News Release For immediate distribution

Re-cap of the 27th edition of the Festival International de de Montréal: Healthy attendance for a vintage year!

Montreal, Monday, July 10th, 2006 – If the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal was particularly successful this year, it’s almost entirely due to the extraordinary mix of artistry that marked this 27th edition of the event. Not that we haven’t come to expect surprises, but this year was a true feast for the ears and eyes. Featuring a whole lot of new blood and an astonishing variety of hybrid genres, this year 30 countries were represented at the Festival—a record number—including Italy (with Suono Italia), featured country of the Festival, which we welcomed as we would an old friend. Special honours at this year’s event were also given to the State of Louisiana, the birthplace of jazz and scene of last year’s natural disaster. As the public has grown to expect, it wasn’t just jazz but its many musical relatives that were heard throughout the site. Even the series devoted to the good ol’ blues took on a new vitality. So maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that this year’s Festival enjoyed record-breaking ticket sales, with a full 50 of the 150 indoor shows completely sold out. The beautiful exterior site was better arranged than ever, and the exterior program of about 350 free shows registered a healthy attendance of at least 2 million visits, once again demonstrating Montrealers’ diverse musical interests. Even though storm clouds darkened the first few days of the event, Mother Nature herself finally surrendered to the crowds’ enthusiasm at the second Grand événement. Indoors, it was a special honour to welcome our New York neighbour Paul Simon whose show left nothing to be desired and who most definitely earned his special prize, created just this year to underscore his exceptional contribution to the evolution of popular music through his integration of jazz, blues and so many other musical forms. Brad Mehldau (winner of the 2006 Miles-Davis Award) was in town to open this 27th edition, as was Dave Brubeck to close the interior program. Etta James received the Ella-Fitzgerald Award and Salif Keita was given the Antonio Carlos Jobim Award. B.B. King, John Pizzarelli, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Amadou and Mariam, The Roots and Nils Petter Molvaer performed with aplomb. But the Festival also featured local musicians, like Yannick Rieu (winner of the 2006 Oscar Peterson Award), Susie Arioli and, in a special creation, the Lorraine Desmarais Big Band. Steve Amirault, Michel Donato and Jean-François Groulx, as well as the winner of the Grand Prix de Jazz General Motors—the David Virelles Quintet—performed. The Radio-Canada Prix Étoiles Galaxie went to Phantom Power Combo Deluxe for its composition “One Shoe Blues”. David Clayton-Thomas was in town, as was Louisiana native Allen Toussaint, who was given an especially warm reception at this year’s Festival. A number of European stars were in town, too, including Biréli Lagrène (to host the Invitation series), Aldo Romano, and a number of other Italian jazzmen. The new Piano solo à Bon Pasteur series saw a great line-up of terrific pianists. The free exterior program was anchored around three major mega-events, each totally different from the others. In town to open this year’s Festival were New Orleans icons The Neville Brothers. Closing the event was Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Band, bringing a wild Balkan breeze to the downtown last night. And right in the middle of the Festival was the impressive Tribute to Paul Simon, from which we’re still getting goose-bumps. The richness and diversity of Simon’s music was done more than justice by the richness and diversity of the performers whose combined presence on stage spoke eloquently of the inclusive spirit of our Festival. This year, for the first time, an artist took up residence in the Savoy du Métropolis, every night at 7 p.m. throughout the Festival. And judging from attendance, it proved a welcome idea when silky-voiced singer Willow established both her artistic mettle and the viability of the new concept. Such was also the case for the group Phantom Power Combo Deluxe who received the Prix Étoiles Galaxie from Radio-Canada. Along with Willow, they confirmed the suitability of the Savoy as a jazz club, fairly oozing with warmth and intimacy. The Second Edition of the MMMIS Anyone present for the first edition of the Musicians and Musical Instrument Show (MMMIS) would have been flabbergasted by its growth in just one year. Three times the number of exhibitors were on hand this time around—140, or hundred more than 2005!—including 90 luthiers and other instrument makers from various countries plus about 50 kiosks set up by major brand names. Thousands of visitors eager to deepen their knowledge of music stopped by. The place des luthiers was reason enough to take the time: hundreds of products by the finest hand-crafters of instruments were on display for the beholding of amateurs and professionals alike. Italy was the featured country at the MMMIS this year, as it was at the Festival, sending a contingent of 30 instrument makers. There was even a display of the superb ceramics created in the Umbria region. A total of 70 interactive events were offered free of charge to visitors. Some exhibitors offered introductory one-hour guitar and saxophone lessons to anyone interested. Half-hour harmonica courses were on the menu, too, and it was a pleasure to observe ordinary passersby enjoying their first music-making experience. Many demonstrated their newfound abilities at the hugely popular Drum Circle, a meeting place for percussionists, or at the guitar jam that took place at the end of the day, where anyone who wanted to could bring their axe and let loose. The Meet the Artist series shed new light on otherwise well-known artists, including Salif Keita, Daniel Lanois and Bonnie Raitt, who answered questions from the public with such warmth and interest that everyone wished we could have kept them there a bit longer. But the biggest thrills were to be had at the very cool, very exclusive, and real up-close workshops at this year’s MMMIS, a terrific formula whereby members of the public could meet up with especially invited artists, who’d invariably grab their respective instruments and play a few riffs for the awe-inspired. They were terrific evenings enjoyed unanimously by everyone who attended the informal gatherings, hosted by such artists as Nano, Pat Martino, Rick Haworth and the devilish Kaki King in the Salon Jeanne-Mance of the Hyatt Regency Montréal. Another innovation this year was the Guitar Guitar Series, four free shows presented by XM Radio Satellite which included the Tribute to Robert Godin event, dedicated to the famous guitar-maker who received a special Tribute Award from the MMMIS. The other three events were the Programme Double, the Blues extravaganza and Jazz Folie. Teens were given a special treat this year when 55 talented youngsters from 13 to 17 years old were selected (from the 500 who showed up to audition) to take part in the free new Camp de blues, a week of intensive blues lessons presented by TD Canada Trust Musique. Included in the deal were seven days of apprenticeship under the supervision of professional musicians and teachers, teaching theory and practice, plus backstage visits with performers at the Festival, all culminating in a live show of their own, on stage at the scène Club Jazz TD Canada Trust on the last day of this 27th edition of the Festival. Their excellent performance was proof positive that the torch had been passed and that the blues will live on from generation to generation. A 27th edition that will remain in everyone’s heart! It was kudos all round for programmers’ excellent selections for this year’s 27th edition. The Tribute to Paul Simon (under the direct artistic supervision of André Ménard) was a blast, and included , Bedouin Soundclash, Colin James, Daniel Lanois, Michel Rivard and Zachary Richard who all delivered distinctively personal versions from the songbook of the great American songwriter. Amparanoïa wowed the crowds in a big way and Jamie Cullum was a huge hit, too, not just for his turn on stage during the tribute show, but for his own presentation and even during rehearsal. The opening Neville Brothers show was an obvious crowd-pleaser, as were Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Band, who closed the Festival last night. A number of concerts and performances were particularly satisfying for Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Festival André Ménard. First of all: Jamie Cullum, Jamie Cullum and Jamie Cullum! But also John Zorn, Brad Mehldau (who clearly deserved his 2006 Miles-Davis Award), Corinne Bailey Rae, Katie Melua, The Cat Empire (whose performance was a really dynamite surprise), Plaster, Baptiste Trotignon, Paul Simon, Daniel Lanois and Emmylou Harris. Menard also pronounced himself satisfied by the entire Suono Italia series for its rich and varied panorama of contemporary Italian music. Vice-President of Programming Laurent Saulnier was especially taken by Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, Ralph Myerz & The Jack Herren Band, Afrodizz, Pyeng Threadgill, Plaster, Daniel Mille, Cirkus with Neneh Cherry, Smooth, Bell Orchestre, Bauchklang, Killa-Jewel, Nils Petter Molvaer, Corinne Bailey Rae, Yusef Lateef and Stéphane and Lionel Belmondo, Jamie Lidell, Joe Sullivan Sextet and Yannick Rieu. Among Programming Co-ordinator Caroline Johnson’s favorites were John Zorn, Ravi Coltrane, The Bad Plus, Yusef Lateef and Stéphane and Lionel Belmondo, Corinne Bailey Rae, Cat Power, the David Virelles Quintet, The Cat Empire, Amparanoïa, Balkan Beat Box, Roxanne Potvin, The Refugee All- Stars, Phantom Power Combo Deluxe, Jean-Pierre Zanella, Romano-Trotignon-Vignolo, Wibutee, Socalled Orchestra, Jamie Cullum and Goran Bregovic. …But this year’s real stars were the team ! President and Founder of the Festival Alain Simard has decided that this year, his very most favorite group was the entire jazz festival team. Because you don’t get to be the best without the support of the best, and this year’s team was the very best ever, hands down. First comes the programming duo of Laurent Saulnier and Caroline Johnson for their stupendous offering in which 2300 musicians from 30 countries appeared in some 500 top-quality shows. That entailed the management of 101,128 tickets by Michèle Neveu, Esther Carrier and Isabel Melançon. For their production expertise, kudos are due to François Bérubé helped by Jean-Sébastien “Vince” Robillard, who supervised 200 technicians, rolled out 40 kilometres of wiring and delivered 150,000 watts of sound and some 2 million watts of light. The team of Ulysse St-Jean and Denis Bergeron undertook the 2450 ferryings of artists to and from the site, arranged transportation for some 1300 airport arrivals and departures and booked 2382 nights at the Hyatt Regency Montréal, Tour Centre-Ville and Quality Inn. Recording of certain concerts was effected by Amérimage-Spectra, under the direction of Luc Châtelain, Pierre Touchette and the entire TV production team at L’Équipe Spectra, including Lucie Marion, Louise Gauthier, Lise Pruneau and Lucie Piché. The support of our sponsors isn’t just appreciated, but essential. So particular thanks are due to those who coordinated our relations with sponsors—Jacques-André Dupont, Michelle Régnier, Arno Ziegler and Éric Martineau. Together, they drummed up some $10 million in sponsorship cash—a record. We should also mention the amazing success off this year’s 2nd MMMIS, where 140 exhibitors and 70 free interactive events took place, the brainchild of Jacques-André Dupont with the invaluable assistance of Nathalie Goudreau. Governmental affairs were handled by Jacinthe Marleau, with Roseline Rico, Thomas Jolicoeur and Julie Desmarais who handled tourist development. Combined, they filled out about 3000 pages of subsidy requests, cost reports and studies on the fiscal returns of the event. In the communications department, the star was Marie-Eve Boisvert (who was yesterday promoted to the position of Media Relations Director). She and her 30 colleagues in the Press Room pounded out some 116 press releases and Info-Festival bulletins plus precisely 429 stage announcements. Some 410 accredited journalists—161 of whom were from abroad and welcomed by Catherine Simard—were welcomed at the Press Room and wrote about 440 articles on this year’s event. The Festival web site was overseen by Jocelyn Hade and his team. The site enjoyed 92,357,381 hits since January 1st, 2006, compared to 71,253,558 for the entire year 2005. Nathalie Carrière and her advertising team produced some 200 print ads (of which 65 were full-page), 1000 TV spots and 4200 radio spots. The team’s four graphic experts under Geneviève Bourgeois created 336 different pages. Program and pamphlet editing was under the supervision of Isabelle Hébert and her team, who produced a total of 36,282,000 pages that were distributed free of charge. Let’s not forget Yves Archambault, offical poster designer of the Festival for the last 20 years, who has given us over 1000 original works over that time, all of which have been exhibited at the Galerie du Festival, which is itself under the on-site supervision of Annie Reynaud. Managing the entire downtown site is André Ducas, with the assistance of Nicolas Paulette and Michel Therrien. They suspended 250 banners made of 2.8 kilometres of textile. They set up 80 tents using 24,000 “Tie-Wraps” and made 500 trips by truck between warehouses and workshops. Logistics were the responsibility of Sylvie Beausoleil and Anne Denizet who supervised 350 security guards, 170 on-site hosts and the 70 cleaning personnel of the Jazz-Net team. 12.2 tonnes of plastic, glass and aluminum and 8.3 tonnes of cardboard fibre were recycled for a total of 20.5 tonnes of recycled material, in collaboration with Alcan. Interior organization of all on-site installations plus the connection of 335 computers and hundreds of temporary work stations in several buildings was completed by Danielle Demers and Stéphane Langlois with Laurent Wilhelmy. All purchases were the responsibility of Norman Belhumeur who sniffed out the best deals so the savings could be re-invested in the free outdoor shows. On-site sales were handled by the team of Denyse McCann, with Marie-France Chartier, Isilda De Sousa and Arno Marion Vinet (in the souvenir warehouse) who came up with 337 different articles to be sold in the souvenir boutiques. Food and refreshment were taken care of by Claude Collette and Richard Morency (in the food storage warehouse). All products sold on the site were carefully selected according to three criteria: health, equitability and quality. Logistics included 100 points of sales involved in a half-million transactions. The ones who found such a terrific bunch of people as the above were Maryse Landry and Caroline Maltais, in human resources. Accounting was the responsibility of Andrée Grand'Maison, Claude Gendron, Cathy Bolduc and Nicolas Blais. Some 5000 transactions involving 3200 cheques were performed by Thérèse Allie. Delphine Leroy supervised the payroll for 1276 employees, not counting musicians and freelancers. And a total of 450 walkie-talkies operating on 16 frequencies were used, as were 170 cell phones and 55 pagers, linking all of the above personnel so that they could pull off this year’s massive and complex event as smoothly as they did. The world comes to Montreal Even the finest program in the world couldn’t cut it without a place to showcase everything. If our Festival is a worldwide success, it’s because of the unique downtown site that it occupies, and it just gets better every year, with noveties and additions in all areas, not least of which are impeccable technical equipment for sound, lighting and security. Closed to all traffic for the event, sound-quality levels are carefully adjusted for each concert to guarantee optimal acoustics, always with careful respect for the environment. The same for lighting. Also, the exterior site is carefully scheduled so that shows don’t interfere with one another, this achieved by a staggered roster so helps festival goers get the most music from their every visit to the site. For the mega-shows, a number of giant screens strategically positioned make sure everyone gets a good view, no matter where they are. Excellent security and cleanliness are maintained to keep the area sociable and to make circulation easy for people of all ages. Even children are especially accommodated, making family visits a pleasure. It’s largely thanks to the return of Alcan as a major sponsor and official co-presenter of this 27th event that it’s possible to visit the site en famille. It’s Alcan who took care of the always popular Petite École du Jazz, in collaboration with Complexe Desjardins, and the Parc musical, where there’s plenty of fun to be had, including free face- painting. Increased international coverage The 27th edition of the Festival enjoyed record coverage from outside Quebec. 135 media vehicules and 161 journalists were in town this year, compared to 97 and 115 last year. Altogether, there were a total of 400 accredited journalists. The Festival welcomed an impressive array of national and international observers, of which a significant number came from Germany, ( Radio, Welt Am Sonntag), Australia (Jazz FM 94.1), Belgium (Le Soir), Canada (National Post, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star), Spain (El Mundo), the U.S. (ABC, Downbeat Magazine, Jazziz Magazine, Jazz Times Magazine, New York Daily News, San Francisco Chronicle, Vanity Fair, Village Voice, Wall Street Journal), France (Les Inrockuptibles), Hungary (Népszava), Italy (Corriere Della Sera, RAI International), Japan ( FM), Mexico (Excélsior, Horizonte 108 FM), the U.K.(Financial Times), Sweden () and Turkey (Aksam, Show TV). The national and international notoriety of the Festival will be further supported by the broadcasting of the three free exterior mega-shows. First was the opening show by the Neville Brothers and highlighting the State of Louisiana (to be broadcast later on CBC television). The second one, the Grand Événement General Motors, was the terrific Tribute to Paul Simon that took place halfway through this year’s event (to be broadcast later on CBC television). And, lastly, was the Grand Concert de clôture Alcan with Goran Bregovic and his Wedding and Funeral Band (to be broadcast on TV5). The David Clayton-Thomas concert will be shown on Bravo! and ARTV, as will Susie Arioli and Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Allen Toussaint. Jesse Cook’s show will be seen on Bravo! Amadou and Mariam, Ba Cissoko and Electro Bamako will be broadcast on July 30th on TV5, and subsequently on Bravo! and ARTV. A number of radio broadcasts by EspaceMusique and CBC Radio Two will also be on the air. As for tourism: the sustained efforts of the Festival to promote tourism, including the development, promotion and marketing of our city beyond our borders have borne real fruit, especially this year. Many more tourists and day-trippers came to town for the Festival, visitors who inject a good $100M of new money into the local economy every year. There’s no better tool for penetrating international markets, so the Festival has used the Internet strategically to develop them, delivering personalized, on-line service that impressed more than a few. Tourist products of the Festival were available on Expedia.Com, among others, and directly on the Festival site. Last April, the Festival also launched a new development and marketing strategy by internet that included packages (lodging + the jazz kit) in collaboration with RPV Canada. Response proved more than merely positive when the number of reserved nights during the Festival improved by 25%. Packages increased by 61.5 %, and the Festival intends to refine its Internet tourist offering by encouraging visitors to make their Festival reservations while they’re on the site. The passion, love and creative energy of Festival organizers would amount to nothing without the support of both our loyal sponsors and the public who come down to the site in such numbers and with so much enthusiasm, year after year after year. But it’s the artists, of course, who’re at the heart and soul of our unique musical event, a Festival that carries Montreal’s fine reputation all over the world, thanks to the team that works to make it shine brighter and brighter with every edition. To everyone, a million thanks! Don’t miss next year’s 28th Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, set to take place from June 28th to July 8th, 2007!

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Source: Festival International de Jazz de Montréal – 514 523-3378

Media Information: Marie-Eve Boisvert, Media Relations Director - 514 523-3378, ext. 5666 ; [email protected] Greg Kitzler, Press Attaché – 514 523-3378, ext. 5622 ; [email protected] Alain Des Ruisseaux, Press Attaché – 514 523-3378, ext. 5534 ; [email protected] Karina Prévost, Press Attachée – 514 523-3378, ext. 5246 ; [email protected] Catherine Simard, International and Travel Media Relations – 514 523-3378, ext. 5613 ; [email protected]

Public Information: Bell Info-Jazz Line – 514 871-1881 or toll free 1-888-515-0515 ; www.montrealjazzfest.com

What they said

“When the Neville Brothers are one of the groups they put on for free, you know they have something going on at this behemoth of a fest in downtown Montreal – the biggest in the world“ – David Rubien, San Francisco Chronicle “North America’s largest celebration of jazz, blues and beyond is every summer’s best opportunity to immerse yourself in music“ – Down Beat “Montreal Jazz Fest returns (…) with its expectedly stellar lineup of the hippest jazz (and non-jazz) acts on the planet“– Even Haga, JazzTimes “Somehow, after 27 years of defining and redefining what it means to throw a world-class party, the Montreal International Jazz festival keeps getting better. The 11-day event, which annually draws legends of devotees from Boston, as so far managed to take it to yet another level with its staging programming and even expended culinary choices“ – Bob Young, Boston Herald “One of the things that keeps music fans coming back to the city is the Montreal Jazz Festival, the world’s largest shindig using jazz in its moniker“ – Bob Margolis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel “The greatest jazz on Earth” – Robin Caudell, Press-Republican “How too much of a good thing can be great“– David Pulizzi, Jazziz “The festival is the ultimate cultural road trip for those who have never been to French Canada“– Gregory B. Gallagher, Stac State of the Arts & Culture “There’s miles of jazz and rhythm riffs and exciting stage presences at this whoopingest jazz festival on the planet.” – Bosley Wilder, The Holyoke Sun « [ ] pero lo que para mi lo hace el más grande es que se trata de un encuentro musical que contagia a toda la ciudad y llega practícamente a todos los rincones de la ciudad durante dos semanas. » – Edgar Alejandro Hernández, Excélsior “You’d have to ask far and wide to find someone who hasn’t heard of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the biggest such event on Earth according to the Guinness Book of World Record“– All About Jazz “[ ] And if you ask the 400 accredited journalists covering the event, most will tell you what they’ve found from years of interviews : the festival is also No. 1 in the hearts of most performers“– The Gazette “This is by far the best festival I’ve seen“– propos de Carol Milano, touriste new-yorkaise, recueillis par The Gazette « C’est très important pour notre station de venir sur place, le Mexique adore le Festival de Jazz de Montréal » – propos de Sonia Yanez, directrice de la radio Horizonte de Mexico, rapportés par Le Journal de Montréal “There’s no more popular time to visit this great city“– Our Canada

International coverage for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal 27th edition

CANADA ANGLAIS Jazzthetik Magazine (Allemagne) DownBeat Magazine Jazzwise Magazine (Royaume-Uni) Guitar One Magazine Billboard Magazine La Voix du Nord (France) IAJE Michigan Canada Japan Journal Le Monde 2 (France) IcebergRadio.com Canada Scope Magazine Le Soir (Belgique) Jazz Improv Magazine CBC Radio Les Inrockuptibles (France) Jazz Journalists Association CHUO FM 89.1 Magazine Diez (Mexique) Jazz Times Magazine CTV (etalk) MVS 102,5 FM (Mexique) Jazz Variations El Popular NDR Jazz Week FrancoPhonie Express (Allemagne) Jazziz Magazine In Guide Népszava (Hongrie) KPFA 94.1 FM Jazz FM 91 Orbita Popular (Pérou) KZMU Community Radio Klub Life Magazine Radio Popolare (Italie) Lonely Planet National Post RAI International (Italie) Los Angeles Jazz Scene Sounds of Timeless Jazz.com Redferns Music Picture Library Manhattan Neighborhood Network The Epoch Times (Royaume-Uni) Maxim.com The Globe and Mail RFI (service espagnol) (France) Melody Trip LLC Toronto Star Rumbo de México (Mexique) National Public Radio Saarländischer Rundfunk New York Daily News (Allemagne) New York Trend ASIE – AFRIQUE - MOYEN- Südwestrundfunk (Allemagne) NY Blues and Jazz Society ORIENT - AUSTRALIE Sveriges Radio (Suède) NY Monthly Jazz Guide Télérama.fr (France) Offbeat Magazine Aksam (Turquie) The Daily Mail (Royaume-Uni) Press-Republican Jazz FM 94,1 (Australie) The Guardian (Royaume-Uni) Primetime Magazine Northwest Airline WorldTraveler The Herald Magazine (Royaume- Privilege Magazine (Japon) Uni) Public Radio East Show TV (Turquie) The Observer (Royaume-Uni) Pure Jazz Magazine Tokyo FM (Japon) The Sunday Times (Royaume-Uni) Red Floor Pictures Travel News Israël (Israël) Toni & Guy Magazine (Royaume- Salsapower.com Voice of America (Pakistan) Uni) San Francisco Chronicle The Herald (Royaume-Uni / Santa Barbara Independant Écosse) Sunset Classics and Jazz EUROPE – AMÉRIQUE DU SUD The Scotsman (Royaume-Uni / The Times Argus Écosse) Time Out Chicago Agence France-Presse (France) TSF (France) Travel Weekly Art Actuel (France) Univarts.com (France) True Magazine BBC Radio (Persian service) Vértigo (Mexique) Vanity Fair (Royaume-Uni) Welt Am Sonntag (Allemagne) Village Voice Corriere Della Sera (Italie) Wall Street Journal Deutsche Welle Radio (service WBGO 88.3 FM russe) (Allemagne) ÉTATS-UNIS WBUR 90.9 FM El Mundo (Espagne) WFDU 89.1 FM Excélsior (Mexique) ABC WGBH 89.7 Financial Times (Royaume-Uni) Albany Times Union WGDR 91 FM France Inter (France) All About Jazz WICN 90.5 FM Horizonte 108 FM (Mexique) All About Jazz.com Woodstock Times In Viaggo Magazine (Italie) American Airlines Latitudes WRIU 90.3 FM Jazz Hot Magazine (France) Big City R&B Magazine WWPV 88.7 FM Jazz Notes (France) Black Family Channel WYBE Television Jazz Notes / Ferarock (France) Bloomberg Radio XM Satellite Radio Jazzman / France Musique Boston Herald (France) Chicago Free Press