2019 TD International Jazz Festival

June 18 to 23

Cécile McLorin Salvant will perform at the CMHR.

Supplied image

The countdown for the 30th edition of the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival has already started. The six-day festival begins on June 18 with an event at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR).

“The opening event at the CMHR will be massive, five performance spaces within the museum and two outside the museum. The event will feature jazz greats like Brian Blade (and the Fellowship), Joshua Redman (Quartet) and Dominique.” Michael Falk, the artistic director at Jazz Winnipeg, says.

This year’s festival has an impressive artist lineup.

The Chicago-born music stalwart Common will perform on June 20. The Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning performer has been an actor, philanthropist and rapper for over 30 years.

Other headliners include 10-time Grammy winner Bobby McFerrin, New Orleans funk band Galactic and rapper-actor Saul Williams.

A highlight and addition to this year’s festival is the RAW: JazzFest series. The series will feature American poet, rapper, writer and actor Williams.

“We are building a pop-up venue in collaboration with Raw Gallery, (one of the) organizers of Raw Almond, along the banks of the Red River at St. Boniface. The arrowhead-shaped venue will feature a design (that creates) an architecturally and acoustically unique space having an intimate and interactive feel,” Falk says.

Besides Williams, the series will feature artists from Winnipeg and beyond throughout the six days of the festival. A VIP bar at Old Market Square will be an event space with comfortable seating and a view of the park.

This year’s festival has some promising and groundbreaking performances at unique and eccentric venues, giving Winnipeggers and music lovers a chance to witness an unprecedented concert experience.

Published in Volume 73, Number 25 of The Uniter (May 30, 2019)

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