Dunlevy: 25 free shows to catch at 45th Montreal International Jazz Festival
With 350 shows on tap, the 45th Montreal International Jazz Festival offers a panoply of mouth-watering entertainment options, June 26 to July 5. The kicker? Most of them don't cost a dime.
To help get you off the couch and into the crowded downtown streets, here are 25 free concerts to catch over the next 10 days at our city's iconic summer event.
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
Balthvs (June 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the TD Stage). They have been compared to trippy Texan instrumental it-band Khruangbin, but Colombia's Bathvs have their own beguiling groove.
Kombilesa Mi (June 26 and 27 at 8:30 p.m. at Le Cabaret TD Assurances) (and Friday). This Afro-Colombian ensemble mixes traditional percussion with lively raps to rousing effect.
Mavis Staples (Thurs., June 26 at 9:30 p.m., TD Stage). As the last living member of the Staple Singers, Mavis Staples is a soul music legend. Her father was close friends with Martin Luther King, and Bob Dylan once proposed to her. On the jazz fest's opening night, she will take you there.
FRIDAY, JUNE 27
Yasmin Williams (7 p.m., Rogers Stage). North Virginia six-string virtuoso Yasmin Williams learned her instrument at 12 years old by playing Guitar Hero. She plays fingerstyle guitar, i.e. on her lap with the strings facing up, but it's her wonderfully intricate music that will win your heart.
Balkan Paradise Orchestra (8 and 10 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage). This all-female Barcelona collective mixes percussion, strings, horns and synths for a festive sound at once traditional and modern.
Blue Rodeo (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Can-rock heroes play a big free show in the heart of downtown on a Friday night. What's not to like?
SATURDAY, JUNE 28
Kelly Finnigan and the Atonements (7 and 9 p.m., Rogers Stage). L.A.'s Kelly Finnigan sings blue-eyed soul like he means it. He and his band the Atonements will charm you with their retro-fitted, funkafied styles.
Elisapie (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Quebec darling Elisapie takes the main stage with songs from her hit 2023 album Inuktitut, featuring breathtaking Inuk covers of '80s pop and rock classics, and from throughout her 20-year career.
SUNDAY, JUNE 29
Tyreek McDole (6 p.m., Le Studio TD) If you're a sucker for jazz song with a new-school twist, Tyreek McDole is your man. The Haitian-American vocalist from Florida dropped his debut album Open Up Your Senses on June 6. Catch him while you can.
PJ Morton (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Maroon 5 keyboardist PJ Morton's latest album Cape Town to Cairo mixes Gospel, soul, funk and African influences in a multitude of fly combinations.
Ghost-Note (11 p.m., Rogers Stage). Snarky Puppy drummer Robert 'Sput' Searight and percussionist Nate Werth's frenetic, psychedelic jazz-funk side-project is a voyage worth taking.
MONDAY, JUNE 30
Nubya Garcia (7:30 p.m., TD Stage). With her third album, Odyssey, released last year, British jazz saxophonist Nubya Garcia continues to push the boundaries of the genre.
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). New Orleans horn-man Trombone Shorty has become a jazz fest regular, and with good reason — he always brings the funky good times.
TUESDAY, JULY 1
Ayra Starr (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). As a leading figure of the surging Afrobeats genre, Nigeria's Sarah Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, better known as Ayra Starr, may well deliver one of the defining moments of this year's jazz fest.
Endea Owens and the Cookout (7:30 p.m., TD Stage). Detroit bassist-composer Endea Owens has toured with Wynton Marsalis, Diana Ross and Solange, and performed as part of Stephen Colbert's house band. She mixes hard bop jazz, soul, blues and gospel with style and grace.
Andy Rubal (8 and 10 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage) Born in Cuba, where he began singing with the group Baby Salsa at age 6, Montrealer Andy Rubal has grown up on stage. He's got showmanship and spark, as will present tunes from his forthcoming album in his mid-festival performance. You should have comfortable footwear: there will be dancing.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2
Christine Jensen Quartet (6 p.m., Le Studio TD). Christine Jensen's lyricism is matched only by her ingenuity. The multi-Juno-winning jazz saxophonist and long-time Montrealer appears with a rock-solid quartet featuring pianist Gary Versace, bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas.
Men I Trust (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Led by vocalist Emma Proulx, groovy Montreal indie trio Men I Trust knows how to set a mood. The band has released not one, but two albums this year, providing ample material to take a hometown crowd on a whole new sonic adventure.
Los Bitchos (7:30 p.m., TD Stage). As their name suggests, Los Bitchos don't take themselves too seriously. The all-female British outfit features members from Australia/Turkey, Sweden and the U.K., and instrumental tracks with influences ranging from cumbia to new wave, punk and indie-rock.
THURSDAY, JULY 3
Allison Russell (9:30 p.m., TD Stage). Born and raised in Montreal, Grammy-winning artist Allison Russell is now based out of Nashville. She brings soul, star power and disarming candour to her down-home brand of folk and roots rock. Do not miss this.
Beth McKenna (6 p.m., Pub Molson). Montreal jazz saxophonist Beth McKenna knows her way around a groove and takes an artful approach to melody. She'll play music from her new album Momentum in this early evening slot.
FRIDAY, JULY 4
Dylan Synclair (7:30 p.m., TD Stage). The jazz fest goes urban with this main stage appearance by Toronto R&B singer Dylan Sinclair, whose smooth falsetto and spacious arrangements trace new possibilities for the post-Drake/Weeknd era.
Frente Cumbiero (8 and 10 p.m., Rio Tinto Stage). Expanding the possibilities of cumbia is the raison d'être of this fearless foursome from Colombia.
SATURDAY, JULY 5
Sun Ra Arkestra (7 p.m., Rogers Stage). Led by 101-year-old saxophonist Marshall Allen, who just released his debut solo album New Dawn, Philadelphia's Sun Ra Arkestra is a legendary sonic entity that carries on in the spirit of its titular founder.
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