Thu 28 Jun – Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
Despite the title, I attended the festivities only on July 6. This was my first time to Montréal. Even having been fore-warned, I was a little surprised, but French is the language of choice up there. I managed to pick up a few words here and there, but no matter who is talking with you, they try French first, realize you're American, roll their eyes, and default to English. Overall though, I loved the setup of this festival. They take over roughly 3-4 city blocks and turn it into festival central. The shows - close to 500 total, are all free (besides ticketed indoor events). There's always about 4 things going on at once, so if you get bored with one artist, you can easily find something else to check out. I saw these groups:
No Name Jazz Sextet - These guys were pretty good, and on the mainstage when I arrived. Arrangements were good, solos were well crafted. Very straight ahead. They wore matching shirts.
…
Despite the title, I attended the festivities only on July 6. This was my first time to Montréal. Even having been fore-warned, I was a little surprised, but French is the language of choice up there. I managed to pick up a few words here and there, but no matter who is talking with you, they try French first, realize you're American, roll their eyes, and default to English. Overall though, I loved the setup of this festival. They take over roughly 3-4 city blocks and turn it into festival central. The shows - close to 500 total, are all free (besides ticketed indoor events). There's always about 4 things going on at once, so if you get bored with one artist, you can easily find something else to check out. I saw these groups:
No Name Jazz Sextet - These guys were pretty good, and on the mainstage when I arrived. Arrangements were good, solos were well crafted. Very straight ahead. They wore matching shirts.
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