Stunning New Sounds at the Festival International De Jazz De Montréal!

Press Release For Immediate Distribution Free programming for the 26th Edition! Stunning new sounds at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal! Montreal, Tuesday, June 7, 2005 – It seems like only yesterday we bade farewell to our fabulous 25th anniversary blowout, but the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is back again, with programming befitting of our second quarter-century bringing jazz and its musical cousins to the streets of Montreal. Once again, the esplanade surrounding Place des Arts will reverberate to sounds fantastic as friends, families and passers-by all revel in the hundreds of free outdoor shows that grace our venerable Festival. It’s only three weeks away, and the excitement’s mounting for our yearly summertime schmooze with the best the world has to offer, right in the heart of this glorious City of Festivals. So get set for about 2 million music lovers descending on our fair city for the biggest musical smorgasbord anywhere on Earth, set to take place June 30 to July 10, 2005, every day from noon to midnight. And the best part is that at least three-quarters of the shows are completely free of charge! For this 26th edition, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is honored to once again count on the perennial support of principal sponsor and presenter General Motors of Canada, this year in collaboration with Stella Artois — a new sponsor and co-presenter — to whom we also offer our heartfelt thanks. And we take this opportunity, as well, to thank Bell Canada, Loto-Québec, TD Canada Trust, as well as the Société des alcools du Québec, Samsung, CBC Television and SRC. An entire city decked out in music! Thousands of musicians will be arriving from 20 countries around the world for about 500 concerts — 350 of them free of charge and divided among 30 different series — to take place on 10 outdoor stages. And that’s not counting the hundreds of exterior mini-performances by wandering Dixieland bands, drum sections and other street performers that, year-in, year-out, guarantee the crowds plenty of musical discovery whenever they hit the Festival site. Les Performances General Motors represents the main series of free outdoor events and will take place at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. at the scène General Motors. Among the 10 concerts scheduled, most notable are the Jaipur Kawa Brass Band, a group that improvises on traditional Indian music but in a totally contemporary style. Get set too for the Montreal Jazz Big Band in its show entitled Passion afro-cubaine, with 13 musicians on stage to heighten the energy. Also performing will be the Gangbé Brass Band from Benin, a highly original mix of African drums and wind instruments. Quebec bluesman Bob Walsh will be on hand, too, to liven up the sultry nights for festivalgoers. Look out for the performers of the Gammes General Motors series, on the stage of the same name at 6 p.m. Among them will be trombonist Hugh Fraser, accompanied by other members of the Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary. Present as well will be Soledad, five Belgians of classical background who’ve made the move to tango. Quebec’s Aloka Jazz Sextet will be in the running this year for the Grand Prix de Jazz General Motors. Present, as well, will be winners of the 2004 cross-Canada contest, ODD Jazz Group, who’ll be launching a new album for the occasion. On Saturday, July 9, also at 6 p.m. the winner of the 2005 Grand Prix de Jazz General Motors will be announced, a prize that carries with it numerous advantages, not least of which is widespread public exposure. Galaxie, CBC’s Continuous Music Network, will award the Prix Étoiles Galaxie de Radio-Canada plus a bursary to the composer of the best original composition chosen from among competing ensembles. (Competing musicians are clearly indicated in the program.) It’s an altogether unique opportunity to find out what’s happening on the Canadian music scene. The scène blues Stella Artois is located in the Parc Fred-Barry, the perennial home of Les Soirées blues Stella Artois series, to the joy of blues lovers. Shows begin at 7 and 11 p.m. In attendance this year will be: singer/guitarist Carlos Veiga, flanked by members of Roots 66; Montreal bluesman Jimmy James; Lou Simon, who’s been playing piano since he was 7; and many others. On the same stage at 9 p.m., the Spectacles blues Stella Artois series will feature blues musicians from abroad. First on the line-up will be the Grande Dame of jump blues Alberta Adams on her first visit to the Festival, with special guests RJ’s Rhythm Rockers (from the U.S.). Belgian blues harmonicist Pierre Lacocque and his cohorts from Mississippi Heat will be on hand, as will Mem Shannon, who’s been described as the finest blues social commentator since Willie Dixon. Accompanied by his group The Membership, he’ll be playing selections from an intense new southern-flavored album, I’m From Phunkville. Following a precedent set in previous years, the same stars as above will all be featured in free shows at the Spectrum, on the same evening at half-past-midnight, every night except July 6. The Carrefour General Motors is situated at the intersection of Jeanne-Mance Street and de Maisonneuve Boulevard. That’s where the Contact General Motors series will take place — in two time slots. At 6:30 p.m., for example, you can enjoy performances by the Russian/Quebec duo Simard-Sidorov; Son of Dave, passionately mutating into a one-man band; Khac Chi, a Vietnamese flavored duo; and the young New Yorker Kaki King, offering selections from her recent album Legs to Make Us Longer. On the same stage and in the same series, but at 9:30 p.m., you can hear the three Polish accordionists of Motion Trio, from Krakow, on their first visit to the Festival. Also present will be Haitian Toto Laraque, who fast became a Festival favorite (and has since made Montreal his home) with his group The Harmonics. Another project born of the sea and the sun will be on the same stage, Andy Narrel and Sakesho, from Guadeloupe and the U.S. And Manouche will be present, too, on their second visit to the Festival, with a new album of Gypsy music in hand, St-Urbain Café. Presented by the Club Jazz TD Canada Trust (in the Hydro-Québec park), Les Soirées Jazz TD Canada Trust series will be retaining its double format, at 7 p.m. and then again at 10 p.m. The series will feature a number of master musicians, including the Jon Ballantyne Quartet from Saskatchewan on one of their all-too-rare Montreal appearances, and the Vanessa Rodrigues – Soul Project, a perfect balance of jazz and funk. Present as well will be Quadro Nuevo, four Austrian virtuosi who live in Germany, but with their eyes on the world. Also appearing will be Las Ondas Marteles, a group founded by Sébastien Martel, guitarist of pop singer –M– to celebrate his love for the Cuban bolero. The Rendez-vous Loto-Québec series will take place at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. at the scène Loto-Québec (on de Maisonneuve Boulevard). Among many others, you’ll be able to sample the cultural diversity of Montreal with the energizing ensemble of Dibondoko, back by popular demand. The British group Jazzinho will be on hand with a charming fusion of Nu-Jazz, Afro-Brazilian percussion, R&B, soul, bossa nova and traditional Portuguese music. Singer and composer B•U, ex-member of Papillon, is still active on the Montreal hip-hop scene and appears accompanied by nine musicians. The American singer, drummer and mbira player Chris Berry will be on stage with the group Panjea, from Zimbabwe where he’s a major star. The Tropiques Stella Artois series will happen at 7:30 p.m. on the scène Stella Artois (Parc des Festivals, at the corner of de Bleury Street and de Maisonneuve Boulevard) featuring international artists such as the Senegalese trio Ba Cissoko on their first visit to the Festival. Musicians from Tierra will offer up subtle, multi- ethnic renderings, while Tinariwen brings together seven Tuaregs in traditional dress with electric guitars. From Mali comes Issa Bagayogo, serving up a careful marriage of traditional music and electronic gadgetry. A first appearance at the Festival! At 10 p.m. the Groove Stella Artois series returns on the scène Stella Artois. Among others, the American Amp Fiddler from Detroit will be playing his straight-up soul funk. The Mexican group Wakal will offer electronic thoroughly urban sounds. Platinum Pied Pipers, from Detroit, delve into the roots of soul music, and aRTIST oF tHE yEAR will deliver his new album, Cut Disco, in a world premiere performance. In a whole other vein, Soirées Jazzy Bell series will take place at 8 and 10 p.m. on the scène Bell - Samsung (in front of the entrance of the complexe Desjardins). American singer and guitarist Eric Bibb, less known here than in Europe, will appear, as will singer-song-writer JulieC with her original pop-jazz compositions. American Ray Lamontagne, also well known on European stages, will introduce his magnificent opus to Festival audiences, and Annie Sellick (who’s been an audience member for years) will appear on stage with the Jeff Johnson Trio from Montreal. And that’s to name just a few… Check out the line-up for the Les Brunantes series, presented at 8 and 10 p.m.

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