Festival International de Jazz de Montréal 2024

Various Venues
Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
Montréal, Canada
June 30 to July 4, 2024

This year's official announcement of the headliners of the 44th edition of the festival included André 3000, Norah Jones, Hiatus Kaiyote, Laufey, Robert Glasper, and Orville Peck. This diverse group is notable for departing from the traditional jazz styles the festival has been known for (although they could have also mentioned artists like Joshua Redman or Kenny Garrett, who were also on the schedule). Over its ten days, over 350 shows took place indoors and outside in the vast array of Montréal performance venues, and two-thirds were completely free. A series of PHONO Masterclasses and performances were new this year, allowing attendees to interact with musicians in an intimate space. Artists included guitarist Julian Lage, DJ JOAKIM, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid, DJ FEHMIU, DJ XP, trumpeter Chief Adjuah, drummer Makaya McCraven, DJ Zaidan and DJ Branda.

June 30

André 3000 continued his love affair with the flute in another stop on the New Blue Sun tour (Epic Records, 2023). His band included the core players on the album: percussionist Carlos Niño, guitarist Nate Mercereau, keyboardist Surya Botofasina and drummer Deantoni Parks. The band entered a smoky, blue-lit stage (appropriate to the tour theme), but an explosion of orange light (accompanied by almost psychedelic music) made it clear that this would be a light show as well as a musical performance. When the music became more subdued (lyrical flute with light percussion and atmospheric electronics), it was accompanied by a light wash. More rhythmic music triggered the first appearance of a laser cutting across the stage, along with sunset-like orange light in the background. The leader paused for announcements, introducing the band (including the frequently told story about how he met Carlos Niño in a California supermarket) and emphasizing that the night's performance (like all of them) would be completely improvised. Their collective goal is to "soar and fly free." A nearly dark stage was again pierced by the laser, followed by dramatic arcs of blue and green lights. Even the hall lights got into the act, going off and on in banks which was very striking. Late in the show, an insistent flute riff inspired yet another lighting effect of patterned projections on the stage and walls. André 3000 performed a dramatic recitation (which turned out to be in an invented language from his childhood), light-heartedly mocking the audience for their empathetic reaction, which was another recurring element in the show. This is a group of players who clearly have terrific chemistry and have developed a collective language. Like any group of improvisers, they rely on some standard practices—no one can reinvent an entire musical style from scratch each time. They do an impressive job taking audiences along for the ride (this is relatively abstract instrumental music, after all). Their lighting technicians deserve equal praise, creating beautiful, complimentary effects to a flow of music that cannot be entirely predicted.

Chilean tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana performed two free concerts with an acoustic quartet, drawing primarily from her album Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note, 2024). At the later show, she introduced the band first: pianist Glenn Zaleski, double bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Kush Abadey. "The Solitary Seeker" opened the set with its angular head. Aldana took an extended solo, followed by a lyrical piano solo. Abadey's dynamic drum accents established the strength of his contribution, driving the band along. "Intuition" from 12 Stars (Blue Note, 2022) has a somewhat martial feel, but at one point there was a hint of bossa nova in the drums. "Echoes of the Inner Prophet" (the album title tune) begins with a dramatic drum introduction, using cymbals alone at first. "Ritual" is a ballad by Pablo Menares: it turned out to have his only solo of the evening, a fine follow-up to Zaleski's lovely piano solo. Aldana re-introduced the musicians, and the set concluded with "A Purpose." This was a powerful band. Zaleski was tasked with filling in for some of guitarist Lage Lund's playing on the album, which he fulfilled admirably.

July 1

Pianist Jason Moran celebrated Duke Ellington's 125th birthday with a solo recital in the intimate venue Gesù. After his opening tune, he commented on how much he loved the hall, although he had not been there for a while. He said that he was celebrating Duke Ellington because of both his life-changing music and his impact on society. His piano playing changed the approach to the instrument, causing a ripple effect on Thelonious Monk and all the other pianists who came after him. "Black and Tan Fantasy" continued Moran's approach of faithful presentation of the original music, which was sometimes accompanied by broad departures from it—in this case, it was a blend of control and chaos. One section featured a tremolando rumble in the bass range that created an unearthly sound, a dark threnody so rich in overtones that it sounded almost electronic. "Melancholia" demonstrated Ellington's willingness to show his emotions openly—it is rare for an artist to be so honest. "Dancers in Love" is a novelty song, with the audience encouraged to snap their fingers rhythmically, even ending the tune. "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" segued into Billy Strayhorns "Lotus Blossom." For his encore, Moran first got the audience to clap and shout for Ellington as if they were at a sporting event. He commented on how striving—something that athletes and musicians have in common—is not given the respect it should be. Then he played James P. Johnson's "Carolina Shout," a stride piano piece that every other pianist had to learn (Ellington originally learned it by watching a player piano). A fantastic conclusion to a stunning concert, a brilliant display of musicality and virtuosic pianism.

Alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin played two free shows, her first time in Montréal. She showed up in a gold lamé outfit and tried very hard to burn the place down. She and her band played with tremendous energy, opening with "Intro" from a live recording, Phoenix Reimagined (Ropeadope, 2024), leading into "Trane" from Phoenix (Whirlwind Recordings, 2023). She announced they would be playing music from Phoenix, a celebration of women in jazz. They launched into "Amerikkan Skin," followed by "Peace is Possible," which featured the insistent rhythmic chanting that sometimes takes her music into hip-hop territory. Feeling the energy in the performance space, she elected to play her cover of saxophonist John Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things" earlier in the set than usual. Mission accomplished! She got the crowd to clap along during the piano solo, and quoted the spiritual "Wade in the Water" when her saxophone returned. She introduced the band: pianist Oscar Perez, double bassist Elias Bailey and drummer E.J. Strickland. Patrice Rushen's "Jubilation" was followed by a gospel tune with a long, thrilling unaccompanied saxophone introduction, and the closer was pure funk, with Perez on organ and Strickland going full out on the drums. Jazz could use more of this kind of excitement.

Keyboardist/composer/vocalist/producer Robert Glasper was given the festival's most prominent stage, TD Stage outdoors at the Place de Festivals, an enormous amphitheater complete with Jumbotrons. The set opened with DJ Jahi Sundance. Glasper took the stage and introduced longtime playing companions electric bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Justin Tyson. After asking if the crowd knew his album Black Radio 3 (Loma Vista, 2022), they launched into "Black Superhero" (something "Every block, every hood, every city, every ghetto" needs), as well as "Out of My Hands." Shortly after that, Glasper's young daughter Lola appeared onstage—evidently, she can't stay away! When Tyson took a long drum solo on his extended acoustic/electronic kit some sections of the audience got the extra thrill of seeing themselves on the Jumbotron. Other highlights included an epic synthesizer solo and some virtuosic emulated piano, both demonstrating that Glasper can really play when he wants to. But judging by the vast crowd grooving to the set, that was just icing on the cake.

July 2

The Joshua Redman Group featuring Gabrielle Cavassa focused on the album Where Are We (Blue Note, 2023). After an unaccompanied tenor saxophone introduction, Cassava launched into "Chicago Blues." It began with the Count Basie standard "Going to Chicago," later incorporating Sufjan Stevens' "Chicago." Redman played the first of many intense solos. Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" was introduced by piano with buzzing preparations (likely something as simple as a piece of paper laid across a few strings inside the piano). The Eagles' "Hotel California" received an especially haunting new arrangement, featuring reharmonization of the chorus by saxophone and voice. There was a striking double bass solo after the first chorus and a scat/saxophone duet section at the end. Redman stopped to introduce the band: pianist Paul Cornish, double bassist Philip Norris, drummer Nazir Ebo and of course himself and vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa. He pointed out the album theme of U.S. place names, apologizing for not including any Canadian ones. Montréal was Redman's first festival that he attended with his father Dewey Redman in 1991, so he felt like coming home. Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" was followed by "My Heart in San Francisco (Holiday)," which was notable for including the verse of the standard as well as combining it with Thelonious Monk's "San Francisco Holiday." It also featured another outstanding solo by Norris, which was lyrical and bluesy. After a medley of the standard "Stars Fell on Alabama" and John Coltrane's "Alabama," the show ended as the album does, with the gentle bossa nova of "Where Are You?" Called back for an encore, Redman went substantially off-script. First, he delivered the promised Canadian content, playing the fast bebop of Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson's "Place St. Henri" from his Canadian Suite. The final round of solos finally allowed Ebo to cut loose on the drums. Cassava returned to the stage to sing Barry Manilow's "Could It Be Magic." Redman emphasized the Chopin inspiration for the song even more than Manilow did in the original. A great concept—creative new arrangements that nonetheless respected the originals, executed by a terrific band.

Trumpeter Theo Croker has a deep connection to the jazz tradition—his grandfather was the late trumpeter Doc Cheatham—but he has also long shown an interest in incorporating influences from hip-hop and pop. He performed two free shows. For the late show, he led a primarily acoustic quartet, used a lot of electronic processing on his trumpet and employed rock and hip-hop rhythms in his compositions. One tune was based on a synthesized ostinato pattern, joined by classic hip-hop drum and bass. Another was the first to feature vocals, which were not performed live, so they must have been sampled or pre-recorded. Croker stopped to greet the crowd with "peace and love!" He introduced the band: keyboardist/pianist Idris Frederick, double bassist Eric Wheeler and drummer Miguel Marcel Russell. The next piece found Croker playing some keyboards after playing the trumpet theme, incorporating pre-recorded speech. "Love Thyself" came from his album Love Quantum (Sony Masterworks, 2022) and featured the pre-recorded vocals of Teedra Moses. A rubato trumpet feature ended with a fast lick before going into a sing-song head (reminiscent of Miles Davis' "Jean Pierre"). After another song about "Something to Lose" Croker put some dramatic runaway echo effects on his trumpet before re- introducing the players. After a final rap, they played a quick bit of bebop to end the night.

July 3

Canadian singer-songwriter Martha Wainwright performed the opening set for Norah Jones with her band. If the name sounds familiar, she is the daughter of musicians Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III and the younger sister of singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. After her first song, "Far Away," from her debut album Martha Wainwright (MapleMusic/Zoë, 2005), she told a story in French about how long she has known Norah Jones (they are about the same age). Most of her lyrics were in English, though. She announced that most of the songs would come from her new and older record, Love Will Be Reborn (Pheromone/Cooking Vinyl, 2021). During the band introductions, she first announced her pianist as Elton John, which got a bit of a laugh from the band and the audience. She sang two duets with him: Rufus Wainwright's "Dinner at Eight" from Love Will Be Reborn and an Edith Piaf song from Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record (MapleMusic/V2, 2009). She switched to the piano (after playing acoustic/electric guitar for most of the set), and closed with "Factory" from her debut album. It was a short set, but quite varied.

Norah Jones opened her set with "What Am I to You?' a funky number from Feels Like Home (Blue Note,2004). She said most of the set would be drawn from her recent album Visions (Blue Note, 2024). "Swept Up in the Night" led into "Paradise," a more rock-sounding song with backup vocals and electric guitar. After "My Love is for You" she introduced the band members: Sasha Dobson, guitar and vocal, Madeline Stevens, organ, glockenspiel, and vocals, Joshua Tandy, bass, and Brian Blade, drums. "I'm Awake" featured Jones standing at an electric piano, and she even played a solo during "I Just Wanna Dance." "Les Fleurs" was played as a tribute to the late Minnie Ripperton, and again included a couple of short piano solos. It is a great tune that was well represented. At this point, Jones made a joke she thought she had made before—observing the long seating rows, she opined that for those in the middle, "I hope you don't need to pee because there's no way out." "Queen of the Sea" included two guitars and eclectic piano, and Jones took a guitar solo. She finally entered her back catalog with an arrangement of "Come Away With Me" from the 2022 Blue Note album of the same name (in this case, a trio with double bass and drums). "All This Time" came from Visions, as did the title tune. The encore, "Happy Pills," came from Little Broken Hearts (Blue Note, 2012). The final song was a funky version of the inevitable hit song "Don't Know Why" from her debut.

Os Mutantes (The Mutants) are a legendary Brazilian rock group linked to the Tropicália movement, a dissident musical movement during the Brazilian dictatorship of the late 1960s. Heavily influenced by psychedelic rock, they also incorporated Brazilian musical styles like bossa nova and samba. They were active from 1966-1978, then reformed in 2006 to tour, and eventually record new material. For this performance, they sang in English. The music showed strong folk-rock influences, but they also rocked hard. Tricky tempo shifts highlighted their brief flirtation with art rock. Founder and leader Sérgio Dias still had plenty of political statements to make during his announcements, as well as in a song with lyrics about a "cold, cold war." Their performance took place outdoors just after a heavy rainstorm, and although it continued to rain it did not dampen the enthusiasm of a large, enthusiastic audience.

July 4

Montréal-based pianist/composer Andrés Vial has been active as a leader and a sideman but is perhaps best known for his appearance on drummer Joe Chambers' album Dance Kobina (Blue Note, 2023). Vial played piano on three tracks and contributed two originals to the album, including the title track. The Andrés Vial Percussion Ensemble played a version of "City of Saints," a moody piece built upon a double bass ostinato. A solo on the balafon, a West African xylophone, sounded surprisingly similar to the Caribbean steelpan, despite being a wood instrument. The next tune began with an introduction from the kora, a West African harp/lute, with vocals and included call and response with the audience. The tama, a talking drum, appeared next, and after vibraphone and double bass solos, it played a duet with Ngoma drums, African hand drums similar to congas. The leader introduced the band: saxophonist Erik Hove, Mamadou Koita on tama, kora and balafon, vibraphonist Michael Davidson, Elli Miller Maboungou on Ngoma drums, double bassist Ira Coleman, and drummer Tommy Crane. The percussion ensemble has an album called Spirit Takes Form coming out soon, recorded with mentor Joe Chambers. This was another excellent free concert. It will be a pleasure to revisit this exciting, colorful music with its fusion of African music and jazz.

New York-based vibraphonist Joel Ross played two free concerts with his band Joel Ross' Good Vibes. In the early show, he began with an unaccompanied vibraphone solo, displaying his old-school approach to the vibes. He uses two mallets—unlike the four-mallet approach pioneered by Gary Burton—giving him a much freer approach to harmony. After introducing the head, the arrangement featured alternating vibes and piano solos. An arrangement of John Coltrane's "Resolution" from A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965) allowed Ross to really make the vibes sing. This was followed by a ballad with a big rubato build to the end. An up-tempo tune in 11 included a quote from Thelonious Monk's "Straight, No Chaser," as well as another piano/vibes trade-off. An arco double bass solo began a piece with a Japanese-sounding theme. Ross introduced the band: pianist Jeremy Corren, double bassist Kanoa Mendenhall and drummer Jeremy Dutton. A potent acoustic quartet with the Good Vibes promised by the band name.

Another memorable festival, with an even more robust slate of free concerts than last year. As such, jazz fans can count on a good experience, even without purchasing tickets. Everyone else has a great street party!

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