Montreal Jazz Festival Wraps Up: In With The Old, In With The New

Ben Harper closes the Montreal International Jazz Festival's 30th edition Sunday night. Photograph by: Tyrel Featherstone, The Gazette

From The Montreal Gazette:

For its 30th edition, the Montreal International Jazz Festival gave itself a facelift, but kept its grasp on the traditions that keep music lovers coming back every year.

Such contrasts always dominate the event, but perhaps that was even more true this year. The new-look festival played host to one of its most impressive lists of veteran players ever. The joy of seeing breakout artists truly arriving was tempered by the sad departure of the walking encyclopedia who defined jazz in this city. And, of course, the lousy weather, which defied the law of averages, was mostly overshadowed by brilliant performances.

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