Montreal's 43rd Jazz Festival announces star-studded lineup
The Montreal International Jazz Festival unveiled an all-star lineup on Monday that includes a range of legendary performers, local artists and rising stars.
The 43rd festival will include more than 300 concerts, including Robert Plant in duet with Alison Krauss. Other artists include Diana Krall, Herbie Hancock, Jean-Michel Blais, Melody Gardot and Thundercat — all performing between June 29 to July 8.
The effort to bring some of these high-profile names to the international festival took years, according to the new director of programming, Maurin Auxéméry.
For example, discussions to bring Plant and Krauss to the festival were held over two to three years, he said. Plant is best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Krauss, a violinist, is known for bluegrass-country.
The duo released their first album in 2007, Raising Sand. But they will be performing their second collaborative album, Raise the Roof, which was released in 2021. Their concert will require tickets on July 7 at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles.
"It was a great joy when we received the confirmation," Auxéméry said.
At 82 years old, Herbie Hancock's professional career spans more than six decades. His show, on July 3, will also be performed at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier.
On July 4 and 5, the same stage will welcome Diana Krall, pianist and Canadian jazz singer.
At the age of 86, guitarist Buddy Guy will make his last appearance at the festival. On June 30, he will hit the stage at Salle Wilfrid Pelletier and Christone "Kingfish" Ingram will be his opening act.
Bass virtuoso Stephen Lee Bruner, also known as Thundercat, will be on the TD stage at the Place des Festivals on July 5. It will be among the free performances.
The Canadian jazz band BADBADNOTGOOD will take over the TD stage for another free concert on July 7.
French singer Héloïse Adélaïde Letissier — also known as Christine and the Queens or Redcar — will present a new album, Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, which will be released on June 9. That concert is slated for July 8.
Montreal post-classical pianist Jean-Michel Blais will offer a free concert on the TD stage on July 3, with Flore Laurentienne as the opening act.
Mexican star Natalia Lafourcade will play on June 29 at Maison symphonique, Samara Joy on July 2 at the Monument-National, and Cuban pianist Chucho Valdés on July 6 at the Théâtre Maisonneuve.
The complete program of the Montreal Jazz Festival was released Monday. It is available on the event's website.
Tickets for the paid concerts go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m., but subscribers to the festival's newsletter will get presale access on Wednesday.
