FIJM 2025 | Symphonic Avishai Cohen : bewitching magic

by Frédéric Cardin

To think I almost missed this concert! Due to an error on my part, my name had not been included on the list of press tickets for Symphonic Avishai Cohen. Damn! I had resigned myself to this curse when an angel from Roy Turner Communications (hi Flavie!!), associated with the Festival, wrote to tell me that one last ticket had been found for me. It was one of the year’s best catch-ups, and one I’ll always remember, because this concert by the Israeli double bassist/composer, with his trio and an orchestra assembled for the occasion, was magnificent.

It’s a concert that’s already been around for several years and that the artist tours from time to time. Montreal was right to import it for an evening at the Maison symphonique. The hall was full and the audience was magically lulled, as if in a velvet baby carriage, for almost an hour and a half. Traditional Jewish songs (ladinos, from the Sephardic Jews of medieval Spain), personal compositions of course, and a few well-turned standards were skilfully interpreted thanks to arrangements rich in counter-melodies and harmonic flourishes of the basic material.

No wheels were reinvented, but the magnificence of the orchestral playing and the few refined improvisatory flights by Cohen and his companions, well framed because a symphonic boat is difficult to maneuver in spontaneity, delighted the ears and heart of your humble servant.

Almost piece for piece, the program was the same as that given elsewhere (see the concert at the Philharmonie de Paris in 2016, below), and which can also be heard on the Two Roses album released in 2021 with the Gothenburg Orchestra in Sweden. The final, and unique, encore in Montreal was a Nature Boy of rare tenderness. The spell had been cast for good, and we were to leave the illustrious hall spellbound for a long time to come.

Blues / Bossa Nova / Brazilian / Jazz

FIJM | Dianne Reeves and Romero Lubambo: An Intimate Duo of Virtuosos

by Michel Labrecque

Dianne Reeves is no longer the jazz flavor of the month. Her last solo album dates back to 2014. This year, all the talk is about Samara Joy, and rightly so. But the Grammy-winning singer of the ’90s and ’00s still has plenty to sing about. She gave us a convincing demonstration of this, in a duet with Brazilian-born guitarist Romero Lubambo.

By sheer coincidence, over the past two weeks I’ve been attending a succession of intimate concerts in the immense Place des Arts: Alain Souchon and his sons, Mexican soloist Natalia Lafourcade and now this American-Brazilian duo. It’s like being in a living room… even though it’s huge, but in each case, it’s hit the spot with me.

Dianne Reeves and her classical guitar accomplice began with a total reinterpretation of Fleetwood Mac’s rock fetish Dreams. We soon realized that these two people complement each other perfectly. This voice, which climbs three octaves, skating, meditating, whispering and shouting, intertwines with the guitar notes, inspired as much by jazz as bossa nova or blues.

A great admirer of Dianne Reeves, whom I met by chance, confided to me that she never sings a song identically. As for this Romero Lubambo, he’s an outstanding and inventive guitarist.

This concert was undoubtedly marked by Brazil, as we heard versions of Egberto Gismonti, Carlos Lyra, Antonio Carlos Jobim and …Minuano by Pat Metheny. As for the rest, it was gressin, Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner, seasoned with two compositions by Madame Reeves: Tango and Nine.

Dianne Reeves also shared personal slices of life and ended on a political note, sharing her concern about the situation in her country as well as her love for Canada and Canadians. By the end, the vast majority of the 800-strong audience were humming the blues with her, clearly happy.

Now approaching 69, the singer shows no sign of letting up. She will soon be releasing an album with Romero Lubambo and participating in an album with Branford Marsalis, to commemorate the centenary of John Coltrane’s birth.

Please don’t tell me that 69 is old. I’ll reach that age in a few days…

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Jazz

FIJM | Stella Cole: From Tik Tok to The Biggest Jazz Stages

by Sandra Gasana

For her first appearance at the Festival international de Jazz de Montréal, Stella Cole was accompanied by her equally talented double bassist, drummer and pianist. In front of a packed Studio TD, the New York-based American appeared all dresses in red.

After a purely instrumental first song, she took to the stage and immediately introduced her pianist in the first song, followed by the other musicians in the 3rd and 4th. She gave her musicians space, almost in every song, to do their respective solos, while she mastered her voice perfectly.

“It’s my first time in Montreal, I haven’t seen much of the city yet, but I’ve got all day tomorrow, so if you’ve got any recommendations, I’d love to hear them,” she advises, between songs.

This singer, who became hooked on music thanks to films such as The Wizard of Oz, with which she was obsessed from the age of 3, loves to perform the greatest jazz classics. Her voice is so reminiscent of the artists of the ’60s and ’70s, that you sometimes feel you’re taking a musical trip back in time to New York. Her covers of Singing in the Rain, It’s Magic and Cry Me a River are all brilliant, with the instruments sometimes communicating with each other.

Her second album, It’s Magic, is due for release at the end of the summer, but we were treated to one of its tracks, released the day before the show, Till There Was You, on Decca Records.

The lighting scheme seemed to go very well with her red outfit, shifting from red to blue, depending on the song and the mood. She alludes to the film Casablanca, which marked her youth, but my favorite moment is her rendition of I must have done something good.

“But I want to move here,” she joked, after an audience member offered her a bouquet of flowers after the 2nd song. Well, I must admit that her interpretation of Perhaps was remarkable. That said, she doesn’t move much on stage, except to let her musicians shine when she steps aside a little, but other than that, she seems a little shy. One thing’s for sure: this young brunette with a contagious smile charmed the Montreal audience, many of whom queued long and hard to get into the TD Studio free of charge.

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alt-rock / Ska

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal : The Cat Empire au MTelus

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Le groupe australien plein d’énergie, The Cat Empire, s’est distingué en incorporant et en imitant une multitude de styles, dont le ska, le rocksteady, le jazz latin, le funk, l’afrobeat et le hip-hop. Ils se sont d’abord imposés comme un groupe de scène avant de sortir leur premier album éponyme en 2003, et depuis, leurs albums studio ont régulièrement atteint les sommets des classements ARIA, avec des hits numéro un comme Two Shoes (2005) et Rising with the Sun (2016). Animés par un turntabliste, une section de cuivres et des danseurs, leurs performances ont été documentées à travers une série de sorties live, notamment Live on Earth (2009), un double album enregistré lors de concerts à travers le monde. Le groupe de longue date a célébré ses 20 ans d’activité avec la sortie de Stolen Diamonds (2019), leur sixième album à entrer dans le Top Ten ARIA.

High-spirited Australian band the Cat Empire have set themselves apart by incorporating and emulating a multitude of styles including ska, rocksteady, Latin jazz, funk, Afrobeat, and hip-hop. They established themselves as a live act before they released their self-titled debut album (2003), and since then have regularly hit the upper reaches of the ARIA chart with their studio albums, including the number one hits Two Shoes (2005) and Rising with the Sun (2016). Enlivened by a turntablist, horn section, and dancers, their performances have been documented on a series of secondary live releases, most notably the double-length Live on Earth (2009), drawn from gigs across the planet. The long-running band celebrated 20 years of activity with the release of Stolen Diamonds (2019), their sixth album to debut within the ARIA Top Ten.

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Chamber Pop / Folk / Jazz

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal : Madeleine Peyroux au Théâtre Maisonneuve

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Madeleine Peyroux présente son spectacle Let’s Walk lors d’un passage au Festival International de Jazz de Montréal à l’été 2025.
Let’s Walk est l’œuvre la plus assurée et la plus courageuse de l’auteure-compositrice-interprète à ce jour. Portées par la voix de miel qui l’a fait passer des rues de Paris aux salles de concert, ces dix chansons personnelles, toutes coécrites par la polyvalente Peyroux, mêlent habilement jazz, folk et pop de chambre, avec des thèmes allant de la confession à la politique, de la fantaisie à la nostalgie. À chaque note, Peyroux creuse profondément, rendant cette œuvre exquise avec la grâce désarmante et la gravité d’un artiste au sommet de sa forme!

Madeleine Peyroux presents her show Let’s Walk at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in the summer of 2025.
Let’s Walk isthe acclaimed singer-songwriter’s most assured, courageous work to date. Powered by the distinctive, honeyed croon that delivered her from the Paris streets to concert halls, these ten unabashedly personal songs, all co-written by the versatile Peyroux, deftly interweave jazz, folk, and chamber pop, with themes ranging from the confessional to the political, from whimsy to yearning. In every note, Peyroux digs deep, rendering this exquisite work with the disarming grace and gravitas of an artist in peak form!

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Alt-Pop / dream pop / Indie Rock

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal : Men I Trust à la scène TD

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Alliant atmosphères oniriques, accords mélancoliques étendus et grooves dansants à basse fréquence, Men I Trust est né de la collaboration entre Dragos Chiriac et Jessy Caron, alors étudiants en musique à l’Université Laval. Ce projet D.I.Y. originaire de Montréal fait ses débuts discographiques en 2014 avec un premier album éponyme. Si leurs deux premiers disques font appel à plusieurs chanteurs et chanteuses invitées, c’est en 2015 que la chanteuse Emmanuelle Proulx rejoint officiellement le groupe, devenant la voix emblématique de leur univers feutré et introspectif. Leur troisième album, Oncle Jazz (2019), reçoit une large reconnaissance critique et figure sur la longue liste du Prix de musique Polaris 2020. Suivra Untourable Album en 2021, ironiquement accompagné d’une tournée qui consolide leur popularité à l’international. En 2025, le trio propose une nouvelle exploration sonore avec deux albums complémentaires : Equus Asinus et Equus Caballus, confirmant leur goût pour les titres énigmatiques et les compositions à la fois rêveuses et dansantes.

Mixing dreamy atmospheres, wistful extended chords, and funky, low-key dance grooves, Men I Trust is the brainchild of then-Laval University music students Dragos Chiriac and Jessy Caron. The Montreal, Canada D.I.Y. project made its full-length debut with Men I Trust in 2014. While the duo’s first two albums employed a variety of guest vocalists, singer Emmanuelle Proulx has been an official member since 2015. Their third studio album, 2019’s Oncle Jazz, was long-listed for the 2020 Polaris Music Prize. Untourable Album followed in 2021 and was ultimately accompanied by a tour. In 2025, they delivered two companion albums with Equus Asinus and Equus Caballus.

CE SPECTACLE EST GRATUIT!

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Alt-Pop / Folk / Indie Rock

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal : Ben Harper à la salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Auteur-compositeur polyvalent et courageux, Ben Harper n’hésite pas à travailler dans un éventail de genres allant de la pop au reggae et à la soul, en passant par le blues, le rock, le funk et le folk. Il a à son actif 18 albums studio et a acquis une notoriété mondiale en vendant plus de 16 millions de disques dans le monde entier et en remportant trois Grammy Awards.
Si sa musique et sa carrière incarnent la bravoure sonore, le brio, l’honnêteté lyrique et l’activisme social de cette époque charnière, Harper y ajoute sa conscience culturelle unique de l’ère moderne, en faisant entrer la musique avec une conscience sociale dans le présent, comme en témoigne sa nomination en 2023 pour le tout nouveau Grammy Special Merit Award de la « Meilleure chanson pour le changement social ». Son dernier album Wide Open Light est sorti en juin 2023.

Songwriter versatile and brave, Ben Harper is fearlessly working in a cross-section of genres, ranging from pop, reggae and soul, to blues, rock, funk and folk. He has recorded 18 studio albums and amassed a worldwide following having sold over 16 million records worldwide and 3 Grammy Awards.
He is also one of the most versatile and brave songwriters, fearlessly working in a cross-section of genres, ranging from pop, reggae and soul, to blues, rock, funk and folk. He has recorded 18 studio albums and amassed a worldwide following having sold over 16 million records worldwide and 3 Grammy Awards. His latest album Wide Open Light was dropped in June 2023.

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afro-pop / R&B

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal : Ayra Starr à la scène TD

by Rédaction PAN M 360

La chanteuse et autrice-compositrice nigériane Ayra Starr mêle des paroles affirmées et pleines d’assurance à des sonorités afropop et R&B soyeuses. Elle connaît un succès national retentissant dès 2021 avec son premier album, 19 & Dangerous, porté par le tube “Bloody Samaritan”, qui se hisse en tête des palmarès. Signée sur le prestigieux label Mavin Records de Don Jazzy, elle multiplie les collaborations au cours de l’année suivante avec des artistes comme Ladipoe, Kelly Rowland et Magixx, tout en poursuivant sa carrière solo avec des titres tels que Stars et Rush. Son deuxième album, The Year I Turned 21, sorti en 2024, reçoit un accueil critique élogieux, confirmant sa place parmi les figures montantes de la scène afrobeats. En 2025, elle dévoile le single “All the Love”, poursuivant son ascension internationale.

Nigerian singer/songwriter Ayra Starr mixes confident, empowering lyrics with Afropop and silky R&B. She rose to national success with her 2021 debut album, 19 & Dangerous, and its chart-topping hit “Bloody Samaritan.” Signed to Don Jazzy’s influential Mavin Records label, she spent much of the next year collaborating with artists including Ladipoe, Kelly Rowland, and Magixx while issuing solo singles like “Stars” and “Rush.” Her second album, The Year I Turned 21, was released to critical acclaim in 2024, and single “All the Love” appeared in 2025.

CE SPECTACLE EST GRATUIT!

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Jazz / saxophone

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal : Une soirée avec Branford Marsalis au Théâtre Maisonneuve

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Branford Marsalis Quartet : Le saxophoniste Branford Marsalis est l’une des figures les plus influentes et les plus vénérées de la musique contemporaine.
Le lauréat du NEA Jazz Master, d’un Grammy Award et nommé à un Tony Award est aussi à l’aise pour jouer des concertos avec des orchestres symphoniques que pour jouer avec les membres du Grateful Dead, mais le cœur de son univers musical reste le Branford Marsalis Quartet. Après plus de trois décennies d’existence, avec un minimum de changements de personnel, ce célèbre ensemble est vénéré pour son interprétation sans compromis d’un éventail kaléidoscopique de compositions originales et de classiques du jazz et de la musique populaire. Après Upward Spiral, nominé aux Grammy Awards, sur lequel le chanteur invité Kurt Elling s’est parfaitement intégré au groupe, le Quartet a enchaîné avec The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, nominé aux Grammy Awards, sa collection la plus riche en émotions et la plus mélodique à ce jour. Dans un récent compte rendu de concert, John Zeugner a saisi l’impact du quartette en direct, le qualifiant de « décontracté, confiant, professionnel, cérébral et débordant d’énergie. Le Branford Marsalis Quartet… était tout cela à la fois et bien plus encore ».

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary music.
The NEA Jazz Master, Grammy Award winner and Tony Award nominee is equally at home performing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with members of the Grateful Dead, but the core of his musical universe remains the Branford Marsalis Quartet. After more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes, this celebrated ensemble is revered for its uncompromising interpretation of a kaleidoscopic range of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics. After the Grammy-nominated Upward Spiral, on which guest vocalist Kurt Elling was seamlessly integrated into the group, the Quartet followed up with the Grammy-nominated The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul, its most emotionally wide-ranging and melody driven collection to date. John Zeugner captured the impact of the Quartet in live performance in a recent concert review, calling it “casually confident, professional, cerebral, and supercharged with energy. The Branford Marsalis Quartet… was all of those adjectives and more.”

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guitare

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal : Marcin au Théâtre Maisonneuve

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Jeune guitariste de premier plan au niveau mondial, compositeur, producteur et arrangeur polonais.
Ses vidéos musicales et ses performances ont été visionnées plusieurs centaines de millions de fois et ont fait l’objet d’articles dans des publications telles que : Rolling Stone, Classic FM, Guitar World, Metal Hammer, Billboard, etc. Son audience en ligne est la plus importante parmi les jeunes guitaristes du monde, et l’une des plus importantes dans le monde instrumental en général.
Il a remporté deux grands concours de talents en Europe et a atteint la demi-finale de l’émission America’s Got Talent, mais il a continué à faire croître son public de manière exponentielle au cours des années qui ont suivi. Marcin a effectué des tournées à guichets fermés sur plusieurs continents et s’est produit dans des salles telles que le Royal Albert Hall. Il est surtout connu pour son jeu de guitare percussif associé à une production moderne.
Marcin est l’un des artistes phares d’Ibanez Guitars et a collaboré avec les plus grandes stars du monde de la guitare, ainsi qu’avec des personnes comme Jordan Rudess de Dream Theater et le Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Il a fourni des arrangements de guitare et écrit pour le phénomène mondial One Piece Live Action Netflix show, et a travaillé sur une campagne publicitaire avec Google.

Global leading young guitarist, composer, producer, and arranger from Poland.
His music videos and performances amassed many hundreds of millions of views, and were discussed by publications such as: Rolling Stone, Classic FM, Guitar World, Metal Hammer, Billboard etc. His online audience is the biggest among young guitarists in the world, and among the top in the instrumental world at large.
He won two major talent shows in Europe, and reached the semifinal in America’s Got Talent, but continued to grow his audience exponentially in the years since. Marcin has sold out headline tours on multiple continents, and played venues such as the Royal AlbertHall. He is known primarily for combining percussive guitar playing with modern production.
Marcin is a global flagship artist of Ibanez Guitars and has collaborated with leading stars of the guitar world, as well as people like Jordan Rudess of Dream Theater, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He provided guitar arrangements and writing for global phenomenon One Piece Live Action Netflix show, and worked on an ad campaign with Google.

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Jazz / Swing

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal : Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra à la salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

by Rédaction PAN M 360

Créé il y a 30 ans par Jeff Goldblum, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra s’est produit devant des publics ravis dans tous les États-Unis et dans le monde entier, jouant des arrangements contemporains de classiques du jazz et de l’American Songbook.
Actuellement covedette du Magicien d’Oz avec Ariana Grande et Cynthia Erivo dans le film Wicked, acclamé par la critique et qui a fait un tabac au box-office mondial, Jeff Goldblum a une carrière riche en histoire qui s’étend sur six décennies de travail primé en tant qu’acteur principal au cinéma, à la télévision et au théâtre. Il a également produit des projets pour le cinéma et la télévision et a été nommé aux Oscars pour son court métrage Little Surprises.

Founded by Jeff Goldblum 30 years ago, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra has performed for delighted audiences throughout the United States and all over the world playing contemporary arrangements of classic jazz and American Songbook standards.
Currently co-starring as The Wizard of Oz with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in the critically acclaimed global box office smash, Wicked, Jeff Goldblum’s storied career now spans 6 decades of award-winning work as a starring actor in film, television and theatre. He has also produced both film and television projects and is an Oscar-nominated director for his short feature film “Little Surprises.”

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Jazz Fusion

FIJM | Azimuth: Brazilian Jazz Fusion of the Highest Order

by Michel Labrecque

The Azimuth band is a legend in Brazil. It started out in 1973, in Rio de Janeiro, juggling Brazilian popular music, rock and jazz. Over the years, the trio has become increasingly jazz-fusion, without ever abandoning its Brazilian roots.

Fifty-two years after his birth, Azimuth presented himself at the Gesu in spectacular form, and had the vast majority of the audience in his pocket from the very first piece, taken from his recent album Marca Passo, released this month.

Azimuth is a kind of Brazilian Weather Report, in a different form: a keyboardist, a bassist and a drummer. Of the original line-up, only bassist Alex Malheiros remains, still going strong despite his 78 years. Kiko Continento has officiated on keyboards since 2015, and Renato Massa Calmon handles drums and percussion.

The three musicians are very close-knit and offer music that is both complex and festive, sometimes a little dated because of the keyboards: a Korg synthesizer, a Rhodes electric piano and an organ whose brand I haven’t seen. Kiko Contentino, the 55-year-old youngster in the band, plays his instruments like a teenager, while being very versatile.

Alex Malheiros handles his bass with intelligence, occasionally using slap, but not excessively. In this kind of band, the bass is more than an accompaniment, it’s an essential instrument, and the moustachioed Brazilian also knows how to solo.

Rebato Calmon brought the crowd to its feet on several occasions with his drum solos. Personally, I find him best when he accompanies with great virtuosity, mixing Brazilian percussion with drums and cymbals.

This is jazz fusion of the highest order. But the most delightful and original moments came when the band displayed their Brazilian-ness. Wordless vocal harmonies, whistles, a percussion trio – the little things that make a difference. Having lived in Rio de Janeiro for two years and listened to a lot of Brazilian music, I particularly appreciate this.

I also often say that with this kind of virtuoso band, it’s when they play ballads or slow pieces that you really notice the quality.

In Azimuth’s case, that moment arrived when they opened with Last Summer in Rio, from Marca Passo. They had us singing along as they deployed their improvisational skills. And we, the audience, began to levitate.

The almost-full Gesu remained in this state right up to the end.

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