Featuring  Pat Metheny, Mark Knopfler, Madeleine Peyroux,
Charlie Haden, Paul Anka, John Mayall and Omara Portuondo

Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, happening this summer from June 30 to July 10, courtesy of official presenter General Motors of Canada in collaboration with Stella Artois. Fresh on the heels of our triumphal 25th anniversary blow-out, the seminal event will begin in less than two months. As in the past, there’ll be some 2000 musicians rolling into town from all corners of the planet, bringing the sounds of jazz and its diverse musical cousins along for the ride. This year marks the longawaited return of Festival darling Pat Metheny, scheduled for no fewer than 5 formal appearances and, hopefully, a few informal ones, as he did in 1997. What follows is an overview of all the indoor shows on the program for this year’s Fest, apart from those already announced, of which several have already sold out – notably Madeleine Peyroux and Michael Bublé.

This year’s Festival is offering some 150 indoor concerts, distributed over 15 series of which several have been re-named thanks to the arrival of new sponsor Stella Artois. So get ready for the new Les nuits Stella Artois at Club Soda, with its open-concept roster of musicians and DJs who’ll each be taking their turns on stage. And don’t forget that on June 7th, we’ll be announcing another 350 free outdoor concerts, bringing the total number of musical events to 500, not counting on-site street performers and wandering musicians.

New at this year’s Festival: World-renowned musicians giving master classes

Of the many novelties scheduled this year, one of the most eagerly anticipated will be taking place in the latter days of the Festival. From July 7 to 10 the new Montreal Musicians and Musical Instrument Show (MMMIS) will be set up in the complexe Desjardins, offering a number of activities where beginning musicians and seasoned veterans will be given the opportunity to try out various musical instruments and even attend master classes hosted by some of the biggest names appearing at this year’s Festival. Film-lovers take note: after taking a year off for 2004, the Ciné-jazz event is back, offering a wealth of music programming in the Salle Claude-Jutra at the Cinémathèque québécoise throughout the Festival.

The Pleins feux General Motors series, 8:30 p.m. in Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts

• Michael Bublé (June 29 & 30) The young crooner from Vancouver packs ‘em in whenever he’s in town. Opening act: Samina
• Cesaria Evora (July 1) The Barefoot Diva who brought the music of Cape Verde to the world. Opening act: Alex Cuba Duo
• Mark Knopfler (July 2) The voice and guitar of Dire Straits
• The Voices of Soul (July 3) Two generations of artist, ccompanied by orchestra, dancers and chorus
• Omara Portuondo and I Musici de Montréal (July 4) The pre-eminent queen of the Buena Vista Social Club presents selections from her most recent album. Opening act: bc with Bet e and Carlos Placeres
• Sonny Rollins (July 6) A giant of the saxophone
• Roberta Flack and Al Jarreau (July 7, double bill) Master vocal acrobat Al plus Roberta, the legendary voice behind Killing Me Softly
• Paul Anka (July 8) The Ottawa native comes to town with a big band and novel musical project, Rock Swings, where he performs recent rock classics in swing style
• 1, 2, 3… Jazz with Gregory Charles (July 9) A unique concert, especially created for the Festival, with several musicians and choir.

The Grands Concerts TD Canada Trust series, 6 p.m., Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts

• Trio! Stanley Clarke, Béla Fleck and Jean-Luc Ponty (June 30) Three virtuosos of the strings
• Dave Holland Big Band (July 1) One of the best bassists in the world with his favorite group
• Bobby McFerrin and guests (July 2), The always-surprising master of vocal improvisation
• Land of the sun with Charlie Haden and Gonzalo Rubalcaba (July 3) A sensitive work in homage to the late Mexican composer Jose Sabre Marroquin
• Dr. John (July 4) The voice and soul of New Orleans
• Toots Thielemans with Kenny Werner and special guests Pat Metheny and Paolo Fresu (July 6) The Belgian harmonica virtuouso teams up with three renowned musical companions
• Beyond the Missouri Sky with Pat Metheny and Charlie Haden (July 7) The two jazz masters have agreed, for one night only, to re-create that brilliant suite for the 26th edition of the Festival
• Pat Metheny Exploring the Music of the Classic Gary Burton Quartet with Steve Swallow (July 8) Their first time together on stage together since 1977
 • Ranee Lee and musicians, with special guest Oliver Jones (July 9).

The Invitation series, 7:30 p.m. Salle Ludger-Duvernay in the Monument-National

• Tabla master Zakir Hussain, host of the 1st part of this year’s Invitation series, invites the public to a series of 4 concerts and 4 musical directions
• For the inaugural night, it’ll be Classic Indian Music with master of the sarangui, Sultan Khan (June 30)
• A night of Contemporary Indian Music will then take place with Master Percussionists of India (July 1)
• A more Western-oriented evening with Zakir and his Jazz friends follows, including Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland (July 2)
• A closing night concert dedicated to beauty, purity and musicality with John McLaughlin (July 3).

One of the greatest guitarists alive, Pat Metheny will be among us again for the 26th edition, presiding over the 2nd part of the Invitation series and offering what looks to be a repeat of his 1988 passage when he played with so many others. He’ll be performing with his regular trio members (Scott Colley and Antonion Sanchez) on July 5 at the Spectrum
• With bassist Me’shell Ndegeocello, trumpetist Enrico Rava, drummer Chris Dave and saxophonist David Sanchez and other on July 6 at the Spectrum
• With Charlie Haden (July 7, at Théâtre Maisonneuve)
 • And to close the series, on July 8 on 2 different stages: with Gary Burton, Steve Swallow and Antonio Sanchez in the Théâtre Maisonneuve, and then on a double bill at the Gesù - Centre de Créativité: in duet with Mick Goodrick and then with the Dewey Redman Quartet.

The Couleurs SAQ series, 6 p.m. at the Spectrum de Montréal

• Feist (June 30) Recent winner of two Juno awards
• Bryan Lee (July 1) Powerful energetic blues
• Ron Sexmith with Special Guest Alex Cuba (July 2) The Toronto singer (who is also winner of a Juno award) in concert with one of the most innovative Latin artists
 • Gianmaria Testa (July 3) Back after sold-out crowds at the MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival
• Eric Truffaz and his project Saloua (July 4) His latest album explores an impressive variety of musical styles
• Ojos de Brujo (July 6) A union of passionate flamenco and hip-hop rhythms  Manu Katché (July 7), a drummer who’s very much in demand these days with his project Tendances that includes some of the best young French jazz musicians
• Harry Manx and Xavier Rudd (July 8, double bill) A folk-flavored evening with Canadian singer-composer-guitarist and a multi-instrumentalist Australian
• John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers (July 9) The signature group of British blues since forever, this is their first visit to the Festival in 10 years.

The Rythmes series 9 p.m., Métropolis

• Pink Martini (June 30) The famous group from Oregon that’s all the rage in Europe. Opening act: bc with Bet e and

Carlos Placeres
• Mavis Staples and the Blind Boys of Alabama (July 1, double bill) The great gospel and soul singer and the legendary group from the American south
• Medeski, Martin and Wood (July 2) More electrifying than ever, with extraordinary guest guitarist Marc Ribot, who’ll be taking care of the first part of the show with the Young Philadelphians (Grant Calvin Weston & Jamaaladeen Tacuma)
• Bonobo, Herbaliser and D.J. Food (July 3, triple bill) 6 hours of uninterrupted music
• The Neville Brothers (July 4) Stopping off in Montreal with their excellent and most recent album. Opening act: Mumbo Jumbo, voodoo combo • Khaled (July 5) Finally back in Montreal with his new album Ya-Ray

• Soirée Afro Beat with Femi Kuti (July 6) The most influential voice in Nigerian music. Opening act: Afrodizz, propelling Afrobeat into the 21st Century • Grande nuit salsa Spanish Harlem Orchestra (July 7) 13 musicians and singers, the same who athered a record crowd for the Grand Événement General Motors in 2003. Opening act: Papo Ross & Orquesta Pambiche

• Daniel Lanois (July 8 at 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.) The brilliant artist is back with his hot, all-new CD Rockets
• K-OS (July 9)  Their new album Joyful Rebellion was just awarded three Junos.  The Jazz d’ici La Presse series, 6 p.m. at the Gesù – Centre de créativité

• Provost Lachapelle Brochu (June 30) In trio format for their first indoor show
• Rémi Bolduc (July 1) Re-visiting the musical orientations of cult TV shows • Bernard Primeau Montréal Jazz Ensemble invite Les Violons du Roy / Rencontre entre Jazz et Classique (July 2) Both celebrating their 20th anniversaries in the arts with this extraordinary encounter
• Dawn Tyler Watson and Paul Deslauriers (July 3) A unique combination of an irresistible singer and a brilliant guitarist • The Stephen Barry Band (July 4) Offering no less that a complete Blues Anthology
• Charles Papasoff (July 6) Serving up selections from his most recent album, along with members of his quartet
• Bourassa Tanguay Derome (July 7) Three musicians at the height of their talents departing from the beaten track
• Altsys Nonet (July 8) With a superb interpretation of Birth of the Cool
• Eric Longsworth in Duet with Sylvain Luc (July 9) Two virtuosos, one on electric cello, the other on eclectic guitar. The Voix du monde Bell series, 7 p.m., Club Soda
• Gwyneth Herbert (June 30) A rising young jazz star from England
• Viktoria Tolstoy (July 1) That’s right: she’s the greatgrand-daughter of the famous writer, a wonderful singer and easy on the eyes, too. Her first visit to Montreal
• Lizz Wright (July 2) On her second visit to the Festival, Lizz remains fresh, but more mature
• Madeleine Peyroux (July 3 & 4) Finally back for 2 nights and as many sold-out concerts, presenting pieces from her most recent album
• Sophie Milman (July 6) A 20-year-old singer who’s carved herself a special place on the Canadian jazz scene
• Jolie Holland (July 7) Many consider her a ‘prettier’ version of Tom Waits
• Juana Molina and Keren Ann (July 8, double bill) One from Argentina and the other from France, together on stage they’ve brought Montreal audiences to their feet
• Claudia Acuña (July 9) A woman of passion and emotion, this is her 2nd visit to the Festival.

The Jazz Beat TD Canada Trust series, 9:30 p.m., Spectrum de Montréal

• Roy Hargrove RHF (June 30) One of the finest trumpet players of his generation is back for a few blasts
• Master saxophonist Charles Lloyd is here with his quartet (July 1) accompanied by Geri Allen, Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland
• Hommage to Chano Pozo – Randy Weston’s African Rhythms Trio and Candido (July 2) An evening of Latin rhythm
• Enrico Rava Quintet with special guest Francesco Cafiso (July 3) The Italian trumpet player and composer will be presenting a young prodigy of the saxophone
• Bill Frisell Quintet (July 4) With pieces from Unspeakable, recently awarded a Grammy • Pat Metheny Trio with Antonio Sanchez and Scott Colley (July 5)

Selections from the Metheny repertoire, plus some new pieces, as well
• Pat Metheny and friends  resh Encounters (July 6) Playing with a variety of musicians, some of whom for the first time, including David Sanchez, Enrico Rava, Scott Colley, Antonio Sanchez & Me’shell Ndegeocello, Ron Blake and Chris Dave
• Terence Blanchard Quintet (July 7) The virtuoso trumpet player is back for the first time since 2001
• David Sanchez Group and the Alexander String Quartet (July 8) Sharing the stage with others to play selections from his legendary work Focus
• Steel and Glass Ramachandra Borcar (July 9) Multi-talented Ram performs selections from an outstanding film soundtrack he recently composed.

The Nuits Stella Artois series, Midnight, Club Soda

• Brazilian Girls (June 30) Just one girl and no Brazilians at all, but the energy sure is there! Followed by Maüs with  sensuous, on-the-mark DJ
• Bugge Wesseltoft (July 1) Another celebration of the marriage of jazz to electronic music. Followed by Vincent Lemieux
• Holy Fuck (July 2) This intriguingly named ensemble will be followed by Sean Kosa, a protégé of Tiga
• Los Amigos Invisibles (July 3) A perfect mix of electronic music with Latin, directly from Caracas, followed by DJ Afro, from the same group
• Federico Aubele (July 4), followed by DJ Panko for an evening of electrolatino-flamenco-african-asian sounds
• Do Make Say Think (July 6) A nervy group from Toronto whose signature sounds deconstruct all known genres. Followed by the astonishing DJ Mini from Montreal, recognized around the world for sheer inventiveness
• Automato (July 7) 6 New Yorkers who challenge the norms of hip-hop, followed by DJ RJD2, one of the most exciting names in instrumental music
• Four Tet (July 8) with his new and daring album, plus the planetary Akufen
• Nicolas Repac (July 9) The guitarist for Arthur H is as exciting as Arthur himself, followed by Éloi Brunelle of Epsilonlab.

The Jazz contemporain Galaxie CIBL series, 9 p.m.

Salle Beverly Webster Rolph at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal

• Octurn (June 30) Eight Belgian musicians stand at the confluence of jazz, swing and funk
• Kartet with Benoît Delbecq (July 1) An elite group who blend intellect with intuition
• Humcrush (July 2) A heavy-duty duo of Norwegian musicians who were a huge hit in Canada last year
• Tim Postgate Horn Band with special guest Howard Johnson (July 3) An exciting encounter between an excellent guitarist and three horns
• Queen Mab Trio (July 4) Three women whose passions are rock, jazz, klezmer, Latin and chamber music
• Collectif Slang (July 6) Combines hip-hop and drum’n bass influences
• Les Projectionnistes July 7) Fun, multi-colored music
• Slamming’ The Infinite Steve Swell (July 8) The global reference for trombone is finally in town
• François Carrier Trio – Kala (July 9) with the Nouvel Ensemble de Musique Improvisée (NoEmi).

The Jazz dans la nuit series, 10:30 p.m. Le Gesù – Centre de créativité

• Hiromi (June 30) A Japanese avant-garde pianist and composer who has played with greats like Chick Corea
• Fred Hersch and Bobo Stenson (July 1, a double program of solo piano) One of that instrument’s greatest poets followed by the Swedish piano star
• Geri Allen Trio (July 2) Known for their melodic sense and openness to different musical trends
• Bill Charlap Trio (July 3) One of the finest interpreters of jazz standards for piano
• Odean Pope with Saxophone Choir (July 4) A total of 12 musicians on stage, tight as a single instrument
• Paolo Fresu PAF Trio (July 6) The product of a love for acoustics that’s lasted 15 years
• Tin Pan Aliens with Steve Swallow, Hans Ulrik and Jonas Johansen (July 7) A jazz super-trio
• 80/81 Revisited Pat Metheny and Dewey Redman with John Menegon and Matt Wilson. Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrick in duet (July 8). A reunion of Festival veterans after their tours of the early 80s.
• Dewey Redman Quartet (July 9). The famous father of Joshua Redman, who for the last 40 years has proven time and again why he’s considered as among the best saxophonists ever.

The Tango Flamenco series, 8:30 p.m., Théâtre Jean-Duceppe de la PdA

• Tango Flamenco (June 29 to July 9, hiatus on July 5) Back by popular demand after their sold-out concerts last fall during the Jazz All-Year Round series. A fusion of flamenco and classical Spanish dance with Argentine tango, gathering 25 top dancers and musicians on stage.

Susie Arioli featuring Jordan Officer, 8 p.m., Cabaret Music-Hall

Their first album in 2001 conquered the hearts of jazz lovers everywhere. Susie and inseparable companion, guitarist and arranger Jordan have continued their re-visiting of the music of the 30s, 40s and 50s with their 3rd album, That’s for me. With Shane McKenzie on double bass, ‘Madame Swing’ will take up residence on the Cabaret stage for 5 nights in all, July 6 to 10. A good time in store for all.

The Jazz cruise, 6 p.m., Bateau Cavalier-Maxim, King Edward Pier

Fine food and great music on the river ! Croisières AML offers a 4-course gastronomic package with music every night of the Festival, except Saturdays and the first Thursday. On the good ship Cavalier-Maxim, featuring the Montréal Jazz Club, comprised of Anthony Rozankovic (piano), Pierre Pepin (bass), Camil Belisle (drums) and singers Martine Mai, Freddie James, and Chantale Thibeault. A surprise guest musician will also appear each night, as will Philippe Dunnigan on violin. Leaving at 6 p.m. from the Kind-Edward Pier and returning 11 p.m. Reservations are essential: (514) 842-3871 or at 1-800-667-3131.

Tickets on sale starting on Saturday, May 14 at 9 a.m.

Tickets for all indoor concerts for the 26th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal will be on sale starting Saturday, May 14, 2005 at 9 a.m. at the ticket office of the Spectrum; at all Ticketpro and Admission outlets, depending on he venue; and also at the venues where shows will be taking place.

Tickets can be procured at the following locations:

Spectrum de Montréal, 318, Ste-Catherine St. West (www.spectrumdemontreal.com) (514) 861-5851
Ticketpro, at (514) 908-9090 or, toll-free, at 1-866-908-9090 (www.ticketpro.ca).
Admission, at (514) 790-1245 or, toll free, at 1-800-361-4595.

Ticket offices of venues where Festival shows will be taking place:

Place des Arts, or by calling (514) 842-2112 (www.pdarts.com) • Monument-National • Club Soda
• Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal • Métropolis • Cabaret Music-Hall • Gesù – Centre de créativité.

www.montrealjazzfest.com