The Montreal Jazz Fest is an important stop on the tour schedule of many different jazz musicians from all around the world. In the last 28 years, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, as it is properly known, has grown from a small but concerted effort on the part of organizers to a huge mega-festival that regularly sees 2 million visitors each year. The musical variety has also blossomed to include not only traditional jazz, but also blues, world music and more experimental forms of music.
A history of struggle
It was not an easy task to get the ball rolling in the late 70’s when Alain Simard decided that he wanted to bring the biggest names in jazz to Montreal in order to expose more people to the music that he loved. Unable to secure government funding or assistance until well into their third year of operation, Simard relied instead on his business partners Andre Menard and Denyse McCann to help him put together lineups that consistently featured the giants of the genre. Their efforts to create a top-quality festival did not go unnoticed, and attracted over 10 000 visitors per season. Eventually, this number just started to double, as word about the amazing musical performances on offer began to spread throughout the community of jazz fans that extends to almost every country.
A huge production
Today, the Jazz Festival has evolved into something that not even its founders could have predicted. The 12 day festival literally takes over the downtown core of Montreal, and the area surrounding Place des Arts is transformed into a series of large outdoor stages. The biggest of these is the main stage at the corner Jeanne-Mance and St. Catherines, where thousands of people throng to watch and listen to blistering performances by artists from genres as diverse as Afro-beat and Arabic jazz. Huge concerts with more than 25 000 attendees are also held in Parc Jean-Drapeau, with the most recent showcasing Latin American artist Manu Chao. This is in addition to the large number of smaller stages scattered around downtown which offer anything from traditional blues to jazz ballet.
Of course, some of the best performances occur after hours at the small venues and quiet bars where the musicians gather to perform for each other once the larger crowds have melted back into the night.
A more mainstream focus
The Jazz Festival has recently decided to open up its schedule to include performances from artists who are known more for their mainstream pop and rock music than their jazz leanings. This has included Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Randy Bachman, and for 2008 Steely Dan. While it might seem unusual to see these names headlining a festival aimed at promoting jazz, many of these musicians do have a jazzier side that they showcase during the festival.
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