Highlights
include performances by a wide range of artists encompassing jazz, blues, world
music and beyond: Wayne Shorter, Al Di Meola’s Elegant Gypsy, Bebel Gilberto,
Chris Botti, Huey Lewis and the News, Kat Edmonson, R & B queen Erykah
Badu, Jamie Cullum, Richard Galliano with Sylvain Luc, Nels Cline with Julian
Lage, Lucinda Williams, Jesse Cook, Mika, The Steve Miller Band, Madeleine
Peyroux, Steven Wilson, a trio of living blues legends – Taj Mahal/John
Mayall/James Cotton – and many more.
This
year’s Invitation Series artists include Abdullah Ibrahim, Kurt Rosenwinkel and
Avishai Cohen. In addition, the Festival
brings special programs such as the North American premiere of Flamenco Vivo’s
Esencial, Luis de la Carrasca’s musical voyage into the heart of Andalusia. Another highlight is For the Record, a
madcap, lavishly romantic take on the musical world and flamboyant vision of
Australian director Baz Luhrmann. The
indoor concerts are listed in the press release. The free outdoor shows will be announced in
early June.
The
Festival, which includes some 3,000 musicians from 5 continents in 15 concert
halls plus hundreds of free outdoor shows, has been heralded as “Best of the
Fests… Bigger! Better! Best, actually…” by Michael Bourne in DownBeat Magazine.
Playboy Magazine says it's "the best urban music festival in North
America." Mitch Myers writes in the Hollywood Reporter that the Festival
is “a compelling summer destination…the multicultural and cosmopolitan nature
of Montreal is reflected in the festival’s diverse programming, showing a great
respect for music, the artists and culture in general.”
It’s also
family friendly, with lots of free kids activities. "What makes this a
family event? One look at the stroller
parking area or the diaper-changing tent and you will know. Thousands of
children parade through the festival with their faces painted by talented
make-up artists who work their magic from noon until 8 p.m. daily... The
festival is strikingly well-organized and well-staffed. It is quite a pleasure to take part in a
large, lively event, in a public place, and not worry about safety." — Janet
Strassman Perlmutter, Boston Globe.
The
Festival International de Jazz de Montréal’s 36th Season is from June 26 – July 5,
2015.
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