10 Highlights Of The Montreal International Jazz Festival 2025
The Montreal International Jazz Festival should be on every jazz lover's bucket list. The impressive range of acts is largely down to the expert programming skills of Maurin Auxéméry and Modibo Keita, as well as the brilliant organisational talent of the entire team. The 45th edition ran for 10 days from June 26–July 5, 2025 in downtown Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles and major venues like Place des Arts and Club Soda, as well as on several free stages. Known as the world's largest jazz festival, with well over 100,000 attendees for each festival, this years edition featured 350 concerts, two-thirds of which were free.
The main reason for the festival's everlasting wide appeal to both jazz purists and general music fans is the clever mix of genres from jazz, hip-hop, funk, world music, electronica and pop. From great jazz vocalists like Dianne Reeves and legends like Branford Marsalis to emerging local and international talent and highly entertaining and flamboyant gigs from pianist Jeff Goldblum and hip hop legend Nas, the festival is a sheer delight for music lovers. Here are just 10 of the many highlights from the 2025 edition.
Dianne Reeves, Montreal International Jazz Festival, June 2025 Paul Allen/ Andfotography2
Performing with her longtime collaborator, Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo, the five-time Grammy Award winning American jazz singer Dianne Reeves wowed the audience in Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts. While the virtuoso has performed with symphony orchestras and legends like Wynton Marsalis and Harry Belafonte, her gig in Montreal was an acoustic set. But there was nothing pared back about it and it included glorious renditions of 'Someone to Watch Over Me' by George and Ira Gershwin, 'All Blues' by Miles Davis, as well as her own compositions. Her beautiful song 'Nine' was a well-needed reminder of how important it is to retain our connection to childhood pleasures.
Samara Joy at Montreal International Jazz Festival, June 2025 Paul Allen/ Andfotography2
Another jazz vocal triumph at the festival was singer Samara Joy who continues to thrill global audiences with her incredible range. And her gorgeous performance at Montreal Jazz Festival certainly lived up to the accolades following her debut album in 2021 and Best New Artist win at the 2023 Grammy Awards. The Bronx-born singer is only 25 but her performance of standards as well as material from her new album, Portrait feels like it's coming from a much more mature singer. The songs' arrangements and thoughtful lyrics show the influences of Charles Mingus, Sun Ra and her late mentor, Barry Harris. 3.Branford Marsalis Quartet, Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
Branford Marsalis Quartet, Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts at Montreal International Jazz Festival, July 1, 2025 Paul Allen/ Andfotography2
While we knew we'd be treated to a great gig from saxophonist Branford Marsalis, our expectations were far exceeded by his first Montreal Jazz Festival appearance in 16 years. The Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee is happy performing with symphony orchestras or with the Grateful Dead but jazz fans associate him with the Branford Marsalis Quartet, featuring Joey Calderazzo, Eric Revis and Justin Faulkner. The intensity and non-stop energy of the Montreal performance was incredible but the quartet made it look effortless. The quartet played their own brilliant pieces including 'Doctone' and 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' as well as Keith Jarrett's "Long as You Know You're Living Yours" and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" by Duke Ellington. 4.Theon Cross, Pub Molson , free
Theon Cross at Montreal International Jazz Festival, June 2025 Paul Allen/ Andfotography2
One of the thrills of the Montreal Jazz Festival is leaving a performance by a legend at Place des Arts British and five minutes later be standing in front of a free stage hearing the incredible British tuba player and Sons of Kemet member Theon Cross. His 2019 solo debut, 'Fyah' garnered him plenty of praise and he has pretty much single-handedly redefined the tuba for a new generation. Barely pausing for breath (the Jazztimes has described his lungs as 'Olympian'), Theon Cross inspired a new admiration for the gigantic brass intrument. The power of the instrument and innovative songs transfixed the crowd with sounds of the Caribbean diaspora and UK club culture. 5.Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few, TD Studio, Free
Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few, TD Studio, Montreal Jazz Festival, June 2025 Paul Allen/ Andfotography2
Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few sites Branford Marsalis as a major influence because 'he thinks, lives and loves music.' The high energy concert was another free highlight in the packed TD Studio venue. The Chicago-based quartet of Isaiah on sax, accompanied by bass, drums and piano, performed songs from his new album 'The world is on Fire.' 6.Brandon Woody's Upendo, Pub Molson, free
Brandon Woody's Upendo at Montreal International Jazz Festival, June 2025 Paul Allen/ Andfotography2
Brandon Woody's Upendo brilliant quintet in Montreal, fronted by trumpeter Brandon Woody, accompanied by drums, bass, piano and synthesiser was another unexpected highlight. The Baltimore-born musician was signed by Blue Note aged 20 and he's still only a tender 26 years old. But oh my, what a talent he is, rightly praised by The New York Times and Los Angeles Times as a rising force in contemporary jazz. Performing tracks from ' For The Love Of It All' at the festival, it wasn't difficult to agree with Downbeat that his album 'spectacular debut on all fronts.' 7.Avishai Cohen Trio with symphony orchestra, Maison symphonique, Place des Arts
Avishai Cohen trio with Victor Diaz Lamich
Israeli bassist, composer and singer Avishai Cohen was a former member of Chick Corea's trio and has been described by DownBeat magazine as 'a jazz visionary of global proportions' while Bass Player magazine said he is 'one of the 100 most influential bass players of the twentieth century.' For the festival, the trio, featuring Avishai Cohen (double bass, vocals), Eviatar Slivnik on drums and Itay Simhovich on piano, performed with a symphony orchestra. The concert was a marvelous blend of contemporary jazz and world music compositions, orchestrated traditional Hebrew and Lebanese inspired songs sung in Cohen's hauntingly beautiful voice, as well as classical works. This wonderful fusion made for a truly special performance and as Avishai Cohen said on the evening, 'thank God, in music, there are no borders and we can love everybody.' 8.Nate Smith, Lalah Hathaway, James Francies & Derrick Hodge, Place des Arts
Nate Smith at Montreal International Jazz Festival, June 2025 Paul Allen/ Andfotography2
Nate Smith, a brilliant drummer and composer was joined by a stellar lineup: the five-time Grammy-winning vocalist Lalah Hathaway; the keyboard virtuoso James Francies; and bassist and producer Derrick Hodge (a core member of the Robert Glasper Experiment). The evening featured soul, jazz, and funk from Nate Smith's latest album, Kinfolk 2: See The Birds. 9.Elijah Fox at Gesù
Elijah Fox at Montreal International Jazz Festival, July 1, 2025 Paul Allen/ Andfotography2
One of the festival's pleasant surprises was Elijah Fox, a young, multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer based in Los Angeles. He was mentored early on by Yusuf Salim, a pianist who had played with Charlie Parker and began performing in local jazz clubs. Fox performed his original music on keyboards with Solo Smith on bass and Myles Martin on drums at the intimate club Gesu, blending elements of experimental jazz and soul. 10.Frank O'Sullivan, Pub Molson, Free
Frank O'Sullivan's local Quebec quartet, featuring two guitars, drums and a trombone, performed an excellent two sets at the free stage, Pub Molson. Frank is no novice, with four full length albums of original compositions to his name. His masterful blend of jazz and soul as well as his warm connection with his band was a real crowd pleaser.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
TIFF pulls documentary on 2023 Hamas attack from festival lineup, citing footage rights issue
NEW YORK — The Toronto International Film Festival has pulled from its lineup a documentary on Hamas' 2023 attack into Israel over what the festival says was a footage rights issue. Organizers for the festival acknowledged Tuesday that they withdrew Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich's 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' after initially offering the film a spot in the upcoming edition of TIFF. The film chronicles the story of retired Israeli Gen. Noam Tibon, whose efforts to save his family and others during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack was profiled in a '60 Minutes' segment. Representatives for the festival said in a statement that the film's invitation 'was withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage.' 'The purpose of the requested conditions was to protect TIFF from legal implications and to allow TIFF to manage and mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption,' the festival said. The filmmakers, though, say the festival is engaging in 'censorship' by denying the film a place in the festival. 'We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film,' the filmmaking team said in a statement. 'Ultimately, film is an art form that stimulates debate from every perspective that can both entertain us and make us uncomfortable.' Deadline, which first reported the news, reported that a sticking point related to the identification and legal clearance of Hamas militants' own livestreaming of the attack. Festival organizers didn't respond to requests for further comment Wednesday. The filmmakers pledged to release the film regardless: 'We invite audiences, broadcasters and streamers to make up their own mind, once they have seen it.' The Toronto International Film Festival has sometimes prompted headlines over its selections. Last year, it canceled screenings of 'Russians at War,' a documentary about Russian soldiers in the war with Ukraine. Protesters in Toronto called the film Russian propaganda. After the festival paused screenings due to 'significant threats,' 'Russians at War' was quietly screened toward the end of the festival. The 50th Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 4–14.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Wattpad Author Ariana Godoy Named to Variety's 2025 Storytellers to Watch List
Godoy is one of Wattpad's most successful authors, with over one million books sold in print and more than 850 million reads online The Netflix and WEBTOON Productions adaptation of Godoy's A Traves de mi Ventana is one of the all-time most-watched non-English films on Netflix TORONTO, August 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wattpad, a leading webnovel platform and storytelling community, is thrilled to announce that author Ariana Godoy has been named to Variety's 2025 Storytellers to Watch list. Variety's prestigious list spotlights ten rising entertainment industry stars who are captivating audiences in fresh, new ways. Ariana Godoy is one of Wattpad's most renowned writers and a leading voice in romance fiction. Her stories have accumulated more than 850 million reads on Wattpad, sold over one million copies in print, and been adapted as streaming and theatrical hits. The Venezuelan-American author began writing on Wattpad in 2014 and has since written 20 webnovels in English and Spanish, publishing nine bestselling print editions with the Wattpad WEBTOON Book Group and Penguin Random House. Her Wattpad webnovel, A través de mi ventana (Through My Window) became a global phenomenon with 386 million reads, and has been adapted into a trilogy of films from Netflix and WEBTOON Productions. Each film in the trilogy debuted at #1 on the Netflix charts for Non-English films, and the first film in the series remains one of Netflix's most-watched non-English films of all time, with 116 million hours viewed. In upcoming projects, Godoy's Wattpad webnovel Sigue Mi Voz has been adapted as a feature film from WEBTOON Productions, Zeta Studios and Beta Fiction Spain. The film will premiere September 12 in theaters in Spain and on Prime Video Spain at a later date. "Ariana's success on Wattpad is truly inspiring," said Aron Levitz, President of Wattpad. "Her ability to connect with fans around the world and create stories that speak to people across languages and formats is what makes her so remarkable. Ariana is a storytelling powerhouse and this honor is well deserved." "Working with a creator like Ariana, whose talent, drive and passion are unparalleled, is part of what makes my job so fulfilling," said David Madden, President of WEBTOON Productions. "All of us at WEBTOON Productions are thrilled to see her recognized for this list as her storytelling has touched all of us deeply." "Writing has always been how I express myself, and I'm overjoyed that stories that come from my heart have connected with readers all over the world on Wattpad, in print, and on Netflix!" said Wattpad author Ariana Godoy. "I'm beyond honored to be a part of Variety's list of 10 Storytellers to Watch, and I'm excited to continue to share my stories with the world." Past honorees of Variety's Storytellers to Watch include New York Times bestselling author Brit Bennett (The Vanishing Half), composers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss (Six), and Horton Foote Prize-winning playwright Lauren Yee, among others. To view the full 2025 Storytellers to Watch list from Variety, visit here. About WattpadWattpad's vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. A leading global webnovel platform, Wattpad has democratized storytelling for a new generation of diverse Gen Z writers and their fans. Wattpad is part of WEBTOON Entertainment's IP & Creator Ecosystem, where approximately 155 million monthly active users discover incredible stories in multiple formats. View source version on Contacts Sabena 647-400-2874 Sign in to access your portfolio
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Associated Press
TIFF pulls documentary on 2023 Hamas attack from festival lineup, citing footage rights issue
NEW YORK (AP) — The Toronto International Film Festival has pulled from its lineup a documentary on Hamas' 2023 attack into Israel over what the festival says was a footage rights issue. Organizers for the festival acknowledged Tuesday that they withdrew Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich's 'The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue' after initially offering the film a spot in the upcoming edition of TIFF. The film chronicles the story of retired Israeli Gen. Noam Tibon, whose efforts to save his family and others during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack was profiled in a '60 Minutes' segment. Representatives for the festival said in a statement that the film's invitation 'was withdrawn by TIFF because general requirements for inclusion in the festival, and conditions that were requested when the film was initially invited, were not met, including legal clearance of all footage.' 'The purpose of the requested conditions was to protect TIFF from legal implications and to allow TIFF to manage and mitigate anticipated and known risks around the screening of a film about highly sensitive subject matter, including potential threat of significant disruption,' the festival said. The filmmakers, though, say the festival is engaging in 'censorship' by denying the film a place in the festival. 'We are shocked and saddened that a venerable film festival has defied its mission and censored its own programming by refusing this film,' the filmmaking team said in a statement. 'Ultimately, film is an art form that stimulates debate from every perspective that can both entertain us and make us uncomfortable.' Deadline, which first reported the news, reported that a sticking point related to the identification and legal clearance of Hamas militants' own livestreaming of the attack. Festival organizers didn't respond to requests for further comment Wednesday. The filmmakers pledged to release the film regardless: 'We invite audiences, broadcasters and streamers to make up their own mind, once they have seen it.' The Toronto International Film Festival has sometimes prompted headlines over its selections. Last year, it canceled screenings of 'Russians at War,' a documentary about Russian soldiers in the war with Ukraine. Protesters in Toronto called the film Russian propaganda. After the festival paused screenings due to 'significant threats,' 'Russians at War' was quietly screened toward the end of the festival. The 50th Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 4–14.
