• Rémi Bolduc Quintet with Jerry Bergonzi on the Studio TD
• Opening of picture exhibition “Le Jazz est Partout”
• Melissa Errico on the Salle Wilfried-Pelletier
• George Benson on the Salle Wilfried-Pelletier (the primary two numbers)
• Houston Particular person with Mike Rud at Upstairs

(Montreal. 29 June 2023. Spherical-up by Sebastian Scotney*)

The workforce on the pageant informed me they have been anticipating that the Montréalais could be out in large numbers this 12 months in search of what’s known as “le enjoyable” right here. And so they have been proper. On the proof of this nice picture from final evening’ open-air Ibrahim Maalouf live performance the Montréalais completely need it. Large time.

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The selection of occasions on the primary evening of the forty third Montreal Jazz Pageant is bewildering. So, straight off the flight…I threw myself into it, and flitted round city to components of 4 live shows and even the “vernissage” of a photograph exhibition for good measure. Overdoing it? Actually.

Jerry Bergonzi (proper within the picture above), was taking part in within the guest-of-honour function at an album celebration of the second CD he has made with alto saxophonist and educator Rémi Bolduc. Bolduc is on the school at McGill, and has a giant sound and velocity. I used to be reminded of the late Peter King’s astonishing dexterity, however Bolduc’s sound is constantly simply little bit extra highly effective and what tends to get known as “muscular”. That units a selected tone of power.

He stated he has as soon as fulfilled a private dream by persuading Jerry Bergonzi to return up North from Boston, however they’d bought on effectively, and have continued to work collectively. A peddler of cliches would discuss of it as a “battle”. How fallacious can that be? Bolduc was trying over at Bergonzi soloing with the amused smile of somebody who is consistently pinching himself as a result of he can’t fairly consider he hasn’t needed to wait until the afterlife to play with Jerry Bergonzi. The rhythm workforce have been pianist Marie Fatima Rudolf (has anybody ever parsed that title and informed her story?), bassist Ira Coleman and drummer Jim Doxas. Lengthy story quick: the extent of rhythm part taking part in on this metropolis is stupendous.

Extra of the highest flight of Montreal jazz was at Upstairs later within the night with the 88 12 months previous tenor legend Houston Particular person, whose deeply soulful manner of taking part in connects us with superb eras from the previous. He was with guitarist Mike Rud who has the entire armoury of sound from the diaphanously refined to the slapstickishly foolish. Alec Walkington is a type of specialists in each gradation between flowing legato and quick and to the purpose, and drummer Andre White, my finest supply tells me, is “revered and revered by each technology” of Montreal musicians, and has performed each pageant. Their “Who can I Flip To?” was a gem from begin to end.

I went and heard the start of George Benson’s set and had left earlier than his Miles Davis Award presentation occurred. He has a massively energetic band to assist, defend, propel. And so they do it very effectively. They launched in with a celebration model of Roberta Flack’s “Really feel Like Making Love”.

Opening for George Benson was Melissa Errico. She jogged my memory of an odd quote: “New York is a metropolis that performs exhausting to get. You need me? You higher work for it.” Each ounce of these NYC instincts have been on present final evening. Errico was energised, ensuring with each breath that she would get the viewers within the 3000-seater Pelletier actually on her aspect. There she was, each excessive observe was heroically held…It paid off. She bought the standing ovation from this viewers. Ridiculous generalisation coming: Montreal audiences all the time need to present their heat and this one made her deservedly welcome.

*Sebastian is in Montreal as a visitor of FIJM