President and Founder
JPdL
Montreal
What are three great ways for groups to experience Montreal’s renowned jazz scene?
Montreal International Jazz Festival:
For over three decades, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal has drawn millions of jazz lovers from all over the world. The festival started in 1979 when creator Alain Simard, a passionate music lover, envisioned launching a jazz festival of truly international scale. The festival now annually offers about 650 concerts, of which three-quarters are free of charge, hosting about 3,000 musicians from over 30 countries. About 2.5 million visitors come from all over the planet, and the event has become a laboratory for the creation of new talent, most recently contributing to the successes of artists such as Diana Krall and Norah Jones.
Montreal Jazz Tour:
Thanks to the success of the Jazz Festival, Montreal has become known as one of the jazz capitals of the world. On a jazz tour, groups discover a highly colorful and rhythmic Montreal. They pass through downtown, the Latin Quarter and Jean-Drapeau Park, as the whole history of the jazz festival is exposed. The tour continues in the Petite-Bourgogne neighborhood, where so many of the city's great jazz players grew up.
Jazz-Themed Evening:
The rich ambiance of a jazz club atmosphere is created by red monochrome lighting effects, together with pulsing red fabric, a square central bar with stools, elegant black cocktail rounds and neon musical notes. Groups can enjoy John Labelle, a superb jazz vocalist accompanied by his trio. During his breaks, the New World Jazz Trio, which brings together three individuals with cultural backgrounds from three different parts of the world—India, Ghana and Trinidad—keeps the spirit of jazz thumping.