Centre-town Mont-Tremblant will sway to the rhythms of the best Quebec and Canadian jazz groups during the 11th annual Festi Jazz Mont-Tremblant, scheduled for August 1 to 5. More than 135 artists will provide shows for all tastes at the Jazz Lounge, on the Grande scène (the Big Stage), and in eight restaurants in both the Old Village and Centre-town, in the “Jazz & Grill” series.

The festival has become a must for jazz lovers and those who are new to the art. This year, it will include 50 concerts, which is 10 more than last year. The program designed by president and director Luc Hamel has a number of great offerings, including the Grand événement 11^eedition. This show, part of the “Jazz under the Stars” series, will bring together saxophonists Kirk MacDonald and Yannick Rieu, trumpeter Joe Sullivan and pianist François Bourassa – four highly talented musicians. Other must-see concerts include the opening concert with saxophonist Christine Jensen and her quartet, as well as the closing concert with Yoel Diaz, featuring Cuban jazz. Luc Hamel is also delighted to be able to welcome, as part of the “Piano Libre” series, pianists Ernie R Roussel and Simon Denizart, acclaimed respectively in 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 by Révélation Radio-Canada Jazz. Brazilian jazz group LYNX, singer Annie Poulin and the Jiménez – Thouin – Laing – Watts quartet are also musts of the “Jazz Lounge” series.

Jazz, all day and all evening

The program will open each day at 11 a.m. with Masters’ Classes where the public will be invited to share thoughts with the musicians. This is followed by a variety of concerts featuring different genres of jazz during the lunch hour after which, for a second year, promising young artists from the Laurentians will display their talents in the “Relève Jazz Laurentides”. Musical afternoons will follow with the “Jazz Lounge” series.

The evenings will begin by highlighting our major jazz pianists with the series “Piano Libre”. Following them, in addition to the musicians already mentioned, will be Vincent Gagnon, Arden Arapyan, and pianist-composer and producer of Brazilian origins, André Dequech. As night falls, festival-goers will be treated to the sounds of high-calibre concerts in the “Jazz under the Stars” series.

The opening and closing shows and the Grand événement 11^eédition will be big, and you can add to them shows by the Axel Fisch Quintet and the Michel Ferrari Trio. Jazz lovers will also want to take in the improvisational jazz sessions every night from 10:30 p.m. These up-close-and-personal encounters between the public and the artists will create magical windups to the evenings and unforgettable musical moments.

The particularly diverse program for this event will delight the some 18,000 festival-goers expected. “We are very lucky to have this festival here and to be able to attend these presentations free of charge,” concludes president-director Luc Hamel, who is elated to have been able to welcome, for eleven years and counting, the “crème de la crème” of Canadian jazz artists.

To see the full program and learn the whereabouts of the various “Jazz & Grill” concerts, check jazzmttremblant.com