We were provided press passes to the Thievery Corporation performance by the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. All opinions are my own and are honest.
One of the things about my husband that I love the most is that he finds joy in surprising me and we both love to expose each other to new things. This time, as an anniversary gift, he took it upon himself to surprise me with a trip to Montréal so that we would be able to attend one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world: Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (Montréal Jazz Festival).
Taking place from June 28th – July 7th, the Montréal Jazz Festival is an 11-day annual celebration of not only music from various genres of jazz but also Blues, Soul, Brazilian, Cuban, African, Rhythm and Blues (R&B), Reggae and more. With about 500 concerts both indoor and outdoor, and the lot of them are free, there are many opportunities to listen to music from veteran and newbie artists from over 30 countries. There is literally music to please the ear of just about anyone, giving you the opportunity to be exposed to new music and artists from all over the world.
Most of the concerts we attended while in Montréal for four days of the festival were indoor, taking place at Place des Arts – the largest cultural and artistic complex in Montréal.
We were thankful for the indoor performances as they gave us refuge from the rain. We were able to listen to and see renowned blues artist, Buddy Guy whom my husband is a total “stan” of.
We watched and listened to one of the “dopest” keyboard players and producers around, Robert Glasper and the Robert Glasper Project, perform. Casey Benjamin is sick on the saxophone and vocoderist. Remember I said the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is an opportunity to be introduced to new music and artists?
We fell in love with Thievery Corporation, a Washington D.C. based collective of recording artist fusing the musical styles of Reggae, Indian Classical, Hip Hop, Electronica, Brazilian and more. This was the first time we have seen a concert hall stand up and celebrate for nearly an entire show.
There were so many shows it made it difficult for us to choose, especially since the free outdoor shows, which are open to the public, were held on multiple stages and for the most part, at the same time. This only confirms two things: 1. we need to go back 2. We have to stay for the duration of the festival. We missed Anderson Paak performing!
My husband and I are already planning our trip back for the 2018 Festival International de Jazz de Montréal because it was that good! This time we plan on making it a double couple’s weekend getaway by having my best friend and her husband tag along too. I have to give it to my husband for planning this weekend getaway. It was one of the best yet.
For more information on the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal visit here: http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/
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Have you been to the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal?
We were provided press passes to the Thievery Corporation performance by the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. All opinions are my own and are honest.