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.

See the full After Jazz at PHONO schedule