Programmation

Complete programmation - 9th edition calendar

The OFF Jazz Festival of Montreal is proud to present its 9th edition, which is taking place from the 13th to the 21st of June 2008. The festival will be held in four venues most auspicious for jazz music : The Lion d’Or, the Dièse Onze jazz club, The Sala Rossa and the Pub St. Ciboire.

Always faithful to its mandate, The OFF Festival offers Quebec musicians an exceptional space in which to showcase their original projects. The diversity and the high quality of the applications that were submitted are, once again, proof of the effervescence and vitality of the Quebec jazz scene – the engine that drives us forward.

The concerts calendar for 2008 will feature, with 32 concerts, not only young talents to be discovered, but also several established figures of jazz. We will present a large range of contemporary creations that blend traditions, poetry, history, various cultures, modernism, aesthetics and creative research. This year, we will also have the honour of receiving several great musicians from abroad,  for collaborations with Quebec artists. To name a few exciting collaborations : The Sweedish composer Lars Hollmer teams up with La Fanfare Pourpour, the Austrian stand-up bass player Peter Herbert joins the ranks of the projet 5e route, and the Norwegian guitarist Kim Myhr joins forces with Philippe Lauzier.

It is with great pleasure that the festival will feature shows that are rarely presented, such as the ambitious project on Louis Riel by Normand Guilbeault, the grand premiere of Marianne Trudel’s septet, and the launch of Chet Doxas’ new record, « Le Mur ».

With the intent of building bridges with other Montreal promoters of creative music, the Off festival will team-up this year with the Suoni per il Popolo. This collaboration will bear fruit in the form of two nights at the Sala Rossa, in which the American cult band, The Sun Ra Arkestra, will be headlining.

I would like to warmly thank all our public and private partners, the board of directors, the volunteers and all the other people who are involved in the festival, without whom we would not be able to accomplish our mission.

Thanks to you as well, our dear public for your faithfulness and curiosity.

Have a good 9th edition!

Christophe Papadimitriou
President