Le Grand Bal (Directed by Letetitia Carton) ***

A darling documentary that puts the lens on one of France's biggest events, People from all over the country come together to dance, take workshops, perform and share personal stories now liberated dance.

 It takes place 165 miles south of Paris in an idyllic setting. The music is splendid. You'll want to join the massive amount of ordinary folk who travel to enjoy this remarkable event. 





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International Festival of Jazz Explodes Stunningly

International Musicians Make their Mark

Montreal's International Jazz Fest  celebrates its 40th years by dazzling audiences with iconic world-class international artists. There are fifty indoor concerts in 11 different venues in and around the Quartier du Spectacles. Seventeen countries are represented in the VIP line-up of  solo artists and groups, including legendary musical masters and up-and-coming artists  for the audience to discover. The styles are eclectic, innovative, and some -- reassuringly familiar. The palette is as colourful as Montreal itself. 

                                                downtown concert venues

             For programming, concert locations and tickets, visit the website

                                         www.montrealjazzfest.com

Verdun Now on the Musical Map!

This year, there’s some pretty exciting news for jazz genre lovers about the International Festival of Jazz. The festival has enlargened its sphere of performance venue as it brings fabulous live concerts to Verdun. Wellington Street explodes into a hot bed of jazz fest enjoyment, with performances by great local musicians whose talents can finally be appreciated by the Verdun crowd of festival fans. No more having to go downtown to hear great local artists.

“The idea was, if you don’t want to come to the Jazz Fest, the Jazz Fest will come to you,” said Laurent Saulnier, Vice President of Programming for the festival.

Verdun is not just celebrating its first on-site Jazz Fest concerts, but it's now also home to the first satellite set-up for the festival.

Saulnier also highlighted the total local aspect to this year’s festival, He noted that making local artists and areas the focal point this year “just made sense”. 

Crowds enjoying artists performing in Verdun

   

Webster and 5 for Trio

Wow! This French rap artist delivers the gritty goods with passion and authenticity. His themes are about love, xenophobia, racism and everyday oppression. His band plays to perfection with rhythms that punch Webster's messages.

 DJ Fade Wizard

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SESQUIALTERA

This six-piece band is delightfully unique in the waltz music it brashly performs. Its vintage spin fires up the rhythms and sounds of the world, mixing Columbia pasillo and Brazilian chorro in waltz beat that brings nostalgia to anyone dancing feet. The brass band's  leader, Aurelien Tomasi plays a passionate clarinet like there's no tomorrow. Tuba, trombone and tympani make it all sparkle.

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Photo credit for the following photos: Edward Acheampong

Linda May Han Ho Quintet

Linda May Han Ho Quintet brought ecstatic joy to Verdun audiences. Born in Malaysia, raised in Australia and living now in New York, she play bass and composes. She's currently the bassist for the Pat Matheny quartet. A fascinating musician, she just finished her 4th album, Walk Against the Wind. It's a masterpiece.

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                 Downtown outdoors concerts: a review of two

Eric Truffaz Quartet

Eric Truffaz blows that trumpet, and the world stops to listen

Jazz trumpeter  Eric Turfazz  lit up Place des Festivals blowing his trumpet to titillate while treating us all to his compositions from his landmrk album, Bending New Corners. Truffaz should change his name to Truejazz, because his trumpet playing merits to blast into his name. The concert included  his friends who added their own taut twist. We enjoyed them all: guest rapper NYA, and long-time musical companions: bassist Marcello Guiliani, drummer  Marc Erbetta and pianist Benoit Corboz              
                                    
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Mississippi Heat

The name says it all. This  blues powerhouse gang gets the Afro-American beat into a Mississippi heat wave that embraces all the down-south flavours you can imagine. The band hails from Chicago but their  soulful appeal is world-wide. Songwriter and harmonica player Pierre Lacoque is a god.

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 Read about the press conference with Alan Parsons and my review of his concert.

 https://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.com/2019/07/parsons-pressconference-july-3-rd.html#.XR85A497nIU

https://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.com/2019/07/alan-parsons-night-to-shine.html#.XR845o97nIU  

 

            

I`m in Heaven with the voices of Il Volo!

                                                      

Once in a century, music is turned on its ear by a new sensational group. This year, the group is Il Volo, It has hit the world like a big pizza pie flying into the air, sending amore vibes into everyone`s ear. The sound that comes from these young men's voices is indeed heavenly. It is hypnotizing. Their average age is 17. They are untrained but they are managed by two producers who are closely aligned with Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion.

Luck brought me Il Volo

I ended up one night at their show in Montreal held in Place des Arts. I had neither ticket nor any plan to see them. A woman named Sarah who was in charge of concert audience management and the Meet and Greet folks - all of whom had paid big bucks to go backstage and meet the three gorgeous guys, insisted I attend and take part in meeting them too. Sarah saw my journalist credentials hanging off my neck. I was returning from the Montreal World Film Festival, and so she thought it a good thing I hear them.
Not being interested in pop Italian opera, I expressed a passing  interest, but once she handed me the ticket and looked earnestly at me saying their manager would love me to go backstage and meet them and hear the concert, I agreed. I really did not wish to disappoint Sarah. I am so glad I did! I have never been so excited and thrilled by the music and spectacle that dazzle my ears and eyes.

Elegant and suave, their sonic beauty was heightened by lighting and projections on the back walls of scenes from a Charlie Chaplin movie (when they sang ‘Smile’), and watercolour animations of love images.
These darling young fellows put on a splendid show, joking and making comments with their thick Italian accents to members in the audience, but it is their voices, alone and together that make you believe there really is a heaven - one ringing with celestial romantic songs and upbeat ones too that stir the soul and sizzle the body. They are hot!

No matter the song, each singer mastered the phrasing, pitch and emotion with passion and impeccable timing.
I will not list the songs they sung, but if you go to their albums and check out You Tube, they are all there. My favourite for the evening was El Reloj (a song about eternal love being bound up in time passing). I did not want this concert to end. I wanted all time to stop. I was exhilarated by my evening of magnificent surprise, intensified all the more when Sarah called my name to meet them backstage in a little room where she insisted my picture be taken with them. ''Gianluca, Piero and Ignacio - having you near me made me feel light headed.'' I was flying high for the rest of the week!

                                                                          Gianluca

Piero

                                                                              Ignacio

Jersey Boys

A Marvellous Musical! about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

High Voltage Volume and Energy Deliver a Powerhouse Story

Reviewed by Nancy Snipper

Wow! This frenetically fabulous musical dazzles us as it charts the rise of Frankie Valli and his three talented friends: composer, Bob Gaudio, long time sketchy go-getter and gambler Tommy DeVito, bass boy, Nick Massi and the group’s lyricist, Bob Crewe.  Spectacular harmonies blend to bring to life this iconic 50’s group that spilled out hit after hit. The production offered a back screen animated with comic book images and names of the various clubs that the group performed in, such as the Strand in 1953.

 
 The Silhouette and the Sea Breeze Diner Club; they lit up the back like marquees to highlight the group’s stage gigs and the pictures vividly created the innocence and tenor of the times. The set was framed in a huge metal grid that sported a staircase.

The story of the Four Seasons is one wherein the singing boys traveled together through deep valleys of setbacks, but undeterred they eventually soar to high performance mountain peaks.

What I loved about the production was the zippy non-stop presentation of the story within a musical framework that left no stone unturned. Medley after medley imbedded itself into the various episodic segments of this group that endured decades while others had one-hit wonders and faded into oblivion. 

Dance numbers, a great band and the superlative staging and direction by Des McAnuff created the success as the hyper lively pace superb music showed off the stellar acting and musical talents of all: Drew Seeley, Keith Hines and Nicolas Dromard. Hayden Milanes was Frankie Valli incarnate. What a voice! His stamina was truly a feat of nature, as he was constantly acting, singing and moving. He even pulled off a fast out-of-nowhere James Brown splitz. 

All were great: These veteran actors have appeared on Broadway and toured onto a slew of prestigious stages rocking the world with their musical talents. The Jersey Boys is one of these feel-good productions that have you singing Sherry, Sherry Baby as you leave the theatre. Get ready to keep up with the electrifying pace as the story about this timeless – The Four Seasons and their main star, Frank Valli is revealed like never before.

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