Montreal Jazz Fest Lends Support to the City of New Orleans

The Festival International de Jazz de Montreal Lends its Support to the City of New Orleans on Thursday, June 29th, 9 pm

Montreal, Tuesday, June 27th, 2006 - Few groups so thoroughly embody the spirit of the City of New Orleans as The Neville Brothers, and this year it's the legendary natives of the Big Easy who'll be launching the 27th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (Montreal International Jazz Festival), the biggest event of its kind, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Presented in collaboration with the State of Louisiana, which will be serving both figuratively and literally as backdrop to the event, artists will be appearing before a giant reproduction of a painting by the remarkable Louisiana native Francis X. Pavy, whose work is being honoured this year at the Galerie du Festival. The free exterior show represents an extraordinary opportunity for festival visitors to see and hear the group formed way back in 1977. Get ready to hear their greatest hits plus selections from their new album Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life - probably their best since the classic Yellow Moon. The special event marking the opening of this year's festival will take place on the Main Stage, directly in the heart of downtown Montreal, on Thursday, June 29th starting at 9 p.m. Quebec and Louisiana share deep historical and cultural ties.

Organizers of the Festival International de Jazz de Montral created the show in the hope of sensitizing the general public to the importance of re-embracing the southern states and supporting those who continue to make it their home. Almost a year after Katrina, New Orleans is once again ready to welcome tourists whose return is essential to its complete revival. The cradle of jazz and the melting pot of so many musical influences is open for business again. Festival organizers hope to give Louisiana a push in the right direction, while at the same time giving festival goers a super-special treat.

Also appearing at the 27th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montral will be McCoy Tyner, Brad Mehldau, Etta James, Salif Keita, John Pizzarelli, Dave Brubeck, John Zorn, Wayne Shorter, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Pharoah Sanders, Ravi Coltrane, Aldo Romano, Yusef Lateef, Bonnie Raitt, Baaba Maal, Amadou and Mariam, Keb' Mo' and hundreds of other artists. Altogether there are about 150 ticketed interior shows and over 350 free exterior shows taking place on the vast downtown Festival site, which is closed to traffic for the duration of the 11-day event.