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Montreal·Creator Network

How Montreal became a hotspot for jazz

Prohibition, rail porters and the city's reputation as a "sin city" all played a role in making Montreal a place where every jazz musician wanted to play — and where homegrown musicians thrived.

Prohibition, rail porters and Montreal's reputation as a 'sin city' all played a role

Arizona O'Neill · CBC Creator Network ·

How Montreal became a hotspot for jazz

1 year ago
Duration 9:00
For CBC Creator Network, Arizona O'Neill looks at how Prohibition, rail porters and Montreal's reputation as a 'sin city' all combined to make the city where jazz musicians wanted to play.

This video was produced by the CBC Creator Network and was originally published in August 2023.

For decades, Montreal was the place to be for jazz. And the city still hosts the world's largest jazz festival.

But how did that happen?

It started during the Prohibition era of the 1920s, when swing was the most popular form of music and alcohol was freely flowing in the city.

Little Burgundy, at the time known by many as the St. Antoine District, became home to clubs where musicians were encouraged to come and jam after performing downtown.

It made the city a favourite stop for some of the biggest names in the heyday of jazz, and created an environment for homegrown talent to thrive.

More in this series:

The Creator Network, which works with emerging visual storytellers to bring their stories to CBC platforms, produced the piece. If you have an idea for the Creator Network, you can send your pitch here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Arizona O'Neill

Freelance contributor

Arizona O'Neill is a Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist whose videos have been exhibited online, in gallery settings, in apartments, on CBC and on street corners. She has created original videos for artists such as Walter Scott, Laurence Philomene and Patrick Watson, and her monthly illustrations for Drawn & Quarterly are on display at the Mile End bookstore. O'Neill has edited two anthologies: one composed of cat illustrations and the other, reinterpretations of Victorian dating manuals. Her book of illustrated interviews with celebrated and controversial Quebec artists, Est-ce qu'un artiste peut être heureux, was released in December 2022.

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