The 18th season of the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, May 9 to June 1, mixes international and local string quartets, the brilliance of Bach and several evenings of jazz, all in the stunning, acoustically pleasing St. George’s Church in historical Old Montreal…

World-class musicians and emerging artists rub shoulders at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, where the traditional music of the festival’s Classical Series is complemented by a Jazz Series, together proving that innovation, creativity and beautiful music remain at the heart of the festival. Opening night, marks a special occasion: for the first time ever, the Boston Chamber Music Society, led by Artistic Directors Marcus Thompson and Denis Brott, performs in Montreal. The following night, Montreal jazz legend, pianist Oliver Jones plays alongside musicians Eric Lagacé on bass and Jim Doxas on drums, with an opening set by bassist Brandi Disterheft and her quartet, all at St-George’s Church.

Further on the classical side, master cellist Colin Carr performs Schubert and more, while The Fine Arts Quartet and Brazilian pianist Cristina Ortiz and others offer a two-night performance dedicated to St. Saëns. May 22 marks the beginning of “Bach Week,” featuring solo Bach performances, the Brandenburg Concertos, the complete cello concertos and more, including jazz-Bach with the Swingle Singers. Enjoy two nights of French music with French pianist Jean-Philippe Collard and David Jalbert, and on May 30, The Emerson String Quartet performs with their new cellist Paul Watkins.

The festival also celebrates Camille Saint-Saëns via three concerts and talks by Oxford University Press author Sabina Ratner: the Fine Arts Quartet; Brazilian pianist Christina Ortiz; OSM Principal Trumpet Paul Merkelo, Principal Bass Ali Yazdanfar and up-and-coming star Annie Zhou. As well, winners of the triennial Instrument Bank Competition for emerging talents will perform on 18 unique violins and cellos, made by Stradivarius, Guarneri, Gagliano and other masters, from the Canadian collection.

The festival explores the overlap of genres with its Jazz Series: popular Brazilian guitarist Chico Pinheiro and his ensemble perform in Montreal for the first time; The Swingle Singers 50th Anniversary Celebration gets the party started with everything from their take on The Beatles to Debussy’s Clair de Lune, New York pianist Eldar Djangirov returns with a new album and many standards, and guitar duo The Assad Brothers with Grammy-winning clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera end the jazz portion of the fest on a Latin jazz note.

A double concert dedicated to Tchaikovsky’s chamber music closes the festival on June 1, including his first String Quartet, his Piano Trio, his Souvenir de Florence, the Scherzo from his 6th Symphony and his Serenade for Strings, featuring several festival artists in one big celebration of springtime-suited chamber music. And even before the festival begins, get a glimpse of the chamber-music spirit at free evening shows by brass quintet Frolic, at Place des Arts’ Espace culturel Georges-Émile Lapalme on May 7 and 8 at 6:30 p.m. For the full schedule of all the duos, trios and quintets on the program, see the Montreal Chamber Music Festival website.

THE DETAILS

Montreal Chamber Music Festival, May 9-June 1, 2013

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“Tango is the music of my city, a way to live,” says drummer Daniel “Pipi” Piazzolla. “In our country family and romance is very important, and tango is always talking about these kinds of things.” Along with being one of the festival’s honorary presidents this year, Piazzolla will play a tribute show to his grandfather with his band Escalandrum.

The March 2 show, Piazzolla Plays Piazzolla, has already travelled the world, blending tango and jazz musical styles: “I feel much closer to the tango of my grandfather rather than the traditional tango,” says Piazzolla. “I was born in the modern city of Buenos Aires, but my music reflects the music of my grandfather. He knew the roots of tango, he knew everything about tango – the first gig he played was with Carlos Gardel in New York, he played with the best tango band in Argentina in the 1950s, he had a background in jazz and classical and then started to mix these influences in his music – he invented styles of modern tango.”

Daniel Piazzolla mixes musical styles too, taking inspiration from his grandfather and adding his own elements: “I play contemporary jazz, but I also play the music of my grandfather, music that has had an influence all around the world.” Astor Piazzolla is a household name in Argentina, throughout South America and Europe for his “nuevo tango,” but while tango enthusiasts in North America are well acquainted with his music, the general population might not know how much it has seeped into popular culture as a musical influence on jazz and pop and through films such as 12 Monkeys, which makes heavy use of his Suite Punta del Este.

When it comes to dancing, Daniel Piazzolla and his sextet’s music isn’t necessarily meant for formal tango – dancers in Montreal this week will want to go to the La Pista Tango cabaret and milonga for that – but Piazzolla says people find inventive ways to dance along: “I’m not a dancer, but I see when people dance to my grandfather’s music that they’re mixing traditional, classical and contemporary like he did…. When we play, we never want to lose the soul of the music of my grandfather – we play to maintain that soul and the respect for the music.”

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THE DETAILS

Piazzolla Plays Piazzolla at L’Astral, March 2, 2013

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(Famous Faces) Several big names have been announced for the 34th edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, happening June 28 to July 7 at classic music venues and outdoors on free stages. Naturally topping that list is the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, unleashing that diva voice and attitude on June 29 at Place des Arts. As always in the past decade or so, the festival branches out from jazz to include the jazz-influenced, like She & Him, the duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, playing July 3 with Camera Obscura, and, much to the delight of long-time fans, Scottish indie-pop group Belle & Sebastian, in Montreal for one of only two North American festival stops, on July 5. And American trumpeter Wynton Marsalis plays with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, on June 28.

(Jazz Style) Though the festival loves to mix and match musical ways, it’s jazz that still makes up the majority of festival acts. Several great musicians play three hours of jazz at saxophonist-composer Wayne Shorter’s 80th Birthday Celebration on June 29 – including Shorter himself! Ever-popular Pink Martini blends jazz with swing, pop and suave ways on June 27. One of Canada’s greatest jazz voices, Holly Cole returns to the festival with her new album and jazz standards, June 27-29. Saxophonist Joshua Redman comes back complete with a quartet and string section and a new album on June 29. Grammy-winning guitarist and singer George Benson plays his smooth greatest hits from the ‘70s and much more on June 30. And the world-touring Preservation Hall Jazz Band gets everyone’s toes tapping to Dixieland on July 5.

(Top 5 Picks) As everyone’s taste is different, it’s hard to say what is a must-see at this year’s festival, but Aretha Franklin is probably a sure bet. Can’t go wrong with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings either, who always get the crowd dancing to their classic soul, modern R&B sound – see them July 3. Also on July 3, a double bill featuring New Orleans singer-pianist Dr. John and singer and multi-instrumentalist Leon Russell playing classic blues and ‘70s folk-rock is not to be missed. The saxophonist son of John Coltrane returns to Montreal with his Ravi Coltrane Quartet, playing June 28 after a five-year absence. And Oliver Jones shows us why he’s a jazz great and piano genius in a solo show on July 5. As the fest approaches, more acts are sure to be announced – big names and lesser knowns as well as major free outdoor concerts – so we’ll be adding to this list as summer approaches…

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THE DETAILS

Montreal International Jazz Festival, June 28-July 7, 2013

The post A SNEAK PEEK AT THE 2013 MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

With 2013 fast approaching, we wanted to look back at some of the amazing moments that made 2012 so special and recognize and highlight all the amazing work our cameraman Guillaume Langlois has done. Please check out all of the videos on the Tourisme Montreal Youtube channel and we’ll see you next year!

The post BEST OF 2012 MONTREAL BUZZ VIDEO appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

We’ll begin with one of the epicenters of New Year’s Eve partying in Montreal: the Sir Winston Churchill Pub Complex, which is comprised of three popular spots on bar-and-nightclub-clustered Crescent Street. For their part, Winnies Bar will ring in the New Year with the help of singing DJ Sandy Duperval spinning house – advance tickets are available for only 20 bills and include champagne.

The adjoining Karina’s Club Lounge and piano bar steps things up a notch, offering a five-course meal accompanied by a live piano and a dance party hosted by DJ Tag. Their $79.95 ticket also comes with a glass of champagne at midnight. And in the Sir Winston Churchill Pub proper they’re promising the “ultimate” NYE courtesy of DJ Jeff Lauzon, who will be spinning Top 40 club hits, old school R&B and house. For a limited time only tickets are $20 and include, of course, champagne.

Are your end-of-year appetites hungering for lively jazz and blues and an equally exciting menu? If you decide on the perennially classy Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill, you’ll be picking a winner that makes a regular habit of picking its own winners. To wit, Upstairs has again this year invited Dawn Tyler Watson, a six-time consecutive winner of the Quebec Lys Blues Award for Best Female Artist to provide the sultry soundtrack for your good time. And while Watson takes care of your cerebral needs, the Upstairs grill will gratify gastronomic imperatives with a three-course meal that is included in the $134.95 ticket price. It all gets cookin’ at 8 pm.

Not to be outdone, Montreal’s House of Jazz dinner club (formerly the storied Biddle’s, a mainstay for many top-shelf Montreal jazz players of yore) is offering a five-course spread, with dinner followed by dancing courtesy of the Carolyn Fe Blues Collective featuring special guests Graham Chambers and Daniel Prévost. This soulful soirée goes for $114.95.

If you fancy a pub crawl, popular Crescent Street brew pub Brutopia will be celebrating the passing of 2012 with Montreal five-piece Kebeko who, in the band’s own words, “well-illustrate the cultural diversity of Montreal with a mix of rock, world music, Quebecois folk and a lot of groove.” The $10 admission includes party favours and a burst of the bubbly at midnight. MTL’s self-proclaimed oldest Irish pub, The Old Dublin is no stranger to a party, and on Dec. 31 will play host to old-school rock’n’roll outfit Flashback. It’s all covers, but without the cover charge. And the Irish Embassy Pub and Grill is, oddly but engagingly, offering a Mardi-Gras themed New Year’s party with live music courtesy of The Jack.

Speaking of Mardi Gras, as well as odd and engaging, Cirque de Boudoir – who specialize in unique thematic events that cater to the senses, mixing and matching elements of circus, burlesque, electronic dance music and fetishism – bring a New Orleans theme to their Carnavalesque 2013 New Year’s brain burner, which takes place at Bain Mathieu, an old public pool converted into a multipurpose arts and party place. Tickets are $60 (free drinks until midnight) and $85 (for open bar all night). Things get wonderfully weird beginning at 9 pm.

Montreal’s two principle comedy clubs – Comedyworks and The Comedy Nest – have got the funny for your money on New Year’s Eve. The Comedy Nest features The Late Show veteran Jeff Caldwell in their special New Year’s show (“which always sells out”), which boasts special comedic guests, party favours, a champagne toast at midnight, a light buffet and goes for $49.50 and gets underway at 10 pm. For their part, Comedyworks has two shows featuring much-loved Montreal comic Mike Paterson (who captains weekly stand-up nights on every Tuesday) at the helm of a cast of some of Montreal’s best hilarity-makers. Each show is a $20 ticket, and following the second show the party will move downstairs to Jimbo’s pub where there will be DJs and dancing and carefree carousing.

If serious is more to your taste, as in serious partying, then many of Montreal’s premiere dance clubs are stepping to the fore once again. As would be expected, Circus Afterhours is going big with an international lineup of top-tier DJs, including Orjan Nilsen, Leon Bolier, Jay Lumen, Koen Groeneveld and Uppercut. Tickets are $60 in advance and $85 at the door, which opens at 10 pm. Arena Rendez-Vous NYE 2013 (located in the former Montreal Forum) plans to let the genies out of the bottles a bit earlier, with open bar from 8-11 pm, followed by a “huge” balloon drop, party favours and a live countdown from Times Square on the big screens, all for only $30. And finally, rising U.K. dirty house and soulful techno DJ Nicole Moudaber returns to Stereo to anchor their NYE dance floor.

While the term “high” certainly has relative applications as it relates to clubland, when it comes to Altitude Club 737, atop Montreal’s distinctive 47-storey Place Ville Marie building, high is simply about location, location, location. And sadly for fans of the sky-based bar, this NYE party begins the countdown to the end of the club which, after 18 years, officially closes on Jan. 1 following the expiration of their lease. Starting at $55 a ticket, all attendees can avail themselves of VIP treatment from 8-11 pm, and arguably the best view in town all night, for one last night.

Sister venues Casa del Popolo and Sala Rossa – located directly opposite one another on Saint-Laurent – provide affordable New Year’s support of first resort for the city’s indie scenesters again this year. At Casa, DJs Mark Slutsky and Raf K bring their no-pressure cooker back to both rooms for their annual spectacular. Across the street, perpetual-motion hip-hop/funk/soul/jazz collective The Goods – conceived a decade ago by DJs Scott C and Andy Williams – will put dance in the pants of all comers commencing at 10 pm.

And for those who like to put their hair up, two legendary punk bands from both near and afar will be moshing in the New Year in Montreal. Indefatigable L.A. skate punksNOFX, who celebrated their 30^th (!) anniversary in 2013, will play a “New Year’s Heave” show at the Olympia Theater with similarly awesomely elderly Brit punks Snuff, The Creepshow and The BCASA. Local punk scene legends Ripcordz continue with a tradition of their own making in the form of the Ripcordz Annual Punk New Years Eve featuring special guests Ab Irato, Sale Gauloise, Talk Sick and Bastard 86 at Café Chaos. Get in the holiday spirit of things by wearing your best and brightest Christmas tree studs. Tix are only 10 bones, and the show blows off the doors starting at 9 pm sharp.

They call themselves Montreal’s “best open bar party,” and for the past 14 years they’ve certainly been a contender for that title. Featuring 10 bars arrayed around Club Soda in the Quartier des Spectacles, the annual Fluid party offers a “leave your wallet at home” policy, meaning that in addition to all drinks, even tips are covered with your entry fee, which ranges according to how much attention you need: tickets start at $84.99 (entry, coat check and tips covered) and go up to a whopping $1,999.99 (a 10-person package that includes full bottle service, champagne all night, and a promise of absolution from whatever higher power you observe). Dance music will be provided by DJ Yo-C, David A and more. Lift-off at 9 pm.

Also competing for best open bar party is New Year’s XS Celebration. And if size matters, New Year’s XS may have the edge at an anticipated 6,000 partygoers filling what remains of the old Montreal Forum. Billing themselves as the “biggest all-inclusive party in Montreal history,” New Year’s XS features 12 international DJs spinning R&B, house, hip-hop, Top 40 and more in five themed rooms, 50 bartenders, midnight champagne, circus performers, body painters, a laser show and a “super-secret countdown surprise.” A one-way ticket to crazytown is $79, or $159 for a ticket and hotel.
And last but definitely not least, the Grand Bal in Montreal’s historic Old Port is one of the most-anticipated highlights of the holiday season. The Bal’s now expanded form includes numerous activities, but the main event (which is free to attend) on New Year’s Eve itself has youthful pop-rock-reggae outfit Raffy warming up the crowd in the central Place Jacques-Cartier from 10 pm until 11:59 pm, at which time the annual countdown will take place. At midnight the Telus “Fire on Ice” musical fireworks display will boom in the New Year, kicking of an outdoor dance party that will go until 2 a.m. If your outdoor winter activities don’t include the shaking of the booty, the Quays Skating Rink, with its own DJ, will stay open until 1 am on this special evening.

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All of the aforementioned New Year’s parties merely scratch the surface of everything that happens in a city that takes its celebrations seriously. So please, if you know of an event that didn’t get a mention here, please post all the pertinent details below in the comments section.

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The post MONTREAL BUZZ GUIDE TO NEW YEAR’S EVE 2012 appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

(movement and light) As part of the great Musée d’art Contemporain Quebec Triennial 2011: The Work Ahead of Us exhibition, artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer lights up the Quartier des Spectacles throughout October with a major installation work called Intersection articulée. Architecture relationnelle 18, and until the beginning of January, Place des Arts’ Espace culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme hosts Lynne Marsh’s video installation The Philharmonie Project (Bruckner: Symphony No. 5, movements 1 & 4). The Museum’s Triennial exhibition is also free to explore every Wednesday evening from 5 to 9 p.m.

(new cinema and u2) The Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, on screens around town October 12–23, offers two free screenings of musical documentary U2: From the Sky Down, directed by Davis Guggenheim, October 13 at 11:45 p.m. and October 19 at 3 p.m. at the Latin Quarter Cinema – get tickets at festival headquarters (175 President Kennedy), along with tickets to all the fest’s regular film screenings. Also check out other Festival du Nouveau Cinéma events, like their opening party on October 12, a performance by Duchess Says on October 13, screenings of cellphone-shot films via collective Vidéo Femmes, and artist Rebecca Adorno’s interactive audio installation The Empty City, located at Eastern Bloc as part of the FNC Lab section.

(historic heights) Famed photographer Edward Burtynsky exhibits his newest – and perhaps timeliest, as far as environmental movements go – exhibition, Oil at Montreal’s McCord Museum. The 56 large-scale colour photographs show stark images of how our planet has been touched in all ways by the oil industry. The museum is free to the public every Wednesday evening. And if you’ve got an iPhone, the McCord has an app for you (and it’s free, of course): MTL Urban Museum unveils the history behind 150 sites around town, right before our eyes. All the images can also be seen as part of the museum’s permanent collection.

(toe-tappin’ jazz) The “5-à-7” early-evening socializing tradition is honoured by L’Off Jazz Festival, October 7–15. Take in free shows by local jazz musicians performing in duos, trios and quartets every day at 5 p.m. at Dièse Onze (4115A St-Denis): October 8, it’s the versatile Trio Jean-François Groulx; October 9, upright bassist Adrian Yedady leads a quartet; October 11, the Brazilian sound of Trio Bruxo and David Ryshpan; October 12, the Alexandre Côté Quintet; October 13, the elegantly traditional Cameron Wallis Quartet; October 14, the Chet Doxas Trio plays with NYC’s Matt Stevens; and on October 15, energetic pianist Eric Harding helms a quartet.

(dance together) Every month, Place des Arts, part of the Quartiers des Spectacles, invites the public to participate in a different dance as part of their program Le Bal du Dimanche: this month, on October 23 at 2 p.m., it’s the merengue! Join choreographer Chantal Dauphinais and learn the basics of the dance style as a live band plays along. Also at Place des Arts, from 5:15–5:45 every day until October 21, see Solo 30×30, an in-situ dance work by dancer and choreographer Paul-André Fortier, who, among the crowds of people passing through, coming home from work, heading to dinner, meeting friends, will dance in silence for 30 minutes.

(halloween treats) Montreal loves to make a big deal out of Halloween – as if we really need an excuse to dress up and act wild and crazy? Well, Halloween let us take our antics to the next level anyway. With parties in bars and clubs all over town all weekend, October 31 might seem like it’s just for the kids and trick-or-treating, but if you’re up for some outdoor time in one of Montreal’s most diverse gardens (before it’s all covered in snow), check out the last day of The Great Pumpkin Ball at the Montréal Botanical Garden .

(falling for jazz) Montreal’s reputation as a jazz town is backed by The Montreal Jazz Festival’s Bistro Le Balmoral, a no-cover, a late-night jazz club every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m. The weekend of October 7 brings the Brazilian beats of Isaac Net and Elie Haroun. The weekend of October 13, see Jeff Johnston, Duo Félix Stüssi & Daniel Lessard and Yoel Diaz. Flamenco duo René & Isabelle kick off the weekend of October 20, with Flamencuras. And J.D. Slim plays October 28.

The post FREE THINGS IN MONTREAL: OCTOBER appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

The festival itself, June 5-25, spans two venues, Sala Rossa and Casa del Popolo, situated in the neighbourhood of Mile End (we legally have to tell you that it’s “hip”), on St-Laurent, the city’s main party artery. What makes Suoni so great is that it grants concertgoers the opportunity to see artists that you probably won’t have a chance to see again, like the Syrian sensation Omar Souleyman, who is coming to play on June 13 at Sala Rossa.

This year boasts musicians like the Japanese gem Keiji Haino who has a baffling musical resume. He fronted a band that played psychedelic covers of songs by The Rolling Stones, The Ronettes and Jimi Hendrix and morphed them into garage psychedelia. He plays on June 10 at Sala. But if you want to see some real renegade jams, check out Satoko Fujii ma-do on June 19 at Sala Rossa.

The contemporary Baltimore outfit Future Islands is one of the best bands around right now; they team up with Montreal sweethearts Valleys for another excellent double bill on June 5 at Casa. But you’d be sorely remised if you don’t check out the talented Shalabi Effect and Volcano the Bear on June 8 for some homegrown music as well.

Speaking of locals, some of Montreal’s best are involved in some of the fest’s most anticipated shows. Junior Boys may be the first name on the June 11 bill, but you can be damn sure that much of the crowd will be there to see Montreal’s Miracle Fortress, who will be bringing along his brand-new album, Was I the Wave? Another hugely hyped show with be Colin Stetson‘s June 17 apperance at Sala. Stetson may have grown up in Michigan and only lived in Montreal for 4 years, but he’s played with Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, Feist, Bon Iver, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, David Byrne, Sinead O’Connor, LCD Soundsystem, to name just a bunch, and his new album solo album, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges, is an incredible piece of artisty, so we’re claiming him as our own.

Because Free Jazz has always been the real Suoni vibe, their Free Jazz series is where you should be. Even if you haven’t heard of the artists, trust that they’re the best of the best. Now just to be clear, what Suoni means by “free jazz” is simply that the music is informed by an “exploration” of sound”, so there’s no need to recoil.  Check out David S. Ware on June 13 and Charles Gayle on June 8 among others from all over the world.

The Illuminated Music series is a showcase of Canadian avant-garde and experimental musicians in a multimedia performance paired with video installations and live graphics throughout the performances. Because Suoni is typically a community-oriented festival, they’re offering a free Tools of the Trade workshops with Palestinian hip-hop artist Shadia Monsour. These workshops are geared toward aspiring musicians who wish to learn about different approaches to music. Expect some audience participation to make the affair less formal and encourage a free environment where people feel comfortable participating. These talks are generally 2 to 3 hours in length and are centered around a performance.

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THE DETAILS

Suoni Per Il Popolo, June 5-June 25, 2011

Sala Rossa, 4848 Saint-Laurent, (514) 844-4227

Casa Del Popolo 4873 Saint-Laurent, (514) 284-3804

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You can, of course, get in virtual line and starting buy your 2011 Jazz Fest tickets now, but the Médiathèque Jazz/La Presse resource centre is open all-year-long and admittance is free. Found on the 3rd floor of the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan on Saint-Catherine, the depth and scope of this collection of fest-related material is immediately evident.

You can access over 600 hours of recordings (including a lot of never-seen-before concert footage), their 5000+ album collection, tens of thousands of archived photos, plus programs and articles that span the fest’s entire history. This really is just the surface of what this collection contains, but I’ll point you towards an incredible collection of monographs on jazz- guides, biographies and more- which are overseen by Médiathèque’s head librarian.

You can also surf over to the Archives section of the Jazz Fest’s website, but obviously the best way to experience music is to, you know, hear it live, so why not check out their Jazz All Year Round series, which kicks off next week. They’ve got blues, rock, world music and even some jazz concerts coming up and since we’ve been talking about music for long enough in this post, I’ll just let the music speak for itself…

Buddy Guy, April 7

Bruce Cockburn, April 13 & 14

Salif Keita, April 15

The Dave Liebman Group, May 18

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THE DETAILS

La Médiathèque Jazz/La Presse, 305 Sainte-Catherine West, 3rd floor, (514) 288-8882

Open: Monday to Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Photo Credit: Frederique Menard-Aubin

The post MONTREAL JAZZ FEST, ALL YEAR LONG appeared first on Tourisme Montréal Blog.

The spa’s private dressing room was an experience in itself. The elegant and private space, large enough for two, boasts a built-in dry sauna and steam room, Molten Brown amenities, plus two soft-as-heaven Frette robes. The rain shower (yup, large enough for two) had jets aimed at us from all angles. And what better way to get you into the mood than a couple’s massage? In the dreamy Old World treatment room (it used to be a vault), we were surrounded by original stonewalls, soothing candles and calming music – and treated to a rub-down of 60 blissful minutes.

Back in our room, there was a package from Holt Renfrew waiting on the bed, a large magenta box containing a shimmery Michael Kors dress. Apparently, “someone” had arranged an appointment with a personal shopper at the high-end department store the day before. “Merci, mon petit chou!” (Oh yeah, in my dream, I speak fluent French too.) On the nightstand, a beautiful exotic bouquet (also from Holt’s) had already been arranged in a crystal vase. I read the handwritten note aloud: “The voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses. ~ e. e. cummings.” Dot, dot, dot…

At 8 p.m., we drove to Le Club Chasse & Peche, one of my favourite restaurants in Old Montreal. The mysterious ambiance of this sophisticated Modern French restaurant was filled with hushed whisperings from neighbouring tables, punctuated only by the angelic clinking of our champagne flutes. Before retiring back to our hotel, Prince Charming and I spent a of couple hours taking in smooth musical riffs at the Upstairs Jazz Bar. Just before midnight, I looked lovingly at my man (whom by the way was a retired fashion model turned real-estate tycoon) and the magic of true love swelled in my heart. And yes, of course, we lived happily ever after in Montreal…

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UPSTAIRS JAZZ & GRILL

A Montreal staple, soon with live streaming of their evening performances.
Watch the video to hear owner Joel Giberovich explain how it all began and what Upstairs truly stands for….

1254 Mackay,
Montreal, QC
H3G 2H4
(514) 931-6808

DIESE ONZE JAZZ CLUB

Diese Onze Jazz Club has only been opene since 2007, but it has instantly beceme the hideout of some of the best jazzmen in town, featuring one to two performances per day (gypsy guitars around 6pm, then different bands in the evening, from Montreal and abroad).  Its unique Parisian boite-like setting and dark leather booths section makes it also the ideal venue for a romantic evening.

4115-A St-Denis,
Montreal, QC
H2W 2M7
(514) 223-3543

LE PIANO ROUGE LOUNGE

Situated in Old Montreal, this newcomer on the scene presents live performances ranging from tango, to cuban-jazz and soulful Motown heritage – every night has a different groove.  And you better believe barely it only takes about one fancy martini before you’re out and about on the dancefloor.  Closed on sunday.

22 St-Paul East,
Montreal, QC
H2Y 1G3
(514) 439-3842

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