beck's classic version of
Stevie Wonder
vocalsb.1950
Beck's performance was a veritable guitar lesson on how to achieve remarkable breadth without the use of an array of effect pedals. He did have four amplifiers onstage—two Marshall stacks and two amps that looked to be Fenders; the perfect combination for his trademark Stratocaster. Beck switched between amps for tone throughout, but the real magic was in his hands and nowhere else. With no shortage of left hand virtuosity, it was his right hand that provided the real difference, whether it was the remarkably vocal use of his whammy bar, tapping (the jury is still out as to whether he was the first to use two-handed tapping, but he was certainly an early innovator) and other indescribably outrageous techniques that have made his sound so immediately recognizable that one note is more than enough. And yet, at the end of the day Beck may have given an exhilarating, rock-edged performance that left the crowd breathless at times, but he also proved a deeply lyrical player on tunes like The
The Beatles
band / ensemble / orchestra
Beck was having a terrific time, as was the audience—giving Beck and the group no less than six standing ovations throughout the set, one in particular during a spot where Wilkenfeld joined Beck front and center and the two played a duet together on her bass—Beck standing behind her and playing a groove on the two bottom strings while Wilkenfeld soloed on the top two. Beck's admiration for this young Australian bassist with a bright future was clear during the entire show, and she was as equally engaged with Beck, but also with her other bandmates, with plenty of smiles and laughter going on around the stage to make it an even more enjoyable experience for the audience. Experience is the best word to describe a Jeff Beck show. It's sometimes difficult to determine whether a show is that good or whether it's the buzz of being there, watching the dynamic performance of a well-planned set that, with no introductions and only brief breaks between some of the tunes, ran almost continuously for 90 minutes before the audience demanded an encore. But in the case of Beck, it was a show that far surpassed all expectations, as high as they were based on Performing This Week. If the group was this hot for the 6:00 PM show, it can only be imagined how hot the second show, later that evening, would be.
July 6: Anat Cohen Quartet
Slowing down the pace and energy—although there was no shortage of impassioned playing during her set—Israeli-born, New York-resident clarinetist
Anat Cohen
clarinetb.1975
Featuring two young members of her group from Notes from the Village (Anzic, 2008)—guitarist Gilad Hekselmen and drummer
Daniel Freedman
drums
Joe Martin
bassb.1970
Jane Monheit
vocalsb.1977
Fats Waller
piano1904 - 1943
Mick Goodrick
guitar1945 - 2022
l:r: Gilad Hekselmen, Joe Martin, Anat Cohen, Daniel Freedman
Cohen is a fluid player who was also a commanding presence onstage, although her youthful exuberance was, at times, a little over the top. Still, her ability to create serpentine cascades of notes and vibrant flourishes made her exceptionally popular with the audience. While her "J Blues" was a fine blues that, again, gave her group plenty of room to maneuver but was nothing out of the ordinary compositionally, "The Purple Piece" was a far better demonstration of her writing skill. A ballad that, as it progressed, gradually assumed more weight and energy, it was a compelling piece that spotlighted both herself and Hekselman with two of the finest solos of the set.
Another highlight was her set closer, a bright choro that spotlighted Freedman, who was yet another outstanding drummer at a festival that seems to be overflowing with them. It was a fine set from an engaging player whose reputation continues to grow. Cohen proved an astute leader and recruiter of lesser-known talent deserving of greater exposure—especially Hekselman, whose second album, Words Unspoken (Smalls. 2009), has just been released and demonstrates considerable promise.
Visit Joshua Redman, Brian Blade, Kenny Werner, Jeff Beck, Anat Cohen and Festival International de Jazz de Montreal on the web.
Photo Credits
All Photos: John Kelman
Days 1-3 | Days 4-6 | Days 7-9
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Live Reviews
John Kelman
Braithwaite & Katz Communications
Canada
Montreal
Joshua Redman
Brian Blade
Kenny Werner
jeff beck
Anat Cohen
Aaron Parks
Matt Penman
Eric Harland
Keith Jarrett
charles lloyd
joe lovano
Greg Hutchinson
Sam Yahel
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Jon Cowherd
Myron Walden
Chris Thomas
Gene Ammons
Sonny Stitt
Sonny Rollins
John Coltrane
Dexter Gordon
Chris Potter
Booker Little
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Stevie Wonder
Beatles
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Joe Martin
Jane Monheit
Fats Waller
Mick Goodrick
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