Montreal Cultural Calendar

JAM au BALCON

Behind Klaus’s face, weathered by the harshness of the road he’s traveled, the minds and hearts of François Lafontaine (Karkwa, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Galaxie) and Joe Grass (Patrick Watson, Elisapie, The Barr Brothers, Lhasa) recognized the magnitude of the jolts that brought him to the edge of the ravine. All that time, were they the monster? Or had they simply been feeding it every morning?

In every small gesture, every decision easier than the last, with the album II they manage to silence the surrounding noise—the reverb and needless echo of the day’s headlines—to deliver the splendor of a sugar rush and the swell of a wave.

It’s Joe Grass and François Lafontaine—two mules ready to carry on their shoulders an entity greater than themselves. It’s Frankenstein on a Smarties buzz. It’s Klaus.

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr.
Leonard Cohen 

Donald
Brittain and Don Owen, 1965, 44 minutes
This informal black-and-white portrait of Leonard Cohen shows him at age 30 on a visit to his hometown of Montreal, where the poet, novelist and songwriter comes "to renew his neurotic affiliations." He reads his poetry to an enthusiastic crowd, strolls the streets of the city, relaxes in this three-dollar-a-night hotel room and even takes a bath.
In English with French subtitles.
First part:
Oscar
Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre, 2016, 12 minutes
Mixing animated sequences and archival footage, Oscar is a touching portrait of virtuoso pianist Oscar Peterson at the twilight of an exceptional career, as he wistfully meditates on the price of fame and the impacts of the artist’s life on family life.
From the young prodigy’s beginnings in Little Burgundy to his triumphs on the international scene, this animated documentary by Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre explores the profound solitude of an artist constantly on tour. Set to the tunes of Peterson’s sometimes catchy, sometimes melancholy-tinged compositions, the film tells a heartfelt story about a life in jazz.

The Ottawa
Junior Jazz Band (OJJB) is an 18-piece big band featuring exceptional student
musicians in grades 7 through 10 from across the Ottawa region. Now celebrating
its 24th season, OJJB provides an exciting platform for young instrumentalists
to build on their middle school experiences and foster a lifelong passion for
the big band tradition.  OJJB has been awarded 24 consecutive Gold
Standards at the Capital Region Music Festival.  The band has been awarded
the Gold Standard at every performance they have had at Musicfest Canada's
National Competition.   OJJB has been featured at the Ottawa International
Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival and in 2009, traveled to Dallas to
perform at the University of North Texas Jazz Festival.  The band has had
the pleasure of performing on stage with jazz artists Mark Ferguson, Nick
Dyson, and Mike Tremblay. Anyone who aspires to be the next member of OJJB is
required to audition for entry into the band.  To learn more about the
band, visit their website at
http://ojjb.ca
.

Jamaican-Canadian singer-songwriter Sammy Jackson has quickly emerged as one of the most compelling young voices on Canada’s music scene, with two EPs, a full-length album, and a 2021 Juno Awards win for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. She has performed on major stages including the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and the Toronto Jazz Festival.
Her music blends jazz, R&B, and pop into a distinctive, personal style, shaped by both her vocal finesse and compositional voice. After her debut EP
Take Me Back
(2016), she gained wider recognition with
With You
(2020), a JUNO-winning project created in part with vocalist Jacqueline Teh and a collective of leading Canadian musicians.
Released in late 2024, her debut album
In The Meantime
reflects her current life as a mother, wife, and graduate student at the University of Toronto—an intimate, song-driven work where emotional honesty takes center stage.

Born in 1960 in Paris and a citizen of both the United States and Canada, self-taught pianist and composer Jean-Michel Pilc has collaborated with many major jazz figures such as Roy Haynes, Michael Brecker, Kenny Garrett, Chris Potter, and Richard Bona. He has also served as musical director for Harry Belafonte and performed in duo with Jessye Norman.
Based in New York since 1995, he formed a trio with François Moutin and Ari Hoenig, with whom he recorded several acclaimed albums. His international career includes numerous solo, trio, and collaborative projects, as well as prestigious composition commissions, including a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Also recognized as an educator, he has taught at NYU, The New School, and later at McGill University, where he became a full professor and an active figure in the Montreal jazz scene. An author and creator of many improvisation teaching resources, he continues to lead an active career combining performance, recording, and education.

Jamaican-Canadian singer-songwriter Sammy Jackson has quickly emerged as one of the most compelling young voices on Canada’s music scene, with two EPs, a full-length album, and a 2021 Juno Awards win for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. She has performed on major stages including the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and the Toronto Jazz Festival.
Her music blends jazz, R&B, and pop into a distinctive, personal style, shaped by both her vocal finesse and compositional voice. After her debut EP
Take Me Back
(2016), she gained wider recognition with
With You
(2020), a JUNO-winning project created in part with vocalist Jacqueline Teh and a collective of leading Canadian musicians.
Released in late 2024, her debut album
In The Meantime
reflects her current life as a mother, wife, and graduate student at the University of Toronto—an intimate, song-driven work where emotional honesty takes center stage.

Do you know gamer jazz? It’s a musical style created by and for Ping Pong Go, a duo with outsized ambitions, formed by two of the most prolific musicians on the Quebec scene, Vincent Gagnon and P.E. Beaudoin.
Spotted on stage with Hubert Lenoir, Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Ariane Roy, Keith Kouna, and countless other artists, they unveiled their playful, instrumental musical concept in 2022 with a first album on Popop Records, ultimately bringing nerds and athletes together under a single soundtrack worthy of both the Olympics and vintage video games.
A true UFO in the jazz world, both on stage and on record, Ping Pong Go is back with a second album boldly titled SMASH COMBAT. We wish them all the medals and trophies.
They just released their new album Smash Combat! The first single "Sam Bozen" paves the way to a new era of gamer jazz, the very unique music style o Ping Pong Go.

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Following in the footsteps of his father, Dewey Redman, Joshua Redman has established himself as one of the most prominent saxophonists of his generation. With a new album released on Blue Note last year, the saxophonist is stopping by l'Academie to chat with Mark Ruffin
The discussion will be held in English. The festival will provide access to an AI-powered simultaneous translation application available on mobile devices, offering translation into all languages.

Best known for his work with Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Victor Wooten is considered one of the top ten bassists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. The musician—who has won five GRAMMYs over the course of his career—takes us through the creative process behind their music.
The discussion will be held in English. The festival will provide access to an AI-powered simultaneous translation application available on mobile devices, offering translation into all languages.

Curtis Nowosad is a JUNO-nominated, NYC-based jazz drummer, composer, educator, and recording artist originally from Winnipeg, Canada. Based in New York for over a decade, he has become an active figure on both the NYC and international jazz scenes as a bandleader and sideman.
He has performed with a wide range of leading jazz artists across generations, including Jazzmeia Horn, Jane Monheit, Marc Cary, Braxton Cook, and many others, touring extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia. He has also shared the stage with jazz legends such as Ron Carter, Dave Liebman, Jimmy Owens, and Candido Camero, and regularly performs at major venues and festivals.
As a leader, he has released several projects exploring jazz, social themes, and experimentation, including
Dialectics
(JUNO-nominated),
If I Had
, and
PRIMORDIAL
. His upcoming album
I Am Doing My Best
features all-original music and reflects themes of healing and self-reflection.
Nowosad also maintains an active educational career, holding a Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music, where he teaches on the Precollege jazz faculty, alongside an ongoing international performing and recording career.

Award-winning guitarist-singer-songwriter Cécile Doo-Kingué is rapidly earning a stellar reputation and a place amongst Canada’s current roster of great guitarists. Powerful and raw, the NYC-born Montrealer is a force of nature whose lyrics, sound and exceptional stage presence make for an enthralling and intimate experience. The 5-time Maple Blues Awards nominee has released four albums to critical acclaim, has opened for, shared a stage and/or recorded with Montreal Jubilation Choir, Bernard Purdie, John Prine, Blind Boys of Alabama, Canned Heat, Angelique Kidjo, and Eric Andersen amongst many.

Raised in the wilds of Vancouver Island, 25-year-old Elysia Biro (pronounced Eh-lee-sha Bee-row) is a technically gifted singer, songwriter, and pianist. A student of classical piano at age 4, Biro began writing her own music at 13 while teaching herself how to play jazz by ear after being inspired by the genre’s improvisational free form. After receiving her diploma in classical piano from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto and graduating high school at age 16, Biro earned her Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies for piano and voice before moving to England to complete her Master’s of Music degree at the University of York. 

Crafting her unique sound from an expansive fusion of genres, Elysia Biro’s songwriting blends modern pop form and classical technique with jazz sensibilities. An expressive and introspective songwriter, her warm, soulful vocals reflect her journey through self-discovery, love, and introspection, painting a compelling portrait of life as she knows it right now, blossoming between seasons. Biro has quickly amassed a dedicated audience on social media through her captivating vocals and virtuosic transcriptions of jazz solos. Now based in Los Angeles where she writes, records and produces, Elysia Biro continues to combine worlds, creating sonic sanctuaries all her own.

"Dans les airs" is CHOQ.ca's cultural magazine, offering a fresh perspective on culture. We take you all over the city to show a different side of Montreal. Episode hosted by Renaud Vaillancourt and Tomy Tanguay.

Curtis Nowosad is a JUNO-nominated, NYC-based jazz drummer, composer, educator, and recording artist originally from Winnipeg, Canada. Based in New York for over a decade, he has become an active figure on both the NYC and international jazz scenes as a bandleader and sideman.
He has performed with a wide range of leading jazz artists across generations, including Jazzmeia Horn, Jane Monheit, Marc Cary, Braxton Cook, and many others, touring extensively across North America, Europe, and Asia. He has also shared the stage with jazz legends such as Ron Carter, Dave Liebman, Jimmy Owens, and Candido Camero, and regularly performs at major venues and festivals.
As a leader, he has released several projects exploring jazz, social themes, and experimentation, including
Dialectics
(JUNO-nominated),
If I Had
, and
PRIMORDIAL
. His upcoming album
I Am Doing My Best
features all-original music and reflects themes of healing and self-reflection.
Nowosad also maintains an active educational career, holding a Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music, where he teaches on the Precollege jazz faculty, alongside an ongoing international performing and recording career.

Award-winning guitarist-singer-songwriter Cécile Doo-Kingué is rapidly earning a stellar reputation and a place amongst Canada’s current roster of great guitarists. Powerful and raw, the NYC-born Montrealer is a force of nature whose lyrics, sound and exceptional stage presence make for an enthralling and intimate experience. The 5-time Maple Blues Awards nominee has released four albums to critical acclaim, has opened for, shared a stage and/or recorded with Montreal Jubilation Choir, Bernard Purdie, John Prine, Blind Boys of Alabama, Canned Heat, Angelique Kidjo, and Eric Andersen amongst many.

Originally from Rouyn-Noranda, Zach Zoya grew up at the crossroads of South African rhythms and North American soul and pop sounds, shaping a rich and eclectic musical identity.
The first English-speaking artist signed to the French-language label 7ième Ciel Records, he quickly gained attention with his EP Spectrum, critically acclaimed and nominated for several awards, including the ADISQ. His EP No Love Is Ever Wasted (2022) has accumulated millions of streams and includes the radio hits Start Over and Upper Hand.
In 2023, he received multiple awards, including at the Gala Dynastie and from the SOCAN Foundation. His sound has since evolved toward a blend of R&B, melodic rap, and alternative pop, notably on his EP It’s Always Sunny in Glendale (2024), inspired by his life experience in California.
He is now working on Misstape 2, a new collaboration with Montreal producer High Klassified, following their first project Misstape (2018), which marked the beginning of his career.

High Klassified is a multi-platinum producer known for his bold, experimental approach and distinctive sound, blending complex rhythms, ethereal melodies, and avant-garde textures. Active since 2011, he has become one of the most innovative figures in modern music production.
He has collaborated with major artists including A-Trak, Damso, Future, Hamza, The Weeknd, and Zach Zoya, moving fluidly between Francophone and Anglophone scenes. His work has taken him across the world, with projects in cities such as Los Angeles, Paris, London, Berlin, Seoul, New York, and Shanghai.
In 2025, he marks a pivotal year with a European tour, multiple festival appearances in Quebec, and the release of RAVARU, a French-language project featuring key artists from the current scene. He also launches the first single from Misstape, a new collaboration with Zach Zoya.
Based in Laval, he continues to refine his sound and shape the future of contemporary music production through constant creative exploration.

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To mark the centennial of John Coltrane, this special conversation offers a deep dive into the legacy of the legendary saxophonist through a world premiere presentation of selections from the mythical “Tiberi Tapes,” hosted by Ken Druker of Verve Records. The discussion will revisit the pivotal early to mid-1960s period, marked by the recording of the Tiberi Tapes and the creation of the iconic album A Love Supreme.
The audience will also discover the little-known connection between Blue World and Montréal through filmmaker Gilles Groulx and the National Film Board of Canada. Through listening sessions, conversation, and reflection, this event will explore Coltrane’s enduring impact on jazz and the arts, as well as the reasons why his music continues to inspire and resonate with audiences today. A question-and-answer session will conclude the event. The discussion will be led by Ken Druker of Verve Records.
The discussion will be held in English. The festival will provide access to an AI-powered simultaneous translation application available on mobile devices, offering translation into all languages. With Samuel Blais as a moderator.

Anna Webber-tenor sax/flute

Sarah Rossy-voice/keyboards

Chiquita Magic-keyboards/voice

John Hollenbeck-drums/piano/composition

John Hollenbeck formed GEORGE during the Covid pandemic. He brought together three great musicians/people whom he loved and admired for a long time!  Even though most of the members had never met each other, John was confident from knowing them himself, that this group would immediately be, as one of the members calls it, "tight" (which means "very cool" in case you were wondering). Their group sound is firmly planted outside any categories or labels!  They remotely recorded a literal "Proof of Concept" in March 2021 and finally met in person in January 2022 in Montreal, Canada where they recorded "Letters to George", which was released on vinyl/cd/digitally on Out Of Your Head Records in January 27, 2023.

CIBL 101.5 will broadcast a special cultural program live from Montreal Jazz Fest to bring the excitement of the event to its listeners and to welcome the featured artists performing on the various stages. Interviews lasting 5 to 8 minutes will be conducted with them to discuss their show, their music, their artistic approach, and their creative universe.

Hansom Ēli is a Montreal-based duo formed in 2019 by siblings Camille and Alexy Guérer. Camille writes the lyrics and sings, while Alexy, a multi-instrumentalist and producer, composes the melodies.
Their music blends folk, R&B, funk, and indie pop, drawing comparisons to artists like Feist and Christine and the Queens. Bilingual in French and English—and occasionally incorporating Spanish—they create intuitively, often through improvisation.
Their name, inspired by the word “handsome,” reflects a desire to challenge gender norms. Embracing an eco-conscious lifestyle, their values are also reflected in their music, which is shaped by themes of travel and nature.

Anna Webber-tenor sax/flute

Sarah Rossy-voice/keyboards

Chiquita Magic-keyboards/voice

John Hollenbeck-drums/piano/composition

John Hollenbeck formed GEORGE during the Covid pandemic. He brought together three great musicians/people whom he loved and admired for a long time!  Even though most of the members had never met each other, John was confident from knowing them himself, that this group would immediately be, as one of the members calls it, "tight" (which means "very cool" in case you were wondering). Their group sound is firmly planted outside any categories or labels!  They remotely recorded a literal "Proof of Concept" in March 2021 and finally met in person in January 2022 in Montreal, Canada where they recorded "Letters to George", which was released on vinyl/cd/digitally on Out Of Your Head Records in January 27, 2023.

Samant is a versatile composer and producer from Montreal known for crafting distinctive sounds that move seamlessly across R&B, hip-hop, pop, and alternative music. With an intuitive and collaborative approach, he creates unique sonic worlds tailored to each artist and project, always prioritizing emotion, experimentation, and authenticity.
As his presence continues to grow within the Canadian music scene, Samant is now preparing the release of his debut album, ATMANS. The project is introduced through the singles RUFFRIDE featuring Lou Val and HEARTLESS featuring Topaz Jones, offering a first glimpse into his genre-blending musical universe.

JAM au BALCON

See the full After Jazz at PHONO schedule

Samant is a versatile composer and producer from Montreal known for crafting distinctive sounds that move seamlessly across R&B, hip-hop, pop, and alternative music. With an intuitive and collaborative approach, he creates unique sonic worlds tailored to each artist and project, always prioritizing emotion, experimentation, and authenticity.
As his presence continues to grow within the Canadian music scene, Samant is now preparing the release of his debut album, ATMANS. The project is introduced through the singles RUFFRIDE featuring Lou Val and HEARTLESS featuring Topaz Jones, offering a first glimpse into his genre-blending musical universe.