It’s the 33nd annual Festival International de Jazz de Montreal. MAGNET’s Mitch Myers translates the action.
If the beginning of the Montreal Jazz Festival was geared toward pomp and circumstance—like the extravagant Rufus Wainwright extravaganza and a jazzy 2012 “Spirit Award” presented to Mr. James Taylor—Friday night was more about the music. Solid artists were gigging all around––singer Patricia Barber and pianist Kenny Werner united in a duo format, the trio of David Sanchez, Nick Payton and Stefon Harris brought their inventive Ninety Miles project to town, and for some reason jazz-bassist poster girl Esperanza Spalding drew a major crowd to the Metropolis nightclub. Bass virtuoso Stanley Clarke (last year’s winner of the Festival’s annual Miles Davis Award) gave the second show of his Invitation Series, and Canadian pianist/arranger Vic Vogel set a new record performing at the festival for the 32nd time in 33 years!
Belgian-born guitarist Philip Catherine came up in the ’60s as a Django Reinhardt reincarnation, was successful playing fusion and even some rock in the ’70s and is now an international elder of jazz guitar. Performing as part of the festival’s “Guitarissimo” series (did I forget to mention there’s a Guitar Festival going on here, too?), Catherine used a looping technique to perform duets all by his lonesome. While the song constructions were fascinating to observe, it took a while for each tune to fully flower—usually after the rhythmic chords were established and Catherine was able to play his exquisite lead work over the top. Shining on both acoustic and electric guitar and playing beautiful jazz standards, Catherine was impeccable but a little stifled. It was only when his old friend and guitar compatriot Larry Coryell spontaneously joined him onstage for a real duet, playing Reinhardt’s “Nuages,” that things loosened up.
The most significant show of the evening, and perhaps the entire festival, would have to been the stellar performance by the Wayne Shorter Quartet. The festival’s loose definition of “jazz” can sometimes bother the purists, but rest assured all the heavy hitters turned out to see this show. In terms of being an uncompromising musician and a shrewd, inspiring bandleader, saxophonist/composer Shorter is the one true successor to his former boss, Miles Davis. (Sorry, Herbie.)
Sustaining mystery, spontaneity and intimacy with three other amazingly talented musicians, Shorter and his current team have been together for 14 years. They are probably the most dangerous jazz band on the planet. It’s not just that Brian Blade is a volcanic drummer, John Patitucci an incredibly deep and fluid bassist and pianist Danilo Perez a canny and inventive foil for Shorter, it’s that the group performs as one mind like nobody else in the business. Winding its way intuitively though classic Shorter compositions from decades past, the band thundered and whispered and toyed with time itself for almost two hours and gave two encores. Shorter himself was playful, devious and bold on both tenor and soprano saxophones, and he even lent a bit of whistling when the spirit moved. Adored by the Montreal audience, Shorter is a true jazz giant who legitimized the Montreal festival as it wisely paid tribute to him.
