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Montreal, Saturday, 9 July 2016 – When it comes to musical pleasure, nothing delivered like this 37th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto! For 11 days and nights, from June 29 to July 9, 2016, jazz unfolded in all its sounds, shapes and styles… a Festival of effervescence and serenity, full of raw, passionate, challenging, inspiring, impressive musical moments! With a program this eclectic and packed with options, with young newcomers and veterans, Montréalers welcoming tourists, and fans of jazz, electronica, blues, hip-hop, etc. rubbing shoulders under the stars of our city, it’s no wonder the world flocks here for musical magic!

Among the many major moments of this extraordinary edition, we will never forget:

The positive and contagious energy of the dazzlingly charming Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings in a memorable opening concert.

The unforgettable farewell concerts by Guy Nadon and Oliver Jones, a pair of pillars of our local scene, part of the soul of this Festival, two generous artists who helped us to build 37 years of shared musical history.

The loveliest smiles of the Festival: the brand-new Rio Tinto Musical Park was a magnet for budding young music fans, expressing their irrepressible joy of discovery!

The ultimate fun-splosion? The fabulous Jamie Cullum, with his jazzman repertoire and rock star attitude, on the Place des Festivals. Magical! And we took the perfect family photo of the event to immortalize the massive-scale moment!

There was a surprise every minute at the new Place Heineken, where the public piano drew players of every skill level, from amateurs to…Oliver Jones, Florence K and The Franklin Electric, all of whom sat down to play! Members of The Brooks also showed up in the crowd to surprise fans with an impromptu set.

Fans who wanted to take an astonishing exotic musical trip could head right over to the Escale Turkish Airlines, a crossroads of discovery with Baba Zula and their seductive psychedelic groove, as well as Turkish dance troupe Hoy-Tur, who blew up online with over 115,000 views on Facebook.

This year’s stunning performances included Avishai Cohen and Christian Scott, both equally noted for their raw talent and bold musical exploration. Fans were also thrilled by the marathon jam sessions hosted by Jordan Officer, the king of this edition, welcoming his very special guests every evening in the magnificent Place Heineken, Guy Bélanger, who performed both acoustic and electric sets the same evening in L’Astral, Joe Jackson in Place des Arts, and Champion, making his triumphant return to the Festival, and promising fans of MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE 2017 a very special encore!

If you wanted full-on adrenalin, we had sets by Danny Brown,Trombone Shorty at his craziest, funk legends Kool & the Gang, and the daring Lucky Chops as well as the Savoy’s wild party nights!

We closed our eyes and swooned to an absolutely spellbinding siren: Ala.ni, discovered last year, who confirmed her talent, and her hold over the Festival audience. We experienced true keyboard ecstasy in the intimate Piano solo series with brilliant pianists Jean-Michel Blais and Alexandra Stréliski.

We were captivated by Dunes, and their music capturing the swirling magic of the Sahara and the Sahel, the alternative rebel-rock of Mashrou’ Leila, and the sexy indietronica of Men I Trust.

The most spectacular moment? Rufus Wainwright, revisiting his repertoire orchestrally, and transcending his own reputation in magnificent fashion. And let’s not forget the wonderful Emilie-Claire Barlow with a symphony orchestra, as well as the ever-fascinating Melody Gardot. The most moving moment: Renaud Garcia Fons and Dorantes, a spinetingling piano-double bass duo, as well as the 50th anniversary of Pet Sounds helmed by the great Brian Wilson. We also loved the organic and genuine Archer, Tord Gustavsen and his guests Jarle Vespestad and Simin Tander with her stunning voice, as well as the acrobatic virtuosity of harpist Edmar Castaneda.

The wildest discoveries included the unbridled jazz of New York trio Moon Hooch, crowd favourite Cory Henry, and explosive Ethiopian band Krar Collective.

The most impressive moments? Exhilarating concerts by Bears of Legend and Busty and the Bass on the Place des Festivals !

Among the artists to watch (here, we hope!), let us mention The Comet Is Coming, Shyre, Malika Tirolien, the engaged world music of Samito, and the heartwarming soul of Lisa Simone and Jalen N’Gonda.

And you know what was toughest? Having to choose from over 800 concerts in only 11 days!

In closing, we took the most pride in witnessing the palpable happiness of our fans, experiencing this wonderful edition ensemble. And while we’re sad to watch the Festival tents come down, we have the consolation of knowing that next year, the festivities promise to be even wilder as we gear up for an edition that will be part of celebrations of the 375th anniversary of Montréal and the 150th anniversary of Canada in 2017!

Thank you, and see you all next year!

38th edition of the Festival: June 29 to July 8, 2017

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

› 2 million visitors

› 37 sold-out concerts: Wynton Marsalis, Karen Young & Coral Egan, Lorraine Desmarais, Dawn Tyler Watson, Susie Arioli, Christian Scott, Kenny Barron, Jean-Michel Blais, Alexandra Stréliski, Royal Wood, John Jacob Magistery, Shyre, Ghostly Kisses, Chick Corea, Oliver Jones, Melody Gardot, Kool & the Gang, Lauryn Hill, Taj Mahal, Stacey Kent, Joe Jackson, Florence K, Joey Alexander, Avishai Cohen, Cyrille Aimée, Taylor McFerrin, Champion et ses G-Strings, James Carter and Cory Henry

› 2019 musicians and 595 team members

› 606 performances

› 130 animation artists

› 21 stages

› Artists from 30 countries

› 10 awards presented to Brian Wilson, Lila Downs, Kenny Barron, Karen Young, Taj Mahal, Jim West, Gregory Porter, Brad Cheeseman Group, Tara Kannangara and Guy Nadon

› 9 press conferences

› Over 350 accredited journalists

› 120 accredited foreign media from 12 countries

› 2268 press articles

› An area of 760,000 ft²/70,060 m²

› 1632 lamps installed on the site

› Over 60,000 liters of beer

› Over 2,500 kilos of fries

› Over 20,000 promotional items sold

› 977 temporary employees hired, including 832 for the outdoor site

› Over 300,000 visits on the Web site

› The mobile application downloaded by over 14,000 festivalgoers