Jazz in bloom

Festival International de Jazz de Montreal: The summer jazz festival season gets underway in Canada June 29-July 9. This year's jazz highlights include: the Brad Mehldau Trio, the Wayne Shorter Quartet, McCoy Tyner's ”Story of Impulse!" Septet, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Pharoah Sanders, the Bad Plus, Patricia Barber, Pat Martino, Stefon Harris & Blackout, the Joe Lovano Quartet, Don Byron's Ivey-Divey Trio, and the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Not to mention pop stars Tony Bennett, B.B. King, Paul Simon, and Elvis Costello & the Imposters joined by Allen Toussaint and his New Orleans horns. It's a bit of a schlep from Boston, to be sure, but this may be the biggest and best festival of them all. Call 888-515-0515 or visit www.montrealjazzfest.com.

Marblehead Summer Jazz 2006: Jazz comes to the north shore every other Saturday from mid-June through mid-August. This year's lineup: Greg Abate Quartert (June 10), Esperanza Spalding Quintet (June 24), Rebecca Parris (July 8), Cyrus Chestnut Trio (July 22), Joe Locke and Geoff Keezer (Aug. 5), and Houston Person Quartet (Aug. 19). Call 781-631-1528 or visit www.marbleheadjazz.org.

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