Free outdoor program of the 36th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

Montreal Jazz Fest Announces Free Concerts

In less than 4 weeks, the 36th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de
Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan, will turn this
city into the epicenter of jazz and its musical cousins, welcoming thousands of
the world’s greatest artists in one super-concentrated 10-day musical
celebration! Better yet, almost 2/3 of the concerts in the program will be
presented completely free, allowing everyone the chance to enjoy his or her
favourite artists and discover new talents, without spending a penny! This
Festival is the largest example of this free-concert formula in the world, and
it’s exclusive to Montreal! Festival fans will not only discover more than 600 concerts and free
activities, but also a genuine festival experience, with an
unparalleled microcosm of everything that inspires summertime passions, in a
safe pedestrian environment closed to vehicle traffic, with something for
everyone, including a pram loan service and bike parking, along with activities
for children, parades and an astonishingly wide variety of food
offerings.

Of course, the site has a wide array of new additions
this year. First—and long-awaited!—we finally present the new Club Jazz Casino de Montréal,
located on De Bleury St. below Ste. Catherine St., on what will henceforth be
called Place SNC-Lavalin.
Dive into the experience of a genuine outdoor jazz club, just like in New
Orleans, birthplace of jazz and driving inspiration for this new location where
jazz is king, the cocktails flow and live music rolls continuously from 5 p.m.
to 11 p.m. every evening! And of course, “jazz club” means delicious food and
drinks as well! From crab cakes to the oyster bar, specialty cocktails and
jambalaya, this oasis in the downtown core will transport you to the Crescent
City faster than you can say “jazz”!

In yet
more new additions, at the northern extremity of the site, on the Promenade des
Artistes (De Maisonneuve Blvd.), fans can comfortably settle into the Terrasse Heineken for some jazz
or, a little further east, near the CBC/Radio-Canada/Sony blues stage, get
hooked on the new Texas Bill
BBQ grill, prepared in the purest tradition of the Wild West! Fans will
also fall for the Bistro Le porc du
Québec (delicious porchetta!) and rum-based cocktails of Bar Bacardi (corner St. Urbain St.
and Ste. Catherine St.), or plan out a future trip to Turkey at the Turkish Airlines tourism kiosk
(Balmoral St., near the TD Stage). Also, the Place Confort TD boasts a
reconceived space with a live show program and a relaxation zone. Finally, the
Rio Tinto Alcan Family
Club moves to the top of the stairs of the Place des Arts esplanade,
next to the MAC, with an even more alluring space featuring a lawn and picnic
tables. And speaking of the Musée
d’art contemporain de
Montréal: in addition to presenting music in workshops in the Rio Tinto
Alcan Family Club from July 2 to 5, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., it also invites all fans
to visit its permanent exhibition free of charge!

Ready to
kick off your summer? To help everyone stay patient until then (and allow you to
plan out your personalized schedule), here’s a glimpse of what awaits us from June 26 to July 5, in the
heart of Planet Jazz:

This
36th edition is dedicated to the King of the Blues
(1925-2015)
The
Grand Blues Evening in memory of B.B. King
July
5, 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., TD Stage

A
regal figure of the blues, the late B.B. King will remain eternally stamped in
the history of this Festival, to which he was deeply linked—in fact, an Award
was created in his name last summer in order to annually recognize the
exceptional talent of a blues artist. Organizers of this Festival passionately
dedicate this 36th edition to him. The great B.B. will be foremost in our
thoughts throughout the event, particularly via his presence among the
24 Legends of the Festival, the windows of the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto
Alcan, which look out over thousands of music fans gathering to experience their
favourite event. To
pay tribute to his legacy, the crème de
la crème of the Québécois blues scene gathers onstage in a grand evening
anchored by incomparable harmonica wizard Guy Bélanger and his band, with an
army of high-profile guests—Bob
Walsh,
Jordan Officer, Kim Richardson,
Brian Tyler, Angel Forrest,
Mike Goudreau, Jimmy James,
Conor Gains, Jean
Fernand Girard,
Mathieu
Holubowski…

Two
major free outdoor events

Beirut
—
June 26, 9:30 p.m., TD Stage — To
celebrate the opening of this 36th edition in fine fashion, here’s an
unprecedented concert starring Beirut, who will open their latest tour right
here with us. The group’s sound is a dizzying musical travelogue inspired by
Eastern Europe and the Balkans, with pit-stops along the Mexican coast, in
French culture and pop North American pop. It’s world music that invents an
entirely new musical landscape where everyone feels perfectly at home. The sun
never sets on Beirut’s musical empire!

The
Barr Brothers
— June 29,
9:30 p.m., TD Stage —
The
Montreal quartet—brothers Brad and Andrew Barr, harpist Sarah Page and
multi-instrumentalist Andrés Vial—promises an unforgettably magical musical
moment unveiling songs from their latest album, the fantastic Sleeping Operator.
It’s a warm, enveloping sound, poised between Americana folk tinged with Delta
blues and rock with African inflections, charged with a purely modernist
instinct. Prepare for sheer musical transport, a hypnotic and explosive Montreal
Festival experience!

A
glimpse of the program, stage by stage

TD
Stage (Place
des Festivals)

In
addition to the Grands événements, the
Place des Festivals welcomes:

Performances
TD
series,
9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The
Franklin Electric
— June 27—
The Montreal group
makes its major-league Festival entrance, with a syncopated folk music that is
utterly irresistible.

Orchestre
national de jazz de Montréal —
July 1— The ONJ finally launches its 1st album! With Ingrid Jensen and Karen Young, conducted by
Christine Jensen.

Adam
Cohen — July 4 —
Adam Cohen presents his spellbinding, fluid new album in a free outdoor concert.
A gift to the city!

Gammes
TD
series,
6 p.m.

Jane
Bunnett and Maqueque
—
June
29 —
The
excellent Canadian saxophonist and flautist assembles 5 gifted young Cuban
musicians ready to bring the house down. Jubilant!

Pram
Trio
—
July 3 —
Winners of last year’s TD
Grand Jazz Award,
these 3 Toronto musicians combine elements of traditional jazz with contemporary
styles.

Guy
Nadon — July 5 —
Our
favourite standard-bearer of the local jazz scene returns for a 32nd victory lap
at the Festival, more passionate and creative than ever.

Rio Tinto Alcan Stage
(corner Ste. Catherine and
Jeanne-Mance)

Soirées jazzy
Rio Tinto Alcan
series,
8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Sonny
Knight
& The Lakers — June 30 (exclusively at 8
p.m.) — At
66, Sonny Knight just released his debut album… a raw soul/funk
explosion!

Marie-Christine
— July 2 —
Haitian-born Montreal singer-pianist is back with her irresistible charm and
Caribbean soul-funk groove.

Ginkgoa
—
July 4 and
5 — She’s a
New Yorker, he’s a Parisian; together, using the same producer as Caravan
Palace, they create a super-energetic music where pop, swing and electronic
beats meet to get feet moving!

Club
Jazz Casino de Montréal
(Place SNC-Lavalin, on De Bleury St., below Ste. Catherine St.)

Apéros Casino de Montréal
series, 5 p.m.

Jean-Nicolas
Trottier — June 29 — One of the most high-profile musicians on
the Canadian jazz scene, trombonist Jean-Nicolas Trottier unveils a glimpse of
his protean talent.

Ariel
Pocock —
July 1 — Gifted with a distinctive talent that has already
brought her international recognition, American jazz pianist and singer
Ariel Pocock presents her debut album. A breath of fresh air and
originality!

Oran
Etkin
— July 3 — The
perfect balance between jazz and world music: this internationally renowned
Israeli multi-instrumentalist unveils another definition of jazz with his new
album.

Brunantes Casino de
Montréal series, 7
p.m.

Moutin
Factory Quintet
—
June
29 —
Twin
brothers François
and Louis Moutin (double bassist and drummer, respectively) assemble
the finest musicians in French jazz for a solid groove project!

MJF6
— July 2 —
Saxophonist
Marie-Josée Frigon gathers her longtime friends—Tony
Albino (drums), Jean-François Gagnon (trumpet), Pierre Grimard (keyboards) Jean
François Beaudet (guitar) and Jean-Bertrand Carbou (bass)—for a project that
pitches between soaring jazz
and daring grooves.

Mathieu
Désy Contrebasse
& marées
— July 4 — The
composer and double bass virtuoso presents a first release of original
compositions performed with skill, sensitivity and refinement.

Escales nocturnes Casino de
Montréal series, 9
p.m.

The
Brooks — June 26
and 27 —
A musical potion that
shakes things up and gets everyone dancing and smiling,
conceived by the group behind the Soul Therapy evenings. Undeniable!

Troker
—
June 30 and July
1
— Six
Mexican experimental jazz musicians fuse rock, funk, hip-hop, dubstep and even
powerhouse metal riffs with savage joy and an explosive energy.

The
Souljazz Orchestra
— July
4
and 5 —
This colourful orchestra blends jazz, funk, Afro, Latin and soul with skill and
enthusiasm. And they’re back on the outdoor site: magical!

Complexe Desjardins’
Grande-Place

The
Little School of Jazz
presented by Rio Tinto Alcan every day, 11 a.m. and
1:30 p.m., June 26 to July 5.

Les
Zélèves, a vocal harmony quintet led by Victor-Jacques Ménard, alongside
James Gelfand and his quartet, and Festival mascot Ste-Cat, happily welcome
young and old to their jazz lessons, a dynamic, interactive and fun-filled
musical initiation!

CBC/Radio-Canada/Sony Stage
(Maison
symphonique parterre, corner De Montigny St. and Clark St.)

Spectacles blues
CBC/Radio-Canada
series,
7 p.m.

Whisky
Legs — June 26 — This group is steeped in a mind-blowing, visceral and
resolutely ’60s universe where groove, soul and blues-rock rule, with a true
rebel spirit and spectacular energy.

Paul
DesLauriers Band & Friends — July 1, also at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
— The guitar virtuoso and exceptional vocalist offers us
big-time blues with two other pillars of the Québec scene: Greg Morency and
Sam Harrisson.

Conor
Gains Band — July 4 — A little
guitar genius, back with his band and a new blues CD hopped up with pop, rock,
Cajun, soul and boogie-woogie.

Soirées
blues
series,
presented by Sony, 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

The
Wanton Bishops — June 27 — Bound
by friendship and a cavernous, hardcore blues-rock with a glorious garage sound,
Lebanese duo Nader and Eddy land with their fierce, massive musical energy!

Jordan
Officer,
I’m
Free
— June 30 — This
Montreal swing alchemist is one of our finest purveyors of the blue note, returning with his
irresistible sound.

The
Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band — July 4 — An
unconventional family trio unleashes a diabolical, rustic country-blues steeped in hillbilly
tradition and powered by punk rock energy!

Bell Stage (Clark North
esplanade)

Tropiques
Bell
series,
8 p.m.

Las
Cafeteras —
June
27 —
Alternative Latino music with a deep social conscience from these children of
immigrants, born in the streets of Los Angeles, fusing spoken word, ska, folk,
zapateado, Afro-Caribbean and Amerindian musics.

Face-T
— July 2 — The
emblematic figure
on the reggae-dancehall scene lands with fresh, colourful musical flavours,
seasoned with electronic rhythms.

Jungle
By Night
—
July
4,
also at 10 p.m.
— Nine
young Amsterdam musicians with a an unconditional love for Afrobeat, music they
passionately fuse with Ethiopian music and jazz, funk and rock… The future of
Afrobeat!

Groove
Bell
series,
10 p.m.

Heart
Streets — June 26
— Two
lovely, talented young Montrealers entwine their fluid, fluttering voices in a
unique urban beats sound that nods to the ’90s. This duo is making more and more
noise locally!

Jazzmatik
— June
27 — Just for
the Festival, former Muzion member Dramatik
reinterprets his classics accompanied by a brass band and
demonstrates how jazz and hip-hop are one. Do not miss this!

Emmanuel
Jal
— July 2 and 3 — A
child soldier who became an actor, playing alongside Reese Witherspoon in The Good Lie, Jal is a committed peace
activist and a global hip-hop icon!

Lounge
Heineken (corner Ste. Catherine St.
and De Bleury St.)

Lounge
Heineken
series, 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Hell’s
Kitchen
—
June 26 and 27 — Visceral, fascinating
music straight from the gut, served up by a Swiss trio that whips up the blues
like they just rolled out of Mississippi.

Andre
Papanicolaou — June 30 — Influenced
by the folk-rock stylings of Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young, he delivers a luminous,
soaring new album, shimmering with catchy melodies.

Sondre
Lerche — July 2 and 3 — This
Norwegian singer ranks among the most gifted of his generation, rolling in with
his 7th album.

L’Astral
(Maison du Festival Rio
Tinto Alcan, 305 Ste. Catherine St.
W.)

Open
House
series,
midnight, presented by Bacardi

Speakeasy
Electro Swing — June 26 to 30, midnight,
L’Astral — Born on the
semi-sly in a Montreal loft five years back, the monthly Speakeasy Electro Swing
evenings are now an essential feature among true dance fans, marring the music
of the first Great Depression to the technology of the second… and making it all
swing like the devil!

DJ
Melodrastik —
July 2
to 4, midnight, L’Astral —
Inexorably drawn to dramatic melodies, poignant swells and cascades and
aggressive ambience, DJ Melodrastik relentlessly mixes breakbeats, electro,
house and swing. This beauty on the beat loves bass and knows exactly how to get
her crowd grooving!

Montreal
Swing Riot presents the Lindy Hop
Jam with the Gordon Webster Band —
July 5 (also at 9 p.m.) — An
evening of swing dance and jazz pairing up and cutting a rug, reviving the
Roaring Twenties!

Bistro Le
Balmoral (Maison du Festival Rio
Tinto Alcan, 305 Ste. Catherine St.
W.)

Musique au
Balmoral
series,
10 p.m. and midnight

Trio
Jean Félix Mailloux — June 26 and 27 —
A
lovely evening in the company of composer Jean Félix Mailloux,
who explores pieces by Erik Satie and others.

Andréa
Blaze — June 28 and 29 —
Jazz, Brazilian influences and R&B are perfectly blended in music that makes
for a marvelous late evening dinner-show!

Chris
y Miguel —
June 30
and July 1
— Flamenco and virtuosity enhanced
by their communication and friendship. A true musical pleasure!

Miss
Mellow — July 2 and 3 — A
gentle voyage through the history of jazz and its influences.

Olivier
Babaz
—
July
4
and 5 —
Jazz,
folk, rock and world music meet in the hands of the excellent French double bassist and
composer, who lands here with his latest album.

Savoy du
Métropolis (59 Ste. Catherine St.
E.)

Nightcap
Heineken series presented by SiriusXM, midnight

Urban
Science, #LECYPHER
—June 26
to 28 — This
colourful crew brings
fiery beats and a brilliantly celebratory atmosphere. Groovy
and crazy-wild!

CherfunK
— June 29, June 30 and
July 1 — Alexis Martin, François
Richard, Rémy Malo, Luc Lemire and Serge Arsenault juggle languages, styles and
plenty of guests—Alexandre Désilets and Coco Thompson (every evening), as well
as Tomas Jensen and Conde Artifex (June 29) and Boogat (June 30 and July 1)—who
assemble in on massive musical fraternity.

Busty
and the Bass —
July
2 —
This
electrifying McGill University electro-funk-soul-jazz-hip-hop brass band just
won the CBC nationwide Rock Your Campus contest!

The
concerts kick off at noon!

The
JazzFest des jeunes series, presented by Rio Tinto Alcan at noon and 3
p.m., welcomes the very best in high school and college jazz bands to
the Rio Tinto Alcan Stage.
At 1 p.m. (and again at
5 p.m. in the Complexe Desjardins’ Grande-Place),
Les Envolées du Festival
presents university combos in the Lounge Heineken. Finally,
throughout the duration of the Festival, West
Trainz—a
parade with 5 musicians riding on a wagon train outfitted with
instrument-sculptures!—transports us on a revealing, poetic and, above all,
danceable voyage!

The Blues
Camp: 10th anniversary!

The
Blues Camp presented
by TD
is already celebrating its 10th edition! Ten years of making dreams come true
for blues fans ages
13 to 17 by
offering them a week-long musical day camp—absolutely free!
From
June 28 to July 4, the Camp will welcome some 50 teens and give them the
opportunity to devote themselves to their musical passion, surrounded by
renowned professionals from the music milieu de. And then, on July 4 at 6 p.m. on
the TD Stage, we’ll all witness as they unveil their burgeoning
talents!

Bell presents
the Contest: Music Changes Lives

The
Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and Bell invite all up-and-coming
guitarists to come showcase their talent, and earn the chance to win a guitar
from the private collection of the Festival (valued at over $3000)! Information
and registration: www.montrealjazzfest.com/guitarcontest. Members
of the public can even vote for their favourite guitarist at the Boîte Bell on the Place des
Festivals!

Galerie Lounge
TD: a piece by Janine Carreau and Pierre Gauvreau

The
Galerie Lounge TD, located
for the Festival period in the exhibition
hall in l’Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme, Place des
Arts, showcases
a wealth of artistic treasures with jazz as their common thematic passion.
Throughout
this 36th edition, the Festival and the Galerie Lounge TD are proud to
present
the
moving
silkscreen
Trente ans plus tard, mon amour !,
created from a work by Janine Carreau and Pierre Gauvreau,
available in a limited edition of numbered and signed copies. Fans can also
purchase a limited-edition
silkscreen of Électron libre, the latest
creation by
our artist in residence for over 25 years,
Yves Archambault.

Thanks
to our partners

We
sincerely thank our principal sponsor and official presenter, TD, as well as Rio Tinto Alcan, co-presenter of
the Festival, for their continued support. Thanks also to Bell, Casino de Montréal, the Société des Alcools du Québec,
Heineken, Sony and all of our suppliers and
collaborators. We thank the Government of Québec—Ministère du Tourisme,
Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine, ministère de la Culture et des
Communications/SODEC—the Government of Canada—Heritage Canada, Economic
Development Canada, Musicaction—as well as the Ville de Montréal and Tourisme Montréal. Thanks also to
our media partners and the entire Festival team.

montrealjazzfest.com

Stay
connected at all times with everything you love, whether it’s before, during or
after the event. Video excerpts, artist information, access to archives from
previous editions of the Festival, a video channel—in other words, an essential
online destination for all music fans. A tourist service is also available.
For information, particularly on à la carte tourism packages:
montrealjazzfest.com/forfaits.