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| Montreal International Jazz Fest Finally-it's time to unveil the full indoor program of the 31st edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan! Jazz fans have been dreaming, blues fiends screaming, and world music devotees beaming with anticipation-and now, anyone with even the slightest passion for music will buzz with excitement to discover the incredible diversity of concerts revealed today. Yes, the Festival has come up big this year, with distinguished, gifted and high-profile guests from the myriad and diverse lands on planet jazz, new sensations alongside undeniable legends, brand new concert series, very special high-profile events-it's as though last year's anniversary edition never ended! Tickets for the concerts in this edition, presented from June 25 to July 6, go on sale this Saturday, May 8 at noon. A list of prestigious guests Šand it all starts Day 1, with the Opening Gala starring Lionel Richie and Cassandra Wilson, right through to the other mega-event on July 5, with the Steve Miller Band and The Doobie Brothers, and the final day's blowout with The Moody Blues! When it comes to legends, start with Sonny Rollins, Bobby McFerrin, Herbie Hancock, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Wanda Jackson, Dave Brubeck, George Benson, Smokey Robinson, Joan ArmatradingŠ We obviously can't list them all, but it would be impossible not to mention Cyndi Lauper, Lewis Furey, Ben E. King, Daniel Lanois, Gipsy Kings, Boz Scaggs, Cesaria Evora, Terence Blanchard, The Roots, Emilie Simon and Roy Hargrove. Among the ambassadors of our own homegrown jazz, let's trumpet the names Guy Nadon-a dean of the scene-Lorraine Desmarais, François Bourassa, Chet Doxas, Papasoff, Harry Manx and Vic Vogel, to name a few. And as for rookies and new sensations, gather 'round for Basia Bulat, Bobby Bazini, Jordan Officer-a debut solo album at last!-Plants and Animals, John Butler, and of course young Nikki Yanofsky, back on planet jazz after having sung for the worldwide Olympics audience. And some brand-new concert series! Just when you thought it was impossible to choose from the concerts on offer, the Festival ups the ante with several new concert series! Better yet, we've added some entirely new venues to host themŠ The Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur will host Piano solo, a series entirely devoted to the masters of that unique instrument. In the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, it's a Spanish celebration with the El Duende Flamenco series presented by Air France spotlighting the music, singing and dancing of the genre. More? The Musée d'art contemporain is transformed into a live music venue thanks to the new Musique au MAC series, and romantics can look forward to sublime musical dinner-cruises aboard the Bateau-Mouche, starring Paulo Ramos for 6 evenings. And all that doesn't even include the very special events we've planned! Opening Gala An additional date for the exceptional special event starring Lionel Richie and Cassandra Wilson! An opening concert? How about a Gala! Better yet, let's add another performance on June 26! Who can possibly resist these two exceptional artists? No wonder tickets are flying out the door! Last year it was the unforgettable Stevie Wonder eventŠ this year, the Festival hits another homerun, with another artist whom organizers have dreamt of presenting since the very beginning of the Festival: Lionel Richie! The king of the slow-dance classics (Say You, Say Me, Endless LoveŠ), a human jukebox of dance hits (All Night Long), a prolific lyricist and composer (Lady for Kenny Rogers, We Are the World forŠ the world) and, of course, the singer and soul of the legendary Commodores-THE Motown stars of the '70s-Richie has led an extraordinary and exemplary career and left his indelible mark upon American music, gold-plating four decades of our musical culture with hits we've all hummed, whistled-or sung at the top of our lungs! On the other side of this incredible evening, welcome back Cassandra Wilson, a dear friend of the Festival-recipient of our Miles-Davis Award in 1999-who never fails to bewitch us with her deep, velvety, sensual voice and a blues sensibility that is perfectly at home on the legendary Blue Note label. A special event filled with musical thrills! Opening Gala: Lionel Richie in concert, Cassandra Wilson and her musicians - June 25, 7 p.m., additional concert on June 26, 7 p.m., Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, PdA (Événements spéciaux TD series). Presented in collaboration with CBC/Radio-Canada. Closing Concert starring Dave Brubeck, who turns 90 this year This year, the Festival devotes its prestigious Closing Concert to a legendary pianist and great friend of the Festival-he's been visiting us occasionally since our 2nd edition!-Dave Brubeck, in an early musical nod to the 90th birthday he'll celebrate this December. Organizers will take the opportunity to present him with a special-issue Miles-Davis Award, honouring the remarkable oeuvre of this great musician. A pioneer of polyphony, counterpoint, and improvisation, pianist and composer Dave Brubeck is a genuine living legend who took the genre to new summits of style and popularity. The first musician to sell one million copies of a jazz album (Time Out, 1959), he's received a trophy-case full of awards over the years, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and some ten honorary doctorates. And over 50 years into his career, this Festival favourite continues to amaze live audiences! Dave Brubeck Quartet, July 5, presented specially at 9 p.m., in the intimacy of the Théâtre Maisonneuve, PdA (Grands concerts series). Presented in collaboration with CBC/Radio-Canada. The winner of the Grand Prix de Jazz TD 2010, chosen during the Festival from among the 10 jazz artists or groups in contention this summer, will have the privilege of opening this exceptional concert. MontrealJazzFest.com: The reference for everything jazz More effective than ever, our MontrealJazzFest.com website was redesigned from A to Z especially for the 30th for all fans of the Festival and of jazz itself! Entirely re-conceived, user-friendly and incredibly practical, the website offers 30 years of passion with the click of a mouse, a dynamic reference source for music fans who enjoy evolved web content. You'll now find more video and music clips, more information on the artists, content featuring music news and access to archives from previous Festival editions. And keep your eyes peeled for our new video offering, MontrealJazzFest.TV, launching in JuneŠ It's a top-flight web destination for all online music aficionados! write your comments about the article :: © 2010 Jazz News :: home page |