Now in its 35th year, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal – or the Montreal Jazz Festival to us non-Francophones – is one of the world’s best known music events, sitting alongside New Orleans and Montreux as the most respected of the Jazz world. Today brings to an end their 2014 calendar, which saw over 800 performances during the 11 day event at some 20 venues.
The artists – not all Jazz, of course – came to Quebec from all over the world. Representing Australia were the 24 piece Melbourne Ska Orchestra (fresh off the stage at Glastonbury, and still sporting remnants of its mud), Bomba’s other project Bustamento and another Melbourne act – Wagons. They were accompanied by a potpourri of international talent from Aretha Franklin to Tony Bennett, Canadian heroes Barenaked Ladies, Diana Krall, Hercules & Love Affair, Andrew Bird, B.B. King, Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite and even Beck, who kicked off the festival with a special concert accompanied by The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger – a project featuring Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl.
“Electic” doesn’t quite cut it, though “world class” certainly puts us in the right direction, and seems to hold the lineup together, be they an international superstar or an unknown. In that respect, the curation is extraordinary. There were a multitude of bands here making their Montreal debut – but no matter who we “stumbled” across during the week, their performances were nothing short of impressive (and well attended). On that respect, this event easily has positioned itself as one of the best in the world, irrespective of genre. The music is rarely this consistently good.
The way the event works is a little different to your traditional festival, so allow me to take a moment and walk you through it. This isn’t a Big Day Out (or even New Orleans Jazz Fest) style festival, where one pass will get you into all stages. In fact, as far as I can tell, there are no passes you can buy that will do this. The event is a mix of free outdoor (or tent) stages – some seven of them – and indoor paid events at the local clubs. So, let’s equate it to the Sydney Festival then – however in this case, a free event like the “Festival First Night” or “Summer in the Domain” is happening every day and night. From 11am all the way to after midnight over the 11 days.
Though most of the non-Australian acts mentioned above were playing in paid venues, the outdoor stages – which are laid out in a festival-like environment throughout the city’s “Place des Festivals”, complete with street bars, food and people on stilts entertaining the kids – offered impressive lineups that seemed to focus more on “discovery” than on big names (though with Vintage Trouble, Diana Krall and more, you certainly had that too…). After speaking to the VP of Programming in May, that definitely seems to be their intent, debuting regionally unknown artists like our very own Melbourne Ska Orchestra on the festival’s main stage, to tens of thousands of curious onlookers, who trust the event’s curators to provide an entertaining evening. And for a group like MSO, it’s certainly not a bad way to kickstart your Canadian touring career.
My discoveries on the event’s free stages included the “King of Gutbucket Blues”, Little Freddie King (pictured below) from New Orleans and the incredible French talent Sandra Nkaké (pictured above). The former, a 73 year old country blues artist is something of music royalty and some may ask me to hide my head in shame for not being familiar. The cousin of Lightnin’ Hopkins and inspired by Freddie King, Little Freddie (Fread Eugene Martin) is regarded as the man who recorded the first electric blues record in 1969 with Harmonica Williams – though it wouldn’t be until 1996 that he would release another album, something he’s been doing regularly since.
Having played the New Orleans Jazz Festival for some 42 years, the “King” knows how to win over a crowd, and by the end of his set – which brought the second last night of the festival to a close – he had them chanting for more. His unique blend of country, blues and sounds of the bayou were easy to love, as was the man himself, with a gracious demeanour and one mean guitar.
And then there was Sandra Nkaké, an artist who had me transfixed for her entire set. A singer, songwriter and actress, the French performer sits somewhere in between Janelle Monaé and Grace Jones, bringing in influences from the Anglophone world of pop, jazz and soul – while accompanied by a suited up band whose flutist would do Ian Anderson and Ron Burgundy proud. It was not only one of my “discoveries” of the festival, but probably the unexpected highlight of the entire week; energetic, delightful and unassuming.
Also of mention from the free stages – though I only caught them briefly – were the Bourbon Jazz Orchestra, who add a pile of New Orleans brass to their jazz inspired repertoire, with their rendition of “Bein’ Green” from Sesame Street being of particular mention (who would have thought it!). Also, The Hot Sardines from New York had the crowd in the palm of their hands with their self-described “liquor-drinking jazz” and the captivating presence of co-founder Miz Elizabeth.
Finally, we look locally to Montreal for two artists who made their mark. Firstly, Misses Satchmo, a female fronted sextet, who reinterpret the music of Louis Armstrong (hence “Satchmo”) and make it their own. Running off the back of their latest record Apple Tree – released in September – they endeavour to tell a story in the live space, utilising the music of Armstrong. It’s a creative, original endeavour that is highly enjoyable.
And then there is another sextet (Montrealers love their big bands don’t they!), Groenland (pictured above), who were playing as an eight piece at the festival, complete with a horn and string section. Supporting St Vincent last night at the Métropolis, the band brought with them an Arcade Fire charm, switching instruments while their lead vocalist Sabrina Halde emits a vibe reminiscent of Fire’s Régine Chassagne. But their orchestral indie pop is very much their own, bringing in varied comparisons from Fiona Apple to Andrew Bird and, interestingly, School of Seven Bells. Though I don’t feel their current record The Chase will see them take over the world, they are a tight, promising group worth keeping your eye on, and received a heroes welcome from the adoring hometown crowd. A future takeover is certainly on the cards.
The event concludes today in Montreal, with Deltron 3030 closing out the main stage, alongside club gigs from Bonobo, Andrew Bird and two free performances from our very own Wagons. For more details about the festival, head to http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/. Keep your eyes on our Montreal Jazz Fest hub for reviews of some of the more well known artists playing the event!
