As the largest city of the province of Quebec, Montreal is home to a jazz scene which differs in many ways from the rest of North-America. Over the last decade, one event has given this city an international reputation, that being the annual "Festival international de jazz de Montréal" (FIJM): kicking off in Late June, it runs for a little less than a fortnight. In that period some 500 shows, many of them free, are staged within one very crowded city block. Year in, year out, its organizers pride themselves in topping the million mark in attendance. Since its inception in 1980, the FIJM has paved the way for other jazz festivals in Canada, the bulk of these spread out over a six week period ending by late July.

However, once that party fades away for another year, a lull seems to overcome the scene, at least for the rest of the Summer and, at times, into the Fall. Though local fans have bemoaned a lack of regular action, and more so, of name performers coming through our city, things have been looking up in the last year or two.

The Great Divide

In spite of seasonal lulls, Montreal still has much jazz talent to spare, and some pretty unique styles as well. While there are obvious differences according to generations, the linguistic division between the French and English communities is a crucial factor here. On the one hand, the English music community has developed a scene of its own, one very closely related to the established models of the American jazz mainstream. English universities like McGill and Concordia have developed strong jazz education programs and a number of their teachers are actually Americans expatriates.

- Veterans

Of the many seasoned performers around town, guitarist Nelson Symonds can best be described as a "local legend". After years of working on the club circuit, it was about five years ago when, at 58, he finally made his debut recording as a leader. Nowadays, he is heard most frequently in the quartet of alto saxophonist Dave Turner (a Cannonball Adderley-inspired player). Another guitar legend is Sonny Greenwich, a musician who even enjoys a measure of international recognition amongst jazz aficionados; deeply moved by the spirituality of John Coltrane, his best performances radiate with a remarkable intensity.

In contrast, pianist Oliver Jones is very much in the classic piano jazz tradition of Oscar Peterson. Now 62, Jones only launched his jazz career in 1980 after years of playing hotel piano gigs and shows in the Caribbean. Thanks to a good manager and numerous recordings produced by the decade-old Justin Time label, Jones has achieved an international profile that few of his compatriots enjoy. For those vocal fans as well, Ranee Lee is a lady best known for her lilting interpretations of well-worn standards, but on occasion she can also belt out the blues with the best of them...

- In the Schools

Because of well-developed programs in universities and colleges, there are quite a few jazz musicians involved in education, a number of them performing around town. Trumpeter and composer Joe Sullivan, for one, reflects the influence of the late Woody Shaw while Kevin Dean is a true hard bopper out of the Kenny Dorham school. An educator at McGill like Dean, Polish expatriate pianist Jan Jarczyk brings a European touch with his vast knowledge of harmony. At the other English University, Concordia, its small jazz studies department has been spearheaded by pianist and arranger Andrew Homzy, a scholar deeply immersed in the music of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus. A close associate of his is trumpeter Charles Ellison, a Chicago native and charter member of Henry Threadgill’s early band "Air". An educator in his own right, drummer Pete Magadini is a frequent clinician who has published several methods while receiving a measure of critical acclaim for his own recordings, principally those with Los Angeles based tenorman Don Menza. Saxophonist Jennifer Bell and her husband, trumpeter Bill Mahar, are not only active in educational circles (also at McGill), but they co-lead the mini-big band "Altsys", a group featuring original material as well as compositions but such jazz luminaries as Kenny Wheeler and George Russell.

The Other Half of the Divide

Turning now to the francophone side, one encounters a much more varied stylistic picture. While older players are generally faithful to the American style, their more youthful counterparts are divided into a number of discrete camps. Amongst the veterans, one can mention pianist and arranger Vic Vogel, the leader of long standing big band whose prinicipal influences are the Ellington and Gillespie orchestras. In the hard bop mold, drummer Bernard Primeau has brought many younger players to the scene, somewhat akin to the Jazz Messengers formula.

Fusion jazz, for its part, is quite popular here and that trend was first charted in the late 70's by the funk band UZEB, a now defunct electric group which lasted for the better part of a decade. Nowadays, two of its members, electric bassist Alain Caron and guitarist Michel Cusson are leaders in their own right, the latter heading his own flashy eight-piece Wild Unit, the former working sporadically with a group of local cohorts, at least when he is not touring abroad with French violonist Didier Lockwoood. In a more acoustic vein, pianists Lorraine Desmarais and François Bourassa are very much inspired by models like McCoy Tyner or Chick Corea, while (acoustic and electric) bassist Sylvain Gagnon plays in an acoustic fusion style, characterized by a softer edge sound and a measured use of keyboards.

"Musique actuelle" anyone?

More eclectic than any of the previous players, there is a collective of experimentally-oriented musicians who document their work on the Ambiances magnétiques label. Somewhere between rock, contemporary classical, jazz, free improvisation and pure sound experimentation, their music has been labelled, for lack of a better term, "musique actuelle". Two musicians are generally seen as the leaders of this group, one being guitarist René Lussier (also a composer of note), the other saxophonist-flutist Jean Derome. Parallel to this group’s work is a festival devoted to these new musics: known as the Festival international de musique actuelle de Victoriaville, this event is very much unique in North America. From its modest beginnings back in 1983, this rural town, some 170km northeast of Montreal, now attracts audiences and performers from Europe and Asia alike.

Closer to the jazz idiom, there are many players who steer a more "mainstream" course, but on who update it on the strengths of their talent. Baritone saxophonist Charles Papasoff, for one, is one of the most powerful soloists locally, if not nationally. Last year, he even presented a sextet of baritone saxophones (including Hamiett Bluiett) at the Victoriaville festival, the concert released on the festival’s own Victo label under the title of International Baritone Conspiracy. Two more musicians of note are bassist Normand Guilbeault, whose pianoless quintet featuring a frontline of clarinet, trombone and trumpet won the 1994 Jazz Competition organized by the FIJM; a modern traditionalist, pianist Jean Beaudet is an individualist whose work encompasses everything from Powell to Monk, to Bley and beyond.

As an overview, this guide is far from being comprehensive, but it is intended for all surfers out there wishing to partake in our now blossoming jazz scene. And, before closing, here’s a listing of some local recording labels: What better way then of bringing back a piece of our city’s jazz beat!

Montreal and Québec based jazz and new music labels

• Justin Time (Mainstream, vocal, worldbeat and some American names)
• Kleo (Sonny Greenwich’s own productions)
• Lost Chart Records (Acoustic fusion, world beat)
• Disques Avant Garde (Fusion, acoustic jazz)
• Disques du Silence (Audiophile, gold-plated discs: some jazz, world beat, light classical)
• DSM (Hard Bop, Mainstream)
• Red Toucan (Improvised and free musics)
• Ambiances Magnétiques ("Musique actuelle")
• Victo ("Musique actuelle")