The schedule for the Montreal jazz festival is on line

[Van Basten II]

http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/Fijm2007/accueil_en.aspx

Among the highlitghs this year, the Keith Jarrett trio, Wayne Shorter, Bill Frisell, Dave Holland and the trio Beyond. Plus Russell Malone, Joshuah Redman both Marsalis Bradford and Wynton with the Lincon Orchestra.

This year the invitation series that became famous with Charlie Haden will have as hosts Mike Stern and Richard Bona.

Among the mainstream acts showing uo phis year; Bob Dylan, Manu Chao, Tortoise and Chaka Khan.

Yours truly is very excited to see the John Abercrombie quartet with MARK FELDMAN MARK JOHNSON and JOEY BARON. Also excited to see Stefano Bollani.

Also very intrigued by the Robert Glasper trio and Jacques Schwartz-Bart with non announced sidemen, anybody know these guys.

[Van Basten II]

In 5 hours we'll be able to buy tickets, gotta say that overall the feeling about the programmation is disappointment. I'll talk about it in more details in the next few days.

[GregK]

When has Dylan done jazz?

[Van Basten II]

When has Dylan done jazz?

Follow the thread about the Montreux Jazz festival and you'll see that Dylan ain't so bad. But you are obviously right. I do think that it is now impossible nowadays to make those kind of grand scale festivals without putting popular music in it so we might as well being accustomed to that fact.

Edited May 5, 2007 by Van Basten II

[Van Basten II]

By the way here's my schedule. With a few comments about the programmation overall.

June the 27th

7:30 The Spaghetti Western Orchestra

It was part of the package deal, don't know much about them but hearing Morricone's stuff live does interest me. Also it's the only show that day.

June the 28th

6:00 Trio Beyond; Jack Dejohnette, John Scofield and Larry Goldings

7:30 Mike Stern with the Bad Plus and YellowJackets

10:00 Dave Holland Quintet

Saw Holland in many settings but never with his quintet.

Among the othe notables show that i would have liked to see are Wynton Marsalis presenting Congo Square, also the very good singer Anne Ducros.

Medeski Martin and Wood are gere for the uptieth time and i'm still have not found a way to watch their act.

June the 29th

6:00 Wayne Shorter Quartet with Imani Winds

7:00 Mina Agossi (gonna see the end of the show only)

9:00 Yun Kan 5

If i'm still standing up, maybe i"ll catch up Dhafer Youssef at 10:30

The only other notable show that i regret missing would be Ricky Lee Jones and it was running against Shorter, guess who won ?

June the 30th

7:30 Mike Stern Suprgroup with Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Dave Weckl

10:30 Dave Binney Quartet ( Brian Blade, Greg Taborn and Scott Colley)

Ahhhh two shows with reserved seatings, no standing up for hours to get a good place, it's close to Heaven isn'it ?

Will regret missing Roy Haynes, the Anat Fort quartet the Joshua Redman trio. In non related jazz stuff the former singer of the group Morcheeba, Sky will appear part of a double bill, i would have loved to her soothing voice live.

July the 1st

6:00 Anouar Brahem

8:00 Keith Jarrett trio

10:30 Stefano Bollani trio

Talk about a perfect day, i'm missing nothing, what i'm going to see is pretty great, forget about Canada day it's Jazz day.

July the 2nd

18:00 40 years of Coltrane with local players (Jean-Pierre Zanella André Leroux and many others

20:30 Chaka Khan

André Leroux is one of the sweetest tenor sax i've heard in Montreal, i took Chaka Khan as part of my deal but i don't mind seeing her.

If i'm still in shape going to catch up Tord Gustavsen trio, it will be a gametime decision.

Other notables shows that i don't mind missing Alan Holdsworth and Didier Lockwood , very subpar day especially compared to the previous one.

July the 3rd

Nothing at all, there is a big event on the main outside scene with too many people, so i'll stay home.

July the 4th

6:00 The Derk Trucks band (Stuck with them with my package, don't know much about them, at worst i'll leave early and catch some outside shows)

9:00 Han Bennink and Anthony Coleman

10:30 John Abercrombie with Mark Feldman, Mark Johnson and Joey Baron

The two last shows are more like it.

Other notables that night are Kurt Elling, would have gone to listen if they had not stuck him with Sophie Milman, also Mark Murphy and Kurt Rosenwinkel.

In non jazz stuff outings for Bob Dylan (too expensive for my depleted wallet) and Tortoise.

July the 5th

6:00 Meshell Ndegeocello

7:00 Eleni Mandell (I'll catch the end of the gig)

10:00 Bill Frisell with Joey Baron and Tony Scherr)

The only notworthy show that i will truly miss Patrick Watson on a double bill with The Besnard Lakes. Too bad i can't see the complete Mandell's gig.

July the 6th

6:00 Spectrum with Yannick Rieu and many others that reads like a who's who of the local scene.

8:00 Florence K (Popular act that i got stuck with it and there's noting really good playing at that time, i'll give her a try)

10:30 Robert Glasper trio

Will miss Bradford Marsalis, i had a choice between Ravi Coltrane that i already saw and Glasper. Hope Glasper will not make me regret my pick.

July the 7th

7:00 Wayne Krantz trio (who ?)

10:30 Jacques Schwarz-Bart (who ?)

For the sake of discovering new talent i picked the last show instead of conservative but the good live act Russel Malone. Gotta say in terms of programmation we have hit the bottom of the barrel in the last official day. Among the early shows that i could have seen were Vic Vogel and a handicapped rock singer called Martin Deschamps, Randy Bachman (anybody wants to hear Takin' care of business) and an act called the Puppini sisters.

July the 8th

8:30 George Throgood and Buddy Guy Only act of the day, Gonna get high man I'm gonna get loose ...

July the 9th

Back to work, nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Van Basten II]

Festival is near the end so far here are the highlights of a year that turned out better on the field than on paper.

1 Wayne Shorter with Imani Winds, incredible music with one of the best quartet of our time and beautiful fusion between classic music and improvisational music.

Sorry for my machism but the girls quite cute also

2 Mike Stern with Dave Wekl, Danillo Perez and John Patitucci. For all my misgivings about Stern earning a slot in the Invitation series. You have to be impressed by the enthusiasm of a Stern who looks and acts like a kid half his age.

Those four guys meshed very well, nothing ground breaking mind you but four who had a ball playing together.

3 Stefano Bollani solo Great pianist near the level of a Jarrett but with a way more enjoyable personnality. Likes to clown around, his impersonation of a Paolo Conte like singer was the funniest thing i saw this year.

4 David Binney with Brian Blade, Scott Colley and Craig Taborn. As good as it sounds on paper it was even better in the real world, Binney finally got the slot he deserved and ran with it fine.

5 Yun Kun 5, swedish quintet showed us once again that the Swedish jazz scene is not just about ECMish mood music.

6 Mina Agossi. A real very, very fine singer. Sand with only a bassist and a drummer, she covers the rest with great flair and a very very very sexy voice.

7 Keith Jarrett trio, great set, kept the histrionics at a minimum, except when people took pictures. Played standards throughout the evening.

8 Hans Bennink and Anthony Coleman. Great free music set, they put all the stunts, drummer started his show with boxes over his kit, during this Coleman put duck tape on the strings. A whola lot of fun.

The few lowlights

1 Jack Dejohnette, his gig with Scofield and Goldings was too long and lacked conviction, plus the sound for those outside the first rows was abominable. Can not say he was fantastic with Jarrett either.

2 Sound at the Invitation series at the Jean Duceppe theater. No dynamics whatsoeverwas way too low, pretty suprising considering that the leaders for this series are Richard Bona and the afore mentionned Mike Stern

3 David Binney's clothing. Memo to David wearing a baseball cap during a gig is not a fashion statement. Plus wearing a Yankees hat in a town where most people are Red Sox fan ain't a great idea either. Buy some clothes dude, you play like a million bucks and you dress like a whino.

What's left for the remains of the festival Bill Frisell, Robert Glasper and a few fill ups.

[Van Basten II]

Festival is completed. Gotta say that if in paper the programmation was a little thin, my picks were right on the money.

Besides, the mentionned concerts in the previous post among the stellar performances that deserves mention, let's give a bunch of applause for Joy Baron for doing a great job with the Abercrombie band and mostly with the Bill Frisell tro. That gig lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Made a few discoveries with Robert Glasper who showed some great chops. However ther finest find was tenor sax Jacques Schwarz-Bart who played an intriguing blend of Gwoka music with jazz.

http://www.brotherjacques.com/bio.htm