When was the last time you witnessed Woody Allen and Public Enemy performing for the same event?! No, no, no this is not a prank or an episode of Flavor of Love…For the past 29 years Montreal has been hosting one of the most prestigious jazz manifestations; an event where up-and-coming talents and established artists give some of their best performances in the heart of the city.

The Montreal Jazz Festival does not only cater to jazz lovers, the array of genres and styles of music (hip-hop, bossa nova, electro-jazz, world-music…) turns the city into an even more colorful and intense cultural mosaic that attracts music lovers from all parts of the world. This year’s edition, dedicated to the memory of Oscar Petterson, had me travel me around the world-literally — in 11 days !

I started my journey, last Thursday, in Bahia with senor Gilberto Gil and his BroadBand, I then attended Reverend Green church service in Memphis on saturday, and eventually spent some time with Me Myself and I on planet rap with De La Soul. On Monday I took a crash-course in social activism with professor Chuck D. Running from venue to the other I couldn’t help but glimpsing at one of the groovy band that would made the crowd get down even in the rain … But wait, I almost forgot my “coup de coeur” Cuban piano virtuoso Roberto Fonseca. Fonseca - who accompanied the legendary Ibrahim Ferrer - and his band mesmerized the audience; I relaxed on Wednesday at McCoy Tyner’s piano recital. Last night, newcomer South African-Israeli Yoav charmed me with accoustic guitar. Unfortunately, as it is often the case with festivals of that caliber, I was not able to stop by Mrs. Franklin’s soulful class, Woody Allen’s jazz lesson; I also missed the double-bill featuring GZA and RZA and The BlindBoys of Alabama, Malian mega-star Salif Keita with Vieux Farka-Toure, or Miss Dee Dee Bridgewater…

Two more days to go and Cassandra Wilson is next!

The 2008 edition is even more special as the city of Montreal has recently undertaken the development of the “Quartier des Spectacles” (Arts District) that should be completed by next year for the Festival 30th anniversary with the opening of the Maison du Festival de Jazz. The festival also offers a variety of activities for children (games, face-painting, music workshops) as well as a guitar salon, a on-site art Gallery and wide range of other excitements!

So folks if you missed this year’s event, start saving up for a trip to the hot’n'humid Montreal summer, you won’t regret it!

More info here!

Montreal’s Fine Art Museum is showcasing an outstanding exhibition yet again with an exceptional homage to the 40-year career and legacy of French haute couture maestro Yves Saint Laurent.

Saint Laurent, who started as Christian Dior’s assistant while studying at the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture, has defined and tremendously influenced fashion is today with his trademark pieces like the tuxedo, the blazer and the safari jacket — y’all know that they’ve become basic components of our daily attire.

“Masterful Pencil Strokes”, “The YSL Revolution”, “The Palette,” Lyrical Sources”: these are the different themes of the show, each of which is a reflection on the evolution of Saint Laurent’s style, which was greatly influenced by the artistic movements in painting, literature and cinema of his time.

After Montreal, this amazing retrospective, presented in collaboration with the Fondation Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, will be exhibited in San Francisco next Fall. On your way out check out “Style” — 249 pages of words and illustration by the master himself and written by Pierre Berge, one of Saint Laurent’s closest friends.

More info here.

For the last 8 years MUTEK has brought together artists and lovers of electro-digital art. This 5-day event is a strident celebration of music and digital creativity. In 2000, Alain Mongeau created this festival because he felt Montreal — and North America — needed an event that would fairly represent the genre in its entirety. And it worked!

Despite its ongoing success and its international recognition, the festival remains relatively modest. Because the organizers want it to remain accessible for both the public and the artists, they choose not to schedule two artists in the same time slot.

This year’s line up is an eclectic combination of local talent and international artists. One of the event’s highlights will surely be Kid Koala’s performance at the Metropolis.

More info here.

I first heard Mapei on the remix of Ghostface’s Charlie Brown and I was like whoa!! After digging in a little bit more I came to realize for that the verdict was unanimous: everyone agrees this 20 something young gal is one of Sweden’s most promising talents!

Jacqueline Cummings, a.k.a. Mapei is part of this new generation of refreshing female MCs that raps over an ecclectic mix of hip-hop, electro, clubmusic and so much more. A feisty lyricist, she raps about “video vixens”, gun violence, date rape and having fun.

After studying in NYC for a few years, Mapei moved back to Sweden where her career really starting taking off. She recently teamed up with DJ Mehdi who produced an extensive number of tracks for her, amongst which “Leader of the Pack” is a true killah.

She’s currently on tour with Portuguese ghettotech Kuduru ambassadors Buraka Som Sistema and Bumblebeez as part of the Vice Magazine Fly53 free tour — yeah you heard, it’s FREE !!

For more info on the tour, check the official website here. Listen to Mapei here or there.

For French hip hop connoisseurs the name Kery James means talent, fierce lyrics, militant, controversy but also longevity. Alix Mathurin a.k.a. Kery James started his career at the age 13 with his friends Teddy Corona, Alter and DJ Mehdi of Ed Bangers fame with whom he started the group “Ideal Junior” — yes, Mehdi was and still is one France’s most innovative rap producers.

Together they released two critically acclaimed LPs “Original MC’s sur une mission” (1996) and “Le Combat continue” (1998) which turned them into one of France’s most respected hip hop acts. And then suddenly, after the tragic death of his best friend, James’s life took a radical turn; he converted to Islam and decided to put an end to his promising career. But not for long, it seems that the call of the mic was too strong to resist and in 2001 he put out one of his most personal and accomplished works to date.

On “Si c’etait a refaire” (2001) Mathurin is honest, direct but also extremely vulnerable. He talks about his new faith, his inward struggle, his mistakes as a youth and does what he does best: he chronicles the life of young banlieusards.

Since then, his style has continually evolved, paying homage to his Islamic faith with the compilation “Savoir & vivre ensemble” (2004). On the following album, “Ma Vérité” (2005), he teamed with his old posse, DJ Mehdi and Teddy Corona.

Regardless of the ups and downs that the majority of artists face, the fascinating aspect of Mathurin’s career is that there seems to be a invariable struggle between his old style and his newfound values — something that he balances successfully on his newest album, “A l’ombre du show-business” — literally, “in the Shadow of Show business“.

On his first week of release, the album was ranked 3rd on the French charts; this is an outstanding achievement for the French hip hop movement and, on personal level, for Mathurin whose song “Hardcore” was heavily censured by the French media.

After a memorable performance yesterday at Montreal’s Club Soda, Kery James will be playing tonight at Quebec City’s Dagobert at 8:30 pm.

Click here for more info on the show and here to check out Kery James’s updates.

So much could be said about the insidious way mainstream media has re-appropriated graffiti. Many still question the credibility of street artists who choose a gallery or any other “conventional commercial outlets” over the street to display their work; but still, graffiti remains one of the most intricate and creative art form!

Over the last few years Fafi has imposed herself as one the leading female graffiti artists (alongside Claw Money, Indie , Miss Van…) and this is just the beginning, the fafinettes are here to stay!

After the bags, the shoes and the make-up she’s now invading your desk with these ultra-girlie sets of “sticky-notes”, notebooks and vinyl-shaped notepads, courtesy of Japanese brand Mark’s.

Check them out here.

Bono and U2’s names are intrinsically linked to the ongoing fight against poverty and AIDS on the African continent. In recognition, Shout Factory released “In the name of love: Africa Celebrates” yesterday, a celebratory homage to U2 by some of Africa’s most gifted musicians.

It started off as a tribute to the Irish rock band, but the record quickly became a tour de force from an array of African talents, each succeeding in making the songs their own.

For producers Shawn Amos and Paul Heck - producer of the Red Hot - that task turned out to be easier than expected. “I was amazed when we approached the artists of how quickly they chose the songs they wanted to do,” says Heck. “Many of them grew up listening to U2 and knew the songs so well.”

Angelique Kidjo opens the album with a multilingual and inspiring cover of “Mysterious Ways.” Then Mali’s rising star, Vieux Farka Toure, delivers a bluesy version of “Bullet in the sky.” In Ba Cissoko’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday,” electric guitar riffs are replaced by the harmonious sound of the kora. Les Nubians turn the classic track “With or without you” into an authentic dance floor jam and Keziah Jones gives his Black Orpheus touch to “One.” The Soweto Gospel Choir interpretation of “Pride (In The Name of Love)” is simply breathtaking!

The album is an eclectic fusion of traditional African styles, rock, pop, hip-hop and so much more and an exquisite mélange of both U2’s popular hits and a set of more obscure materials.
In effort to give back to the community, Shout Factory has decided to offer a portion of the record’s profit to the Global Fund.

When French electro “semi-god” duo Justice comes out with a new video, you can expect an exciting series of multi-hued images that will satisfy your eyes’ deepest fantasy. The video for “DVNO” from the “†,” album was directed by none other that Mr So Me. In this 3 minute video, the graphic designer bombards us with a multitude of words in a range of amazing fonts and colors, confirming his compulsive obsession for the art of lettering. Will “DVNO” know the same fate as its predecessor, the now classic “D.A.N.C.E”? I’ll let you judge for yourself…

This Sunday March 9th, the Blastmaster MC himself KRS One will be blessing Montreal’s Le Nationale with a quintessential Hip Hop show. He’ll spit some of his classic songs along with his more recent material. A ferocious lyricist whose conscious words have punctuated the world of Hip Hop for the past 20 years, Lawrence Krisna Parker aka The Teacha aka KRS One, is promoting his newest release Adventures in Emceein, on which he’s collaborated with Nas, Rakim , Chuck and MC Lyte, just to name a few. A one of a kind of event not to be missed! Get your tickets here.

French graffiti artist Fafi doesn’t need any introduction. She first started painting on the walls of her hometown Toulouse, back in the early 90’s and now her ultra-sexy fafinettes can be seen all over the world. From Montreal to Paris, Mexico to Amsterdam, Tokyo to Bali, the provocative pin-ups have caught the attention of graffiti lovers the world over. With time Fafi’s style has evolved, and she’s created her own imaginary world, the Carmine Vault, where the Fafinettes live alongside Hmilo, the Hillminis and Birtak. After a series of successful collaborations with Adidas, Coca Cola, Le Sportsac, and MOB, this graffiti queen is now teaming up with MAC Cosmetics. For their Spring collection, the cosmetic giant approached Fafi to create three Fafinettes that would appear on compact powders, lip-glosses, mascara, bags and much more. The limited-edition line featuring Ermine, Monoka and Eriko - the three fafinettes- is out next month so watch out for the launch party scheduled for February 13th at New York’s Bendel’s. The colors are amazing, the illustrations are cute! Ladies, this a must-have for Spring!