MONTREAL – With its enormous legacy of influence on the tradition, it’s safe to say you will find a musician from St. Louis working any place in the world where jazz is played.
That certainly is the case with the 30th anniversary of Festival International de Jazz de Montreal.
Carlos Henderson, who developed his chops playing bass in blues bands on Laclede’s Landing and gospel in East Side churches, performed here Friday night in Lila Down’s band – his second appearance in bands at the Montreal jazzfest.
“Every time I come here, it’s a festival with a lot of energy,” Henderson said. “I end up staying out until the last band plays.”
With sets beginning at noon on free outdoor stages and continuing in clubs beyond midnight, this makes for long days and nights of music in Montreal.
And not only music that one would recognize as jazz proper.
“This is probably the jazz festival with the most energy and with the broadest range of music,” Henderson said.
That broad range of music explains Henderson’s appearance at the festival backing up Lila Downs, who hails from Oaxaca and plays music with a traditional Mexican flavor.
Henderson sees the inclusiveness of Festival International de Jazz de Montreal as part of a larger trend in the industry.
“People are not talking about it, but there is starting to be a change in jazz,” Henderson said.
“There is not a lot of media devoted to jazz for people to listen to. It’s starting to turn into world music.”
Henderson welcomes the evolution.
“It’s great to play in a jazz festival like this and meet people from Africa and Brazil who are playing music together,” Henderson said.
“We all listen to each other and learn from each other. I love that aspect of this festival.”
Mexico meets French Canada
Indeed, yesterday evening – in one of dozens of sold-out shows received enthusiastically by festival audiences in Montreal yesterday – a trio of Mexican brothers blended in with one of French Canada’s most beloved jazzmen.
The band Sacbe – comprised of the Toussaint brothers Eugenio (piano), Fernando (drums) and Enrique (bass) – did more than back up alto saxophonist Jean-Pierre Zanella. The hybrid ensemble played material from both repertoires, revamping compositions by Zanella and by two of the Toussaint brothers, Eugenio and Enrique.
The sound, however, had little to do with the national origins of any of the musicians. They all inhabit a tradition pioneered by African Americans and subsequently expanded by musicians of all kinds and from all places. Their particular hybrid feel evoked mid-period John Coltrane and early fusion as produced by veterans of Miles Davis’ 1970s bands.
A French Canadian who loves Brazilian jazz blending in with Mexican musicians with an iconic New Orleans name (Toussaint) sounding like mid-period Coltrane or post-Miles fusion: This exciting blend defines jazz as redefined by Festival International de Jazz de Montreal.
The 2009 festival closed yesterday. Visit www.montrealjazzfest.com for more information.
