Let’s crunch some numbers: Québec will have 26 venues feature over 110 shows involving nearly 250 musicians, all within a span of ten days. Now, add hundreds of fans and throw in some saxophones. What do you get? Hint … it’s not Coachella. The answer is the fifth annual Jazz Festival of Québec.
The “Festival de Jazz de Québec” is coming to Québec City October 20th-30th, showcasing the finest jazz music from across the province, country, and globe. Illustrious jazz performers such as Mark Murphy, Joe Lovano and Diane Tell are just a couple of the highlights of the festival. Jazz singing will be highly praised this year, with vocalists such as Juno Award winner Kellylee Evans, who will be singing a tribute to Nina Simone. Italian singer Roberta Gambarini will open the festival on October 19th at the Château Frontenac, landing the royal epithet of “the princess of the Château”. You can’t put a number on any of these performers, that’s for sure.
Not only can you listen to the music this year, but you can learn about it too. The festival is hosting a number of workshops and “master classes” in cooperation with the Faculty of Music at Laval University, where professionals will be stepping off the stage and into the classroom. Performers such as bassist Alain Caron, singer Ranee Lee and the trombonist Frank Lacy will visit the campus to share their knowledge of jazz. Talk about your knowledgable professors, eh? Also, the FJQ and the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation is presenting an exhibition of Adolphe Saxe, the Belgian inventor of the saxophone. And history really does come alive when saxophonists such as Maceo Parker and Dave Liebman belt out those swooning notes on their brass instruments.
Between sonorous jazz vocals and booming saxophones, this equation of jazz festivities is amping up to give a week’s worth of phenomenal performances. The talents of the musicians, singers, and composers will be showcased more than ever before, doing the jazz genre right. So if you’re in the vicinity of Québec City, and you hear a melodic sax crooning from inside a swanky bar, stop by for a song or two and catch some of the best jazz music the world has to offer.