What do New Orleans’ Dr. John, country artist Chris Isaak and the Soweto Gospel Choir (30 members strong) have in common?
Perhaps not much when it comes to music, but for 10 days and nights, at least, those disparate performers will be admitted into the ever-accommodating community of jazz during the 34th edition of the Montreal Jazz Festival.
And while more traditional jazz artists such as saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and guitar virtuoso George Benson are also among those scheduled to appear during the festival’s June 28 to July 2 span, this year’s edition of the annual Montreal musical get together nevertheless seems particularly heavy on genre-bending star appeal.
Pink Martini, for example, kicks off the festivities opening night at the main hall, the Salle Wilfred-Pelletier. This orchestra is a 10- to 12-member group that performs a multilingual repertoire that encompasses classical, jazz, pop, Latin and often whimsical musical influences but would hardly be considered a jazz ensemble.
Less of a stretch is blues icon Aretha Franklin, who began her career as a jazz singer but who ultimately exploded into the public consciousness when she began to record for Atlantic Records and became known as the Queen of Soul. Franklin, who is returning to Montreal five years after her sole appearance at the festival, will perform at the Salle Wilfred-Pelletier June 29.
Other performers, both straight jazz and anything but, lined up for the festival include singers Madeleine Peyroux and Nikki Yanofsky, both of whom are becoming festival institutions, as well as blues artist Bettye LaVette and early rocker Wanda Jackson; saxophonist Ravi Coltrane; country rock legend Boz Scaggs; country singer-song writer Lyle Lovett (who will appear on a double bill with Chris Isaak); and Dr. John (with blues and rock icon Leon Russell).
In all, the festival will feature about 1,000 “activities,” including ticketed indoor and outdoor concerts, free concerts and buskers, according to a spokesman.
This year, five hotels, among them the Hyatt Regency Montreal, the “official hotel of the festival” and the temporary home for most of the visiting musicians, are offering commissionable packages.
The packages, which can be combined with train transportation from most cities in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario, are available from the following properties: the Hyatt Regency (1255 Jean-Mance), starting at $345; the Delta Montreal (475 Avenue President Kennedy), starting at $335; the St. Paul Hotel (355 McGill), starting at $325; Le St-Martin Hotel (980 Maisonneuve West), starting at $286; and the Hotel Le Dauphin (1025 De Bleury), starting at $256.
The rates are per person, based on double occupancy. For more information, call (855) 288-7344.
The packages include one night’s accommodations, breakfast, a concert ticket for one of three festival venues, 15% off an indoor concert ticket (subject to availability), a music CD, priority access to free concerts, a welcome cocktail and a tour of the festival site, a limited edition framed art work by festival poster artist Yves Archambault, a souvenir book, a reusable bottle with the festival logo, and a bag with the festival logo.
Other plans are:
• A jazz dinner-cruise aboard the Bateau-Mouche (tourist boat), featuring a performance by Christine Tassan and les Imposteures gypsy jazz group. The cruise, available June 29 and 30 and July 2 to 4, will board at 6:15 p.m. from the Jacques Cartier Quay in the Old Port of Montreal, returning at 10:30 p.m. The cost is $135 per person, including the cruise, four-course meal and show. For reservations, call (514) 849-9952 or (800) 361-9952 or visit bateaumouche.ca.
• The Atwater Market Goes Jazzy, a two-and-a-half-hour guided culinary walking tour that features a visit to Little Burgundy, the neighborhood where the first jazz and blues bars in Montreal were located. On offer Saturdays June 29 and July 6, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., the excursion costs $59 per person, including taxes and tips. Call (855) 288-3378.
• Flavor and Aromas of Old Montreal, a two-and-a-half-hour guided culinary walking tour through Old Montreal’s narrow streets. The cost is $59 per person, and is available on Saturdays, June 29 and July 6, from 9:30 a.m. till noon. Call (855) 288-3378.