The Heavyweights Brass Band – June 28-29, Free outdoor concerts

The Heavyweights Brass Band

They hail from Toronto, but you might think they were from New Orleans the way they groove to the jazz sounds of that birthplace city. With horns and percussion at the ready, the five lads of The Heavyweights Brass Band are hear to get everybody moving!

Whether receiving props from The Roots on Twitter, jamming with puppets on CBC Kids’ Mamma Yamma, recording with the legendary Giovanni Hidalgo or being championed by influential DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson, The Heavyweights Brass Band pack a one-two punch of crossover appeal and respect from music’s elite. Inspired by the New Orleans brass band tradition, the Heavyweights’original stance keeps one foot firmly rooted in the rich legacy of jazz, while one foot steps forward into the future. Like the music’s originators, the Heavyweights are unafraid to incorporate influences from disparate areas of the musical spectrum, from pop hits of the day to original compositions, from R&B and funk throwbacks to the infectious rhythms of Latin America, all woven together with the thread of adventuresome sophistication. The uppercut ascent of the Heavyweights’ arc has been the result of relentless dedication. Touring across Canada and sharing the stage with such influential groups as The Roots, Trombone Shorty, Galactic and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble has helped build the group a loyal following. Their third full length album, This City, was recorded in New Orleans and features the talents of some of that city’s finest musicians, alongside a few perennial Heavyweights collaborators. Joe Lastie (Preservation Hall) and Ashlin Parker (Trumpet Mafia) light it up on the opening track, while the crafty Eugene Grant calls the numbers. Roger Lewis (Dirty Dozen Brass Band) steps in to wail, and Marla Dixon (Shotgun Jazz Band) leads the dance party down on the corner. Add to this mix two of Canada’s musical treasures in Jackie Richardson and Kevin Breit, and you have a record which will knock your socks off.

June 28, 7 pm
June 28, 9 pm
June 29, 7 pm
June 29, 9 pm

At the Club Jazz Casino de Montréal à la place SNC-Lavalin
on the Corner of De Bleury and René Lévesque

For more information visit: www.heavyweightsbrassband.com

Ranked as the world’s largest jazz festival by Guinness World Records, the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal has been synonymous with a passion for music for close to four decades. Every year, the metropolis welcomes global music fans to 10 days of jazz-centric celebration, where fans of all types of jazz-related music rub shoulders with aficionados of the genre in its purest form. The 39th edition of the Festival continues on its mission to offer a vast program with over 500 concerts – 2/3 of them free – presented over 10 days and nights on 20 stages, on a site closed to vehicular traffic. A true haven of happiness and musical pleasure right in the heart of downtown Montreal! From June 28 to July 7, hundreds of thousands of people will cross the threshold of the world’s largest jazz festival to set themselves free to the rhythms and melodies of music. From small intimate salons to immense open-air concerts, from major icons to young prodigies on the rise, artists from the world over to homegrown talents, the Festival assembles and showcases the entire spectrum of possibilities to keep music vibrant and alive!

Check out the full festival line-up at www.montrealjazzfest.com