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| - I ventured out to the Montreal Jazz Festival for the July 4th weekend. It was my first time there, so I didn't know quite what to expect. This isn't a true "jazz festival" in the sense that many (if not most) of the performers were not jazz musicians. The festival was jam packed with rhythm and blues, bluegrass, funk, and honky-tonk performers, as well as some orchestras, gospel choirs, etc. all of very high caliber. However, the actual jazz performances seemed few and far between.
That said, the festival offered a lot of great music. The festivities kick off at around 6:00pm daily, along several blocks of downtown Montreal, and run until about midnight. There is one main outdoor stage, and several smaller stages stationed throughout the area, (far enough apart that the performances don't overlap) and most of it you can walk in and out of for free. There are also numerous venues, along the same streets, the have indoor performances, for which you'll have to purchase tickets, ranging from $10 to $150 depending on the performer. There is enough going on on any given night that you'd be smart to check the online calendar before going, and to pick up a copy of the complete schedule when you arrive, just to get a handle on everything.
One big bonus is a tent, set in the midst of the festival, where CDs of the artists are available for purchase on the nights that they perform, as well as festival souveniers. It makes it easy to take the festival home with you. I picked up some music from Bears of Legend, and AfroDizz, two great groups that I'd never been exposed to prior to the festival, as well as some Nina Simone. There are also street vendors and local restaurants. The one thing that was a bit lacking, however, was the number of available bathrooms.
The festival itself is much cleaner and more orderly than anything that you'll find in the US, without any litter, weed billowing through the air, or fights breaking out. You're able to just come out, listen to music, and enjoy the evenings.
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