The highlights of the indoor programming for the upcoming Montreal International Jazz Festival were already known, but the outdoor lineup was eagerly anticipated. Let’s take a look at the diverse offerings of this edition, which pays homage to Miles Davis, Coltrane, and UZEB, while also staying rooted in the present with performances by Okonski, Willow, and Patrick Watson.
Published yesterday at 5:00 PM
Place des Festivals
The duo Angine de Poitrine, the current phenomenon, will grace the main stage of the festival on June 27. They will be joined by other local artists like The Barr Brothers (June 25) and Patrick Watson (July 3) at the heart of the Montreal International Jazz Festival site. Korokoko, blending jazz and afrobeat, is set to make new friends on June 26. Noteworthy acts include Saint Levant (July 2), a multilingual and multi-genre musical project, and the unique Willow (Smith, daughter of Will Smith, on June 30), who continues to evolve by amalgamating rock, indie, and jazz aesthetics on their recent album “Petal Rock Black.”
Jazz «»adjacent»
Image of singer Annahstasia
The 2026 program explores the intersections of rap, R&B, neo-soul, and jazz. Maurin Auxéméry, the programming director of the FIJM, highlights artists in this vein this year like Destin Conrad (July 1, TD Stage), McKinley Dixon (June 26, TD Studio, free), and Gabriel Jacoby (July 4, TD Stage). He’s excited about the presence of Gotts Street Park (July 1, Rogers Stage) and praises the unique voice of American singer Annahstasia (July 2, TD Stage), whose recent album “Live at Glasshaus” is truly impressive.
Jazz jazz
Image of Charles Lloyd’s quartet
Maurin Auxéméry praises the innovative Louis Cole (“Clown Core, Knowler”) and his unconventional big band (June 25, Rogers Stage). He describes it as jazz but with a very next-wave approach. Molly Johnson (June 27 at Gesù), the unforgettable Charles Lloyd quartet (also on June 27 at Maison symphonique), and Avishai Cohen (June 26 at Pub Molson) highlight the jazz concerts unveiled this Thursday. Okonski, blending jazz and classical music, will be performing at Gesù on June 30.
Miles and Coltrane
A hundred years ago, two jazz giants were born: Miles Davis and John Coltrane. FIJM is commemorating this with tributes including Christine Jensen and her sextet presenting “Modes of Coltrane” (July 1, Club Montréal Loto-Québec), and Isaiah Collier performing the entirety of “A Love Supreme” (July 3, Duceppe). Marcus Miller (June 25, Maison symphonique) and Ron di Lauro reviving “Kind of Blue” (July 3 at Gesù) are part of the homage lineup. Additionally, there will be a cine-concert where the Rémil Cormier Quintet will recreate the iconic music from the film “Ascenseur pour l’échafaud” by Louis Malle, famously improvised by Miles Davis.
UZEB celebrated
Image of the UZEB trio in 1991
2026 marks another anniversary, this time Quebecois: the 50th anniversary of the formation of the UZEB group by Michel Cusson. While the trio won’t reunite like in 2017 for FIJM, Cusson and Caron will perform separately at Gesù: the guitarist presenting “Voltage” on June 30, and the bassist’s trio with the ESCA quartet on July 3. The festival will also host the premiere of the documentary “UZEB en fusion” on June 29 at Monument-National.
Latin sounds
Image of Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso
Although Montréal may not be as Latin as some might think, it sure has a strong Latin presence. Maurin Auxéméry notes that the city’s Latin American communities flock to FIJM to enjoy sounds from the southern continent. Acts like Lila Downs (June 25, MTelus), the experimental Argentine duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoros (June 26, MTelus), and El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico (June 29, Wilfrid-Pelletier) showcase the diverse Latin sounds. Outdoor stages will feature Los Mirlos from Peru (June 27), Fabiola Mández from Puerto Rico (June 29), and Mascario Martínez from Mexico (July 3).
Check out the program here.
