The Montreal International Jazz Festival is renowned for its passion and has been recognized as the largest jazz festival in the world by Guinness World Records. The 42nd edition of the festival will be held from June 30th to July 9th, and it will feature a wide range of musical influences. Every year, the festival attracts more than two million visitors and offers over 650 concerts with musicians from more than 30 countries. Most of these concerts are free to the public.
The Montreal International Jazz Festival began in 1979 with very little funding from Alain Simard. It was a two-night show with two artists at the Theatre-St-Denis, a historic theater in downtown Montreal. This year, the festival kicked off on Thursday night at the Quartier des Spectacles with great enthusiasm after two reduced and pandemic editions. The festival takes place in various locations throughout the city, but it focuses on the Place des Artes, a large performing arts complex in downtown Montreal.
The Montclair Jazz Festival has also announced its summer concert series to be held in downtown Montclair, N. J. JazzTimes “America's Jazz Magazine” has been publishing since 1970 and provides comprehensive coverage of the jazz scene. Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier will host Wynton Marsalis at the helm of the Jazz Orchestra at Lincoln Center. The ever-fresh orchestral jazz group Pink Martini is also set to perform, signaling that the Jazz Fest is already underway.
Festival attendee Jason Chatman, who traveled from Halifax to attend the festival for the third time, said it's liberating to be back in person among crowds of outdoor people.
