Jazz, blues and more: Montreal International Jazz Festival celebrates its spectacular 45th edition

Launched in 2014, PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In the earlier 885 posts, we featured an art festival, cartoon gallery. world music festival, telecom expo, millets fair, climate change expo, wildlife conference, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, and jazz festival.

With a record-breaking 45 years of annual performances, the Montreal International Jazz Festival (MIJF) is a must-attend gathering for fans of jazz, blues, soul, and funk. The international lineup includes blends of jazz with Latin, Arabic and African music as well.

“The festival connects so many audiences to music of all genres, showcasing so many musical niches,” Maurin Auxéméry, MIJF’s Director of Programming tells YourStory (see our coverage of earlier editions of the festival from 2015 onwards here).

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There are large outdoor performances with spectacular lighting at the TD Stage, with other acts on smaller stages named after sponsors like Rogers and Rio Tinto. The ten-day festival features 150 indoor concerts and more than 350 free, open-air shows.

The festival is a great opportunity to catch legendary bands live and also discover new and emerging talents. With multiple offshoots of the music genre and interpretations from around the world, jazz as a creative platform continues to inspire and delight fans across generations.

In this photo essay from Canada, we showcase 15 bands who performed at the legendary summer festival. They range in styles from jazz and blues to soul and electro-pop.

Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell has made her mark as being a musician as well as activist. Her award-winning albums include Outside Child and The Returner. Raised in Montreal, she had a troubled childhood but went on to perform with bands in Canada and the US, with themes and messages exploring recovery from trauma, rights for the LGBT+ community, and ceasefire in Gaza.

Melbourne-based singer and keyboard player Allysha Joy combines musical excellence with poetry and social commentary. She has played along with the likes of Snarky Puppy, Ezra Collective, and The Teskey Brothers at events like the Montreux Jazz Festival and New York WinterJazz. Her performance in Montreal moved and inspired audiences with messages of love, anger, faith, and hope for change by being unafraid of addressing uncomfortable truths.

Ayra Starr grew up in Benin and Nigeria, with this mix of cultures inspiring her global approach to music, art and life. The Afrosoul star’s albums include 19 & Dangerous, and she has collaborated with multiple artists across Africa. Her music is particularly popular with the young generation of women and gives them a new voice, blending fashion and consciousness.

Derrick Hodge is an award-winning bassist, bandleader and producer. He has also scored for films and television programmes, and won two Grammy awards. He won early acclaim in the neo-soul movement in Philadelphia, and blazed new trails in hip hop. Hodge is also an advocate for the struggle for rights and justice, and has collaborated with icons like Quincy Jones. His albums include Live Today, The Second, and Color Of Noize.

Regarded as one of jazz’s promising emerging artists, Detroit’s Endea Owens is a bassist and composer mentored by icons like Rodney Whitaker and Ron Carter. An Emmy and Grammy Award winner, she is also founder of the non-profit organisation Community Cookout, formed during the pandemic to provides meals and music to underserved neighborhoods.

Esperanza Spalding is a Grammy-winning bassist and singer who drew acclaim right from the days of her debut album, Junjo. A top Billboard artist in contemporary jazz, she has also been a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music. Her music combines jazz with rock, Afro-Latin styles, and experimental music. Born in Oregon, her award-winning albums include Twelve Little Spells, Esperanza, and Emily's D+Evolution.

The Freedom Riders are a jazz ensemble dedicated to using music to promote social justice and civil rights. The band aims to continue the legacy of the legendary Freedom Riders of the civil rights movement in the US by using music as a tool for social change. The lineup includes Sarah Elizabeth Charles on vocals, Joe Dyson on drums, Sasha Berliner on vibraphone, and Alfredo Colon on alto saxophone. They perform powerful standards and original music.

Eighteen-year-old Grace Bowers is an award-winning guitarist, singer and bandleader. Her debut album is Wine on Venus. Her music is inspired by the blues of B.B. King as well as the funk of Sly And The Family Stone. An inspiration to a new generation of performers, she has performed at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards with Chris Martin of Coldplay. She has performed in the US and Japan, and has contributed to social causes through fundraising concerts.

Katie Tupper is a 23-year-old neo-soul musician from Saskatoon, Canada. Her cross-genre approach to music is showcased in her new EP, Towards the End. With themes of identity and coming of age, she particularly connects to a new generation of music fans. She began touring from the age of 14. At MIJF, she sang about many kinds of love and how it reflects our past and present selves.

Malika Tirolien and Caulder Nash perform together as a high-soul duo called GeminiCrab. Keyboardist and producer Caulder Nash and Grammy nominee vocalist Malika Tirolien had the audience on their feet with a set blending jazz, R&B, and hip hop. Their songs are full of themes of Millennials’ realities. Montreal-based Tirolien was born in Guadeloupe, and sang on the Grammy Award winning album Family Dinner – Volume 1 by Snarky Puppy.

A sensational performance at MIJF featured the Matteo Mancuso trio from Italy. Born and raised in Palermo, Mancuso was a musical prodigy from an early age. He has performed extensively in Europe and the US. His solos drew applause at MIJF, along with spectacular performances by Riccardo Oliva on bass and Gianluca Pellerito on drums. Leading artists have also praised his talent in blending rock and jazz in the fusion frontier.

The legendary Mavis Staples is a Blues and a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a civil rights icon, and a three-time Grammy Award winner (and a Grammy lifetime achievement award). Born in Chicago, she began her career in gospel. She also marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the civil rights movement. She has collaborated with Aretha Franklin, Prince and Bob Dylan, and was named one of the 100 Greatest Singers of all Time by Rolling Stone in 2008.

Men I Trust is a Canadian band formed in Quebec City, featuring Emmanuelle Proulx (lead vocals, guitar), Jessy Caron (guitar, bass), and Dragos Chiriac (keyboards). They performed tracks from studio albums including Oncle Jazz, Untourable Album (written and recorded during the lockdown era of the COVID pandemic), and Equus Caballus. With a style blending jazz and electro-pop, they have performed across Europe and North America.

Nubya Garcia is a British jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. With a Guyanese mother and Trinidadian father, she began playing the saxophone at the age of 10. She is a graduate of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and has released the albums Source and Odyssey. Her influences include the music of Miles Davis, Mary Lou Williams, and Steel Pulse. She has performed at the Love Supreme Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival.

The Sugar Darlings is a Montreal-based group blending soul, jazz, rock, and funk. It is anchored by the charismatic Miche Love (vocals) and Paul Lucyk (guitar). Their debut album is Thirsty For Your Love. At MIJF, Love’s powerful voice stood out for her virtuosity and connection to singers like Aretha Franklin and Etta James. The audience also appreciated the playfulness and humour of the artistes on stage.

Now what have you done today to pause in your busy schedule and harness your creative side for a better world?

(All live performance photographs courtesy Frédérique Ménard-Aubin, Victor Diaz Lamich, Benoit Rousseau, and Novak Productions.)