FESTIVAL REVIEW: The 2008 Montreal Jazz Festival

Story by Mitch Myers

The Montreal Jazz Festival has been an annual destination of mine despite the fact that the music programming gets a little more watered down every year. The festival runs for eleven days straight and over the Fourth of July holiday, which adds to its allure as a music-cultural escape. Remember, Canada isn’t in a state of war like the USA, and smoking weed doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. As a matter of fact, a trip to the local headshop can result in purchases beyond your basic paraphernalia, if you know what I mean.

In any case, Montreal is very hospitable, and I love it. The festival attracts millions of people every year, and provides a lot of free music on a variety of outdoor stages. Nowadays, the city government subsidizes the festival, thanks to the immense amount of tourism the event generates.

One of the great things about the Montreal Jazz Festival is that all of the venues are located within a few blocks of one another. I could be sitting in one auditorium watching the Brad Mehldau Trio perform to a sold out crowd, and minutes later be seeing the Reverend Al Green spreading his gospel of love.

My jazz interests led me to the Invitation Series, where a featured musician performs for several nights. Usually the artist is of great stature, and the festival honors them by allowing him (or her) to pick a dream team of supporting musicians for each gig. This year the festival was dedicated to the memory of the late, great Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson. So it made sense that the festival’s Invitation Series would feature living legend jazz pianists.

The first Invitation Series featured Hank Jones. Jones is in remarkably good shape for 90 years of age. He spent the majority of his career working as a sideman, but he’s also made a number of recordings as a leader. The musical history encompassed in Hank Jones is remarkable. He’s been playing professionally for more than 70 years and has played with artists like Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Billy Eckstine, Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman, as well as a countless number of contemporary musicians.

For his Invitation Series, Jones chose to do four duet concerts. His first night was with Canadian pianist Oliver Jones (no relation), which was elegant and tasteful. The two played old standards, showing a remarkable sense of melody and nuance—no big surprises, but solid nonetheless. The next evening showcased Hank with veteran saxophonist Joe Lovano, which was more exciting and reflected the duo’s most recent recording, Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola.

The third night was different in the sense that Jones performed with the new generation’s piano hero, Brad Mehldau. There was some uneasiness in both the Jones and Mehldau camps, as the two had never played together before and had only one rehearsal. When the time came, however, they played impeccably, with each man deferring to the other, almost to the point of tentativeness. It was a little subdued, but the old jazz standards were again plentiful, and the duo’s harmonic sophistication was amazing.

Hank’s final night featured an old, familiar comrade—bassist Charlie Haden. Haden is a Montreal favorite, a veteran of Ornette Coleman’s original quartet, and had his own group playing at the festival as well. While this was Hank Jones’ best show, it also revealed his weakness. At one point Hank was deep into the tune, lost in its melody, while Charlie was desperately waving to get his attention. When Jones finally looked up and stopped playing, Haden told him that he was playing the song in the wrong time. It seems that old Hank still has his chops and melodic sense, but his hearing is diminished. Although the musicians sounded great together, Hank was basically in a world of his own, playing without fully hearing his compatriot.

The other Invitation Series featured three nights with pianist McCoy Tyner. Although I’m a fan of his work with the great John Coltrane Quartet, Tyner’s Invitation concerts were less than compelling—even the show featuring Coltrane’s son Ravi on tenor saxophone playing classics like “Afro Blue” and “My Favorite Things.”

Another bit of series programming that caught my attention was the late-night (10:30) shows at a small, converted church called Gesù. I’ve long been a fan of this intimate venue with its comfortable seating and well-lit stage. Although I wasn’t familiar with all of the artists who played at Gesù this year, I still made sure to be there almost every night, as their track record for booking cutting-edge musicians has been nearly flawless.

Now, I have to admit that among the other critics who regularly go to the festival, I have a reputation for falling asleep at the Gesù during these late-night gigs. Perhaps it’s my ganja intake, perhaps it’s just the lateness of the hour, but when I sit down and get comfortable, closing my eyes and letting the music flow through me, the other critics just say, “Mitch is getting his Gesù on.” So be it. In my defense, I’d like to say that I am a big advocate of traveling on the astral plane, and have taken the cosmic route via music at many a venue, but Gesù is most pleasant of them all.

My golden slumbers began on opening night with the forward-thinking veteran saxophonist David Murray (who is also 1/4 of the World Saxophone Quartet). Accompanied by the young pianist Lafayette Gilchrist and a solid rhythm section, Murray’s group played boldly, putting on the most impressive avant-garde performance of the festival. Folks should check out the latest CD by the David Murray Black Saint Quartet Featuring Cassandra Wilson, entitled Sacred Ground on the Justin Time label.  

All in all, I caught seven out of ten nights at Gesù, and while Murray was my favorite, the rest of the series was quite inspiring. Brad Mehldau played a solo show on the second night, and he displayed remarkable virtuosity, crossing hands and playing separate, interlocking lines on old and new standards, as well as original material. It seemed like Mehldau was having musical conversations between his left and right brain, and he mesmerized the sold-out crowd with his astonishing technique and emotive style.

As I mentioned, besides his solo gig at Gesù, Mehldau had his duet with Hank Jones. He also performed a third time with his own, celebrated trio. These days Brad’s band is one of the brightest lights in piano jazz, and Mehldau himself still has a tremendous future ahead of him. Check out his recent double-CD, Brad Mehldau Trio Live (with Larry Grenadier and Jeff Ballard) on Nonesuch.

But back to the Gesù—the night after Melhldau’s solo appearance there was a piano threesome, the Yaron Herman Trio. Yaron is a brilliant young Israeli pianist who lives in Paris, and this was his second year at the Montreal festival. Inventive and intense, Yaron impressed the crowd with his instrumental version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” This reminded me of the stir that the Mehldau Trio created at the festival several years ago with their Radiohead and Nick Drake covers. Yaron’s latest disc is A Time For Everything on the Laborie Jazz label.

The next night at Gesù featured another international piano trio—this time led by Hilario Duran, a Cuban-born pianist who lives in Toronto. The Hilario Duran Trio was explosive, and the rhythms that fueled Duran’s playing were invigorating. Duran is another musician to watch, and his Latin/Afro-Cuban sounds are among the best of the current crop.

I returned to Gesù for the Miguel Zenon Quartet. After so many nights of piano music, I was grateful to hear some saxophone, and Zenon’s alto playing was music to my ears. In keeping with the international vibe, Miguel is originally from Puerto Rico, and his hotshot band took the crowd to great heights. Zenon’s latest CD on the Marsalis label, Awake, is recommended.

Gesù was a gift that kept on giving, including a performance from New Orleans-bred trumpeter Christian Scott, another flashy young musician who’s getting all sorts of accolades these days. Besides his Gesù gig, Scott was one of McCoy Tyner’s guests during the Invitation Series. Still, Scott’s own sextet was far more modern and very compelling.

My final night of astral traveling at Gesù was with Czech bassist Miroslav Vitous and vibraphonist Jean Vanesse  (from Montreal). Vitous was the original bassist in Weather Report, and his reputation as a mighty instrumentalist is well deserved. Miroslav mixed electronics with his stand-up bass playing, and the duets with Vanesse were understated and cerebral—and set the perfect cosmic vibe for a half-conscious jazzbo such as myself.

Just so you don’t think I’m a stoney old jazz fan who doesn’t know how else to have a good time, I also caught a dub-alicious set by reggae toastmaster Lee Scratch Perry with the amazing Wailers, a rousing R&B show by soul diva Betty Lavette, a grooving dance party by the West African Orchestra Baobab, a scorching blues-rock gig by guitar whiz Robben Ford, a jazz-fusion showcase by the reunited Return To Forever featuring Chick Corea, Stanley Clark, Al Di Meola and Lenny White, a boring double bill with the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and wonderful performances from singers Dianne Reeves and Abbey Lincoln.

Sadly, I missed both Public Enemy and RZA & GZA, but one can’t do everything, not even in Montreal.