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Spent last night at the amazing Festival International de Jazz de Montreal. Pictured above is Toronto-based Shakura S'Aida, an intense and powerful blues singer full of funk and soul. She was at one of the many free outdoor concert stages and really had the crowd moving! The free concerts are always wonderful, not only because the musicians are top-notch, but because you really catch the energy and magic of the festival. My highlight, though, was an indoor paid concert (so I couldn't take photographs). I was privileged to see the sublime Melody Gardot. She's a young folky-blues, acoustic jazz singer with an old soul. I've been listening to her CD for awhile now, but nothing prepared me for her voice in person. Wow! Silky, sensual, sultry, smoky, soulful...perfection!
Every Sunday since 1979, people have been meeting at the foot of Mount Royal in Montreal to participate in the Tam Tam Jam. Drummers gather and play together in various drum circles while others participate in their own ways: dancing, juggling, acrobatics, hacky-sack and all kinds of other weird and wonderful antics. I used to go on a regular basis in the late 80's when I lived in the neighbourhood. This Sunday I went with my sister Maureen and her partner, Becky, who are visiting from Nova Scotia. It was a wonderful afternoon. We found a shady spot and just hung out with the hundreds of people who were gathered there. What a lovely way to spend an afternoon, people-watching while listening to the rhythmic beat of the drums.
