Montreal Jazz Fest 2016: Sharon Jones to kick off festival
Jamie Cullum, West Trainz, France D'Amour will also play outdoor shows
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings will kick off this year's edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.
Jones will perform in the first of the festival's much-anticipated free outdoor shows, June 29.
The fact that the band plays old-school-style soul music reminiscent of what was around in the 1960s and 1970s made Jones the perfect choice to open up the festivities, said Laurent Saulnier, the festival's vice-president of programming.
"We figured we had to start things off with a real party," he added.
600 outdoor shows
There will be more than 600 free outdoor shows this year, featuring jazz, hip-hop, reggae, swing and blues artists.
English singer Jamie Cullum will take to the outdoor TD stage at Place des Arts on July 4.
It's his fourth time performing at the Jazz Fest. The festival usually holds its second outdoor show on a Tuesday, but Cullum wasn't available July 5, so organizers moved the show to Monday.
"For a jazzman, he's very spectacular. That's why we wanted to present this guy as a special event, because it's jazz, but [he's] a real showman also," Saulnier said.
Closing the festival on July 9 will be Montreal band West Trainz, staging what festival organizers call a "multimedia show" to celebrate music's cultural diversity.
And with the number of special guests the group is planning to include in its performance, Saulnier promises the set "will be another party to close the festival."
Other artists who will perform include:
Toronto native Francesco Yates on June 30.
Montreal outfit Busty and the Bass, winner of CBC's Rock Your Campus competition in 2014 on Canada Day, July 1.
Quebec artist France D'Amour on July 2.
Swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on July 7.
Organizers have already announced American jazz singer Melody Gardot, Rufus Wainwright and Lauryn Hill will be holding indoor, ticketed shows at the festival this year.
The festival runs from June 29 to July 9. For more information, visit the Montreal Jazz Fest website.
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