Well, as usual, things are never dull in the Savage household.  Matthew and Mom went to Montreal to attend this year’s Jazz Festival.  It is a musician’s heaven there.  There is non-stop music everywhere you go, intermingled with street buskers, great food, and lots of other folks who appreciate great jazz.  There was even a special section just for children, complete with a giant-sized piano keyboard that could actually be played by jumping from the top of one note to the top of another note.  A jazz playground was also there, where kids could climb through a clarinet and slide down a saxophone slide into a ball pit.  There was a face painting area, a crafts space, special shows for children, and many other things.  Whoever designed the kids’ area did a phenomenal job.  And the organizers of the event did a tremendous job pulling off the entire festival!

We arrived on Thursday, June 28th and decided not to attend a concert that evening because we were tired.  We did, however, attend a jazz jam held at the hotel at which we were staying.  The Steve Amirault Trio hosted the jazz jam.   The trio is comprised of Steve Amirault on piano, Fraser Hollins on bass, and Karl Jannuska on drums.  They are one of the best and most popular groups in Montreal.  They played for about an hour or so, and then allowed other musicians to take turns performing.

Matthew wanted to join in, so he took a turn playing.  At first no one was quite sure what to make of a nine-year-old child walking up onto the stage and taking control.  He informed the other musicians of the tune they would play, determined who would play a solo when, and easily directed the drummer into “trading” measures.  He played incredible and innovative improvs during his own solos.  Needless to say, the place went crazy.  A nine-year-old child who can jam with professional musicians and hold his own is quite unbelievable.  The people both watching and participating were so supportive and appreciative of Matthew’s ability!  It was amazing and wonderful.  We had news organizations taking pictures and peppering us with questions, radio stations wanting to play Matthew’s music, people asking for autographs.  The thing that was incredible was that there were some of the greatest of the great musicians in the audience and we didn’t know it until after Matthew’s performance.  Word spread quickly, he was asked to play again, and suddenly, he was a musical peer.  He met folks like Joe Lovano, John Hicks, Johnny Griffin, and Jimmy Scott, all of whom shook his hand or
gave him five and told him how much they enjoyed hearing him play.  We met many, many other jazz greats, including Wayne Shorter (and other people I know I should have recognized, but drew a blank).  Forgive me anyone out there whom I’ve forgotten to mention!  Musicians and fans came up to us the whole time we were there.  It was an unbelievable experience.

We were able to hear some great acts while we were there.  We heard Medeski, Martin and Wood, as well as Metalwood, the group who opened for them.  They are very experimental in their music, so it was really cool to hear a kind of jazz we had never before experienced.  We also heard Michael Brecker on sax, accompanied by Larry Goldings on the Hammond B3 organ, Bill Stewart on drums, and Adam Rogers on electric guitar.  Boy was I glad we got to hear them!  Matthew and I both REALLY enjoyed the concert.  All four musicians put out such incredible effort in their playing that they were winded.  All of us in the audience were the lucky listeners who benefited from their incredible individual talents combined.  Great concert!  And finally, we saw The Afro-Cuban All Stars with Juan De Marcos Gonzales.  That was an amazing event.  The group is huge, with at least a dozen or more members, both old and young.  The music they play is phenomenal, true to their heritage, rhythmic and seductive.  We REALLY enjoyed hearing them!

We also heard several outdoor concerts (or parts of concerts) that were great.  We heard S.O.U.L., El Fuego, and several others, but I forgot their names.  Sorry.  We tried to see many different kinds of jazz…expand our jazz horizons and learn more about what’s out there.  But I have to admit there was one thing that was frustrating.  There were SO many musicians we wanted to hear and couldn’t.  Concerts happened at the same time, so we had to choose one event over another.  And there were so many legends we would have liked to have heard but couldn’t get tickets or couldn’t work it out timing-wise.  We didn’t want to miss any of the acts, but this, unfortunately, was a physical impossibility.  Jazz has the best musicians out there.  We would have LOVED to hear more concerts.  We would have loved to hear Oscar Peterson, among others… and musicians who heard a little boy playing at a jazz jam but who we DIDN’T get to hear.  We are definitely going to make a point of attending their concerts if they come to the Boston area!!!!!!

Matthew played at a total of three jazz jams, and received wonderful support and encouragement and tremendous applause and frenzy each time.  There were several busloads of people who came up to Montreal from Connecticut for the Jazz Festival.  They were some of the most protective, appreciative, and caring folks at the hotel.  When Matthew was supposed to play early in the evening at his second jam and kept getting bumped back in time (therefore almost falling asleep), these people took action.  They demanded that Matthew be allowed to play next, because they had heard him before and wanted to hear him again (before he fell asleep).  I thanked them at the time, but I think no amount of thanks could express the deep gratitude I felt towards them for their kindness and outpouring of acceptance.

Matthew also sat in for what was supposed to have been one tune at Biddle’s Café in Montreal, but things went crazy.  All the folks in the restaurant got out of their seats, and flocked to see the kid pianist and take pictures and get autographs.  The waiters and waitresses couldn’t fight their way through the crowd to serve their customers.  It was chaos.  Matthew played a second piece amid a huge round of applause.  It just astonishes me the effect he has on people!

We had planned to stay for the whole festival, but got a bit overwhelmed by all the attention and by the huge change in our sleep schedule.  Although we had a wonderful time and met the most wonderful people, we felt it was time to go.  We made some great new friends and hope to keep in touch with them in the future.  And even though we left after only a few days, we both felt the festival was a terrific experience and we both had lots of fun.  That’s what it’s supposed to be about, isn’t it?