Jazz fest 2012 wrap-up

At 4:30 this afternoon (July 8), the last note was played at this year's edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

And it ended at Salle Wilfrid Pelletier of Place des Arts in a grand big band fashion, as the fifth edition of the Battle of the Bands played out to a full house between the orchestras of two big band era royalty: the Duke (Ellington) and the Count (Basie).

Enthusiasts of the music of that era were not disappointed, as many of Ellington's and Basie's standards were played, such as "Take the A Train", "April in Paris" (which was also used in "Blazing Saddles"), "The Kansas City Shuffle" and "The Cotton Club". The first half of the show had the two bands play their respective numbers separately in an alternating fashion. The second half had both bands perform a few numbers together, and the result was a boisterous, brassy, high energy hour of music. The winner was Count Basie's orchestra; however, in a very classy move, the musical director dedicated the victory to Ellington, because in his lifetime, Count Basie has so much respect for the Duke, that he always made sure that his orchestra play an Ellington tune at every live performance.

It was a not only a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but also to cap off the jazz fest in such a lively fashion.

I spent the final weekend of the jazz festival catching two other shows. On July 6, I caught Montreal singer Sarah MK, who played the first of two shows to a sold-out crowd at the Savoy, a small, intimate venue within the larger Metropolis club. Sarah combined the musical styles that she has embraced in her young lifetime, such as blues, jazz, pop and even rap. She is a talented, vivacious singer with a soulful voice who can also dance, rap and do a dead-on imitation of a trumpet. And on top of that, she is a very warm, personable individual who has a very personable approach with her audience. She calls her group "The Worth It Project" and believe me, it was certainly worth it to spend a couple of hours watching this rising star perform. If she keeps this up, Sarah MK won't be performing in small venues any longer (the photo below is of me and my friend Rudy with Sarah MK -- in the center -- shortly after her show at the Savoy).

The following night (July 7), I magically went back into time to the Copa Room of the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, circa 1960, with the tribute show "The Rat Pack is Back".

The show is a recreation of the series of appearances the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford) did at the Sands while they were on location in Las Vegas to shoot the classic caper flick "Ocean's 11". Four actors in the guise of the Rat Packers did the tribute show (minus "Lawford") did the show in true old Las Vegas fashion in song, jokes and good natured ribbing and kibitzing. There was a lot of cigarette smoking, booze drinking and risque jokes; it may not have been politically correct, but hey, this was showbiz in Las Vegas 50 years ago and anything went!

I have to give credit to the four actors in this production, who got the voices, gestures and mannerisms down pat. This is especially so for the actor who portrayed Frank Sinatra. I even went as far as closing my eyes during one of his numbers, and I could have sworn that it was the genuine "Old Blue Eyes" singing onstage.

"The Rat Pack is Back" was a fun time in this showbiz time warp, as you personally witnessed how a group of some of the top entertainers of that swinging era genuinely enjoyed the show business life -- and the camaraderie that went with it -- in a city that was more like an adult playground.

Well, as I exited Place des Arts this afternoon after the Battle of the Bands concluded, practically every stage, sign, banner, kiosk and decoration were taken down; you wouldn't believe that a jazz festival took place there the previous evening and was crammed with thousands of music fans and people who were out enjoying a perfect Montreal summer evening.

But that sense of void won't last for long. Within the next couple of days, the Just For Laughs festival takes over the site for nearly three weeks of laughs of all types and languages. So get ready for the green and red invasion. And I'll be there to cover every bit of it, as I attend my 27th JFL fest. It all starts for me this Tuesday, with the premiere of one of Just For Laughs' most popular series of shows .... The Nasty Show, hosted by the Pitbull of Comedy himself, Bobby Slayton (you can read my interview with Slayton in my Grapevine this week; just go to www.westendtimes.ca, on page 38). By the way, there is a Rat Pack connection with Slayton. About a decade ago, HBO did a TV movie about the Rat Pack, and Slayton portrayed Joey Bishop.

Congratulations to jazz fest head honchos Alain Simard and Andre Menard and their crew for putting together another top notch festival. And special thanks to Ludivine Dubus from the communications office for her tremendous help handling my media accreditation application and coordinating my ticket requests for the six shows that I caught this year.

And now, bring on the 30th anniversary edition of Just For Laughs!