The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD Bank Group in collaboration with Rio Tinto, continues to evolve to the beat of the music it showcases. Today, its programming team is very proud to reveal the artists who will be performing at this 43rd edition, which takes place this coming June 29 to July 8. Paid concert tickets will go on sale Thursday, April 6 at 10 a.m. Newsletter subscribers will enjoy an exclusive access to a presale on Wednesday, April 5, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Over the course of 10 days, world-renowned artists including Buddy Guy, Diana Krall, Robert Plant & Alison Krause, Melody Gardot, Herbie Hancock and George Benson will rub shoulders with jazz’s rising stars, sometimes even sharing the same stage. Many established artists will be performing at the Festival for the first time and jazz will be more prominent than ever on both indoor and outdoor Festival stages.
“It sounds cliché in the festival world, but it’s worth saying because it’s so true: we are incredibly proud to present a truly balanced program that is jam packed with gems!”, said Maurin Auxéméry, the new director of the FIJM programming. “With the full backing of the big Festival family, each member of the programming team passionately defends their vision of jazz, which has sparked engaging discussions and a program that embodies what the genre is today. Jazz from the 21st century is changing and mutating, drawing on other musical styles, and our programming reflects this refreshing change. Jazz lovers are becoming more diversified, new generations are tuning in, and we couldn’t be happier.”
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts will be the site of exciting encounters spanning different generations, while jazz legends will share the stage with members of the new guard. At age 86, venerable bluesman Buddy Guy will be bidding the FIJM farewell alongside Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, one of his deserving successors. Now in the sixth decade of his career, pianist and composer Herbie Hancock is always on the cutting edge of world trends, so it’s no surprise that he’ll be performing alongside DOMi & JD BECK, the jazz duo that has been blowing up the Internet (Monday, July 3). He has also done a collaboration on their first album, which came out last year under the new Anderson .Paak label APESHIT. Rich harmonies and rhythm changes means your ears are in for a treat!
While it’s virtually impossible to choose from a line-up the public will love, the programming team went ahead and shared its picks from among the 350 concerts, two-thirds of which are free!
ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS
Raise the Roof
ÉVÉNEMENTS SPÉCIAUX TD
Friday, July 7, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts
The duo comprised of one of rock’s greatest singers and one of country music’s most talented and celebrated artists is not only hard to believe, but beyond fascinating. Fourteen years after the release of their album Raising Sand, the two icons have collaborated once again on Raise the Roof, nominated for the Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the 2023 GRAMMY Awards.
JEAN-MICHEL BLAIS
LES PERFORMANCES TD
Monday, July 3, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
TD Stage Free!
Québécois Jean-Michel Blais will become the first post-classical pianist to perform on the FIJM main outdoor stage. Blais just released the mini-album Sérénades, barely a year after becoming a made-in-Québec chamber music sensation with his album Aubades, nominated for Instrumental Album of the Year at the 2023 Junos.
THUNDERCAT
LE GRAND ÉVÉNEMENT TD
Wednesday, July 5, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
TD Stage Free!
The Place des Festivals is going to get hot, hot, hot when velvet-voiced bass virtuoso Stephen Lee Bruner, alias Thundercat, hits the stage. The category-defying Thundercat dips into electronic, psychedelic jazz, soul, hip hop, R&B and more, a living and breathing incarnation of neo-jazz itself.
BADBADNOTGOOD
LES PERFORMANCES TD
Friday, July 7, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
TD Stage Free!
Music from Toronto band BADBADNOTGOOD straddles 1970s soul jazz, alternative hip hop and experimental electronic. The band first got on people’s radars in early 2010 with their jazz covers of hip hop songs and songs by A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West and Feist. They’ve released several albums since, which has led to collabs with hip hop, dance and neo-soul artists like Kaytranada, Charlotte Day Wilson and Kendrick Lamar.
CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS
LES RYTHMES MOLSON EXPORT
Saturday, July 8, 2023, 8:30 p.m.
MTELUS
The year 2023 is going to be huge for Christine and the Queens: not only will his album Paranoïa, Angels, True Love be released on June 9, but the launch will be followed by some 30 shows around the globe until next August. It is our honour to welcome him to the FIJM.
NATALIA LAFOURCADE
LE FESTIVAL À LA MAISON SYMPHONIQUE ROGERS
Thursday, June 29, 2023, 7 p.m.
Maison Symphonique, Place des Arts
Fans of Latin pop jazz can enjoy a superb evening with Mexican star Natalia Lafourcade, in Montréal for the very first time. The singer-songerwriter’s music, a blend of folk, indie pop and soft rock, plays daily on radio stations across Latin America and the United States. Her Tiny Desk concert racked up over 10 million views on YouTube!
SAMARA JOY
JAZZ BEAT IN COLLABORATION WITH CBC MUSIC
Sunday, July 2, 2023, 8 p.m.
Monument-National
Samara Joy is a once-in-a-generation kind of artist, one we might simply refer to as “Samara”, as we do with Ella and Billie. After winning the Grammy for Best New Artist at the tender age of 23 (much to her surprise!) and beating out contemporary music’s stars, people sat up and took notice. An absolute discovery.
ENDEA OWENS & THE COOKOUT
JAZZ TIME MOLSON EXPORT
Monday, July 3, 2023, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Pub Molson Export Free!
Recognized as one of jazz’s most dynamic emerging artists, Endea Owens is a Detroit-raised bassist and composer. She has played alongside some of the greatest names in jazz and soul, including Wynton Marsalis, Solange, Jon Batiste and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Her first album, Feel Good Music, will be released in the next few months.
CHUCHO VALDÉS
LES GRANDS CONCERTS RIO TINTO
Thursday, July 6, 2023, 8 p.m.
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
Iconic piano virtuoso and composer Chucho Valdés is one of modern Afro-Cuban jazz’s most influential artists. Over a 60-year-plus career, both as an artist and bandleader of his iconic group Irakere, he has recorded dozens of albums that have earned him no less than six Grammy awards.
ANOUAR BRAHEM QUARTET
LES GRANDS CONCERTS RIO TINTO
Sunday, July 2, 2023, 8 p.m.
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
In 2011, the great Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem was met with rave reviews when he performed at the FIJM for three unforgettable evenings. He returns this year with a retrospective show that blends some of his quartet standards and songs from his older albums.
DANIELLE PONDER
LES SPECTACLES BLUES ROGERS
Thursday, June 29, 2023, 7 p.m.
Rogers Stage Free!
Danielle Ponder, a soul singer from Rochester, New York, worked as a lawyer full-time until 2018, before deciding to follow her first love of music. At the 2021 Newport Jazz Festival, her performance was heralded as the event’s most standout performance. We’re predicting a similar reception at the FIJM this year.
HERMANOS GUTIÉRREZ
LES COULEURS DELTA AIRLINES IN COLLABORATION WITH MONTREAL GAZETTE
Thursday, June 29, 2023,
6 p.m. Second show added!
9 p.m. Sold out
Club Soda
Two brothers, two guitars, two distinct identities that fuse into one soul when they make music: meet Stephan and Alejandro, the Hermanos Gutiérrez, who perform atmospheric instrumental songs inspired by 1950s Latin America. After performing for a packed room at the PHI last November, they’re back in Montréal!
DAKHABRAKHA
LES COULEURS DELTA AIRLINES IN COLLABORATION WITH MONTREAL GAZETTE
Wednesday, July 5, 2023, 9 p.m.
Club Soda On sale now!
The Festival is very honoured to welcome the Ukrainian group DakhaBrakha from Kyiv. The quartet (three women and a man), who are on a mission to share the joy of Ukrainian melodies with the hearts and minds of Ukraine’s youth as well as the rest of the world, has performed over 300 concerts and performed at major international festivals after being discovered in 2011.
OTHER MUST-SEE CONCERTS
The return of free shows by the Entrée Libre TD series at Le Studio TD, each day at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., showcasing artists and groups such as Gentiane MG, Naïssam Jalal, Mali Obomsawin, Oscar Jerome, Theon Cross, Brandee Younger, CARRTOONS & Friends and Elise Trouw. The shows are hugely popular, so you’re advised to get there early!
With the Club Montréal TD, the Festival wants to bring Montréal’s dynamic music scene to the heart of the festival site. On the program: Mopao Mumu, Ping Pong Go, Hanorah, Jonah Yano, Alias, Aiza, FELP and much more. Every day, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Also, don't miss out on Vance Joy, the free Événement Spécial Rio Tinto on Sunday, July 2 on the TD Stage.
The programming team still has a few surprises in store before the Festival starts. Stay tuned for announcements over the upcoming weeks!
Over the course of 10 days, world-renowned artists including Buddy Guy, Diana Krall, Robert Plant & Alison Krause, Melody Gardot, Herbie Hancock and George Benson will rub shoulders with jazz’s rising stars, sometimes even sharing the same stage. Many established artists will be performing at the Festival for the first time and jazz will be more prominent than ever on both indoor and outdoor Festival stages.
“It sounds cliché in the festival world, but it’s worth saying because it’s so true: we are incredibly proud to present a truly balanced program that is jam packed with gems!”, said Maurin Auxéméry, the new director of the FIJM programming. “With the full backing of the big Festival family, each member of the programming team passionately defends their vision of jazz, which has sparked engaging discussions and a program that embodies what the genre is today. Jazz from the 21st century is changing and mutating, drawing on other musical styles, and our programming reflects this refreshing change. Jazz lovers are becoming more diversified, new generations are tuning in, and we couldn’t be happier.”
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts will be the site of exciting encounters spanning different generations, while jazz legends will share the stage with members of the new guard. At age 86, venerable bluesman Buddy Guy will be bidding the FIJM farewell alongside Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, one of his deserving successors. Now in the sixth decade of his career, pianist and composer Herbie Hancock is always on the cutting edge of world trends, so it’s no surprise that he’ll be performing alongside DOMi & JD BECK, the jazz duo that has been blowing up the Internet (Monday, July 3). He has also done a collaboration on their first album, which came out last year under the new Anderson .Paak label APESHIT. Rich harmonies and rhythm changes means your ears are in for a treat!
While it’s virtually impossible to choose from a line-up the public will love, the programming team went ahead and shared its picks from among the 350 concerts, two-thirds of which are free!
ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUSS
Raise the Roof
ÉVÉNEMENTS SPÉCIAUX TD
Friday, July 7, 2023, 7:30 p.m.
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts
The duo comprised of one of rock’s greatest singers and one of country music’s most talented and celebrated artists is not only hard to believe, but beyond fascinating. Fourteen years after the release of their album Raising Sand, the two icons have collaborated once again on Raise the Roof, nominated for the Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the 2023 GRAMMY Awards.
JEAN-MICHEL BLAIS
LES PERFORMANCES TD
Monday, July 3, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
TD Stage Free!
Québécois Jean-Michel Blais will become the first post-classical pianist to perform on the FIJM main outdoor stage. Blais just released the mini-album Sérénades, barely a year after becoming a made-in-Québec chamber music sensation with his album Aubades, nominated for Instrumental Album of the Year at the 2023 Junos.
THUNDERCAT
LE GRAND ÉVÉNEMENT TD
Wednesday, July 5, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
TD Stage Free!
The Place des Festivals is going to get hot, hot, hot when velvet-voiced bass virtuoso Stephen Lee Bruner, alias Thundercat, hits the stage. The category-defying Thundercat dips into electronic, psychedelic jazz, soul, hip hop, R&B and more, a living and breathing incarnation of neo-jazz itself.
BADBADNOTGOOD
LES PERFORMANCES TD
Friday, July 7, 2023, 9:30 p.m.
TD Stage Free!
Music from Toronto band BADBADNOTGOOD straddles 1970s soul jazz, alternative hip hop and experimental electronic. The band first got on people’s radars in early 2010 with their jazz covers of hip hop songs and songs by A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West and Feist. They’ve released several albums since, which has led to collabs with hip hop, dance and neo-soul artists like Kaytranada, Charlotte Day Wilson and Kendrick Lamar.
CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS
LES RYTHMES MOLSON EXPORT
Saturday, July 8, 2023, 8:30 p.m.
MTELUS
The year 2023 is going to be huge for Christine and the Queens: not only will his album Paranoïa, Angels, True Love be released on June 9, but the launch will be followed by some 30 shows around the globe until next August. It is our honour to welcome him to the FIJM.
NATALIA LAFOURCADE
LE FESTIVAL À LA MAISON SYMPHONIQUE ROGERS
Thursday, June 29, 2023, 7 p.m.
Maison Symphonique, Place des Arts
Fans of Latin pop jazz can enjoy a superb evening with Mexican star Natalia Lafourcade, in Montréal for the very first time. The singer-songerwriter’s music, a blend of folk, indie pop and soft rock, plays daily on radio stations across Latin America and the United States. Her Tiny Desk concert racked up over 10 million views on YouTube!
SAMARA JOY
JAZZ BEAT IN COLLABORATION WITH CBC MUSIC
Sunday, July 2, 2023, 8 p.m.
Monument-National
Samara Joy is a once-in-a-generation kind of artist, one we might simply refer to as “Samara”, as we do with Ella and Billie. After winning the Grammy for Best New Artist at the tender age of 23 (much to her surprise!) and beating out contemporary music’s stars, people sat up and took notice. An absolute discovery.
ENDEA OWENS & THE COOKOUT
JAZZ TIME MOLSON EXPORT
Monday, July 3, 2023, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.
Pub Molson Export Free!
Recognized as one of jazz’s most dynamic emerging artists, Endea Owens is a Detroit-raised bassist and composer. She has played alongside some of the greatest names in jazz and soul, including Wynton Marsalis, Solange, Jon Batiste and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Her first album, Feel Good Music, will be released in the next few months.
CHUCHO VALDÉS
LES GRANDS CONCERTS RIO TINTO
Thursday, July 6, 2023, 8 p.m.
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
Iconic piano virtuoso and composer Chucho Valdés is one of modern Afro-Cuban jazz’s most influential artists. Over a 60-year-plus career, both as an artist and bandleader of his iconic group Irakere, he has recorded dozens of albums that have earned him no less than six Grammy awards.
ANOUAR BRAHEM QUARTET
LES GRANDS CONCERTS RIO TINTO
Sunday, July 2, 2023, 8 p.m.
Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts
In 2011, the great Tunisian oud player Anouar Brahem was met with rave reviews when he performed at the FIJM for three unforgettable evenings. He returns this year with a retrospective show that blends some of his quartet standards and songs from his older albums.
DANIELLE PONDER
LES SPECTACLES BLUES ROGERS
Thursday, June 29, 2023, 7 p.m.
Rogers Stage Free!
Danielle Ponder, a soul singer from Rochester, New York, worked as a lawyer full-time until 2018, before deciding to follow her first love of music. At the 2021 Newport Jazz Festival, her performance was heralded as the event’s most standout performance. We’re predicting a similar reception at the FIJM this year.
HERMANOS GUTIÉRREZ
LES COULEURS DELTA AIRLINES IN COLLABORATION WITH MONTREAL GAZETTE
Thursday, June 29, 2023,
6 p.m. Second show added!
9 p.m. Sold out
Club Soda
Two brothers, two guitars, two distinct identities that fuse into one soul when they make music: meet Stephan and Alejandro, the Hermanos Gutiérrez, who perform atmospheric instrumental songs inspired by 1950s Latin America. After performing for a packed room at the PHI last November, they’re back in Montréal!
DAKHABRAKHA
LES COULEURS DELTA AIRLINES IN COLLABORATION WITH MONTREAL GAZETTE
Wednesday, July 5, 2023, 9 p.m.
Club Soda On sale now!
The Festival is very honoured to welcome the Ukrainian group DakhaBrakha from Kyiv. The quartet (three women and a man), who are on a mission to share the joy of Ukrainian melodies with the hearts and minds of Ukraine’s youth as well as the rest of the world, has performed over 300 concerts and performed at major international festivals after being discovered in 2011.
OTHER MUST-SEE CONCERTS
The return of free shows by the Entrée Libre TD series at Le Studio TD, each day at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., showcasing artists and groups such as Gentiane MG, Naïssam Jalal, Mali Obomsawin, Oscar Jerome, Theon Cross, Brandee Younger, CARRTOONS & Friends and Elise Trouw. The shows are hugely popular, so you’re advised to get there early!
With the Club Montréal TD, the Festival wants to bring Montréal’s dynamic music scene to the heart of the festival site. On the program: Mopao Mumu, Ping Pong Go, Hanorah, Jonah Yano, Alias, Aiza, FELP and much more. Every day, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Also, don't miss out on Vance Joy, the free Événement Spécial Rio Tinto on Sunday, July 2 on the TD Stage.
The programming team still has a few surprises in store before the Festival starts. Stay tuned for announcements over the upcoming weeks!
