Festival International de Jazz de Montreal 2023

Festival International de Jazz de Montreal
Montreal, Quebec
June 29-July 8, 2023

Not many cities like a party like Montreal, and the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (FIJM) has been the biggest party in Montreal since its inception in 1980. Not even smoke from wildfires in northern Quebec could obscure the love that Montrealers and tourists from outside the city have for the festival.

This year's 43rd edition of the FIJM was the second under the direction of Maurin Auxéméry, who, as he did last year, brought the festival back to the jazz roots that it had moved away from over the last decade or more. Indeed, while there are fewer concerts in the program under Auxéméry's stewardship, there is more jazz and perhaps more importantly, there are more non-ticketed jazz concerts than in past years.

Of course, some big names made appearances, including Buddy Guy, Herbie Hancock, and Diana Krall, but the program also featured up-and-coming artists such as Emmet Cohen, Isaiah Collier, and Walter Smith III, all of whom performed free shows, which can only help to grow the audience as the older generations inevitably move on. Also, the program featured a big free concert every night at 9:30 on the large outdoor stage. Appearing on that stage were Ibrahim Maalouf, Vance Joy, CIMAFUNK, and The Brooks, the last of whom closed out the festival on July 8. These concerts drew large crowds to the festival site around Place-des-Arts, now known as the Quartier-des-Spectacles, an eight-square block area in the center of the city that boasts some 30 indoor concert venues.

The FIJM is a moveable feast, and the schedule allows concertgoers to sample a number of acts, beginning at 5 o'clock each evening. One can catch part of a free show at 6 p.m. at Studio TD, the concert room in the festival headquarters, before heading over to the big stage for a bit of a jazz performance by some lesser-known (at least to this reviewer) but worthwhile performers, and then on to Scene Loto-Quebec for some funky music from around the world, and then a 90-degree pivot at 7 p.m. to the adjacent Scene Rogers. The "big" shows started at 7:30, 8:00, and 8:30, and if one had time or energy after one of those shows, there were free indoor and outdoor shows at 10 and 11 o'clock, and then a series at midnight at a small room in M Telus. One could also catch James Francies or Smith or Collier and the Chosen Few at 8 and 10 pm in a very interesting series of adventurous jazz at the uber-comfortable Pub la Traversée Molson Export.

It is impossible for one person to see every concert, and sometimes hard decisions had to be made. Unfortunately, a medical issue kept me from attending the Emmet Cohen Trio's performance (another free show), which by all accounts, and as expected, was an incendiary set. And not all journalists get tickets to all requested shows, so it looks like it'll be next time for Robert Plant and Allison Krauss.

The new leadership has made strides towards mending fences with a number of local jazz musicians who had boycotted the festival over the perceived lack of respect from the festival organizers, most notably bassist Normand Guilbeault, whose Mingus repertory sextet appeared at the festival for the first time in more than two decades, playing to a packed and appreciative house at the Studio TD.

Among the ticketed performances, highlights included the trio of Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily, and Arooj Aftab, whose ethereal vocals were accompanied with sensitivity and dynamism. Guy, now 87, has lost little over the years, and he delighted a packed house at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Place-des-Arts with a selection of favourite tunes. The man can still play up a storm, and everyone walked out with a smile. Singer Marisa Monte has been a pop star in Brazil for over 30 years, and she pulled out all the stops in her show to an audience comprised of a large segment of Montreal's Brazilian community. Who knew that a tiara would look so good on a guitar-wielding woman? Monte is a generous bandleader, and she gave time for all her musicians to shine as they played in front of a series of film projections. Tunisian oud master Anouar Brahem and his quartet were simply stunning in their artistry, playing with sensitivity and grace in a gorgeous performance.

As previously mentioned, the 8 and 10 o'clock shows at Pub la Traversée Molson Export were adventurous affairs. Pianist Franceis is an absolute monster of fleet-fingered harmony, and he thrilled the audience with pyrotechnics that did not detract from expressions of emotion. Collier, a saxophonist and percussionist from Chicago, performed with his quartet the Chosen Few, his playing owing an obvious but not slavish debt to John Coltrane, operating from a deep well of spirituality.

Finally, performances by Hailu Mergia from Ethiopia, Jupiter and Okwess from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Derya Yildirim and Grup Simsek, a Turkish/German quartet, all quite successfully highlighted improvisation with heavy doses of funkiness in different idiomatic contexts.

Post-pandemic, the FIJM has committed to showcasing a younger generation of jazz artists without completely abandoning the tried-and-true. This was necessary, as the previous administration seemed to be running away from the "jazz" in favor of the "festival" aspect of the event. This is good for jazz and for the festival. Jazz is, after all, very much about exploring new and challenging ideas. The fresh wind of this particular change is welcome.

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