Montreal Jazz Festival

The first Festival International de Jazz de Montreal was held at 'Man and His World' (the former Expo 1967 World Fair site.) It attracted 12,000 spectators and proved to a highly successful media event. Almost three decades later it has became the biggest Jazz music festival in the world.

The Festival International de Jazz de Montreal celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2009. The Montreal Jazz Festival annually offers about 500 concerts, of which three-quarters are free of charge, hosting about 2000 musicians, give or take a few, from over 20 countries. 2 million visitors arrive from all over the planet to an event which has become the International Jazz rendez-vous and a laboratory for the creation of new talent, most recently contributing to the successes of artists such as Diana Krall and Norah Jones.

From it's modest beginning in 1979, founders André Ménard and Alain Simard wanted to "launch a Jazz festival of truly International scale. A festival that would bring thousands of American tourists to Montreal," as Simard wrote on his first grant application in 1978, an application which was refused, incidentally, as were others until the 3rd edition of the Festival in 1982. Despite initial disinterest, he didn't give up, going ahead to produce Jazz and Blues shows featuring the biggest names in the biz, including Charles Mingus, Jean-Luc Ponty, B.B. King, Bill Evans, James Cotton, Gary Burton and Pat Metheny.

The 2009 scheduled artists are Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, Antonio Sanchez, Maria Schneider Orchestra, Julian Lage, Stefano Bollani, Enrico Rava, Melody Gardot, Jamie Cullum, Hilary Kole, Dave Holland, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chris Potter, Eric Harland, Chris Botti, Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi, Chucho Valdes, Madeleine Peyroux, Wayne Shorter, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, Danilo Perez, Susie Arioli, Kenny Garrett, Jeff Beck, Pink Martini & Orchestra, Ornette Coleman, Patricia Barber, George Wein, Lew Tabackin, Randy Sandke, Howard Alden, Peter Washington, Lewis Nash, Jackson Browne, Glenn Miller Orchestra & Harry James Orchestra.

The 2009 Festival International de Jazz de Montreal is held July 1 to 12.

Related Links:
• Montreal Jazz Festival - Schedule for the events.
• Other Jazz Festivals - AP4J Festival Guide