Montreal Avant-Garde Festival Combines Music with Social Movements

By I Apr. 20, 2006

The Suoni Per Il Popolo Festival (Sounds for the People Festival), in its sixth year, will include international acts such as Sun Ra Arkestra as part of a four-week celebration of Liberation music.

The festival, running from June 1-25, will reflect elements of diversity with many musical genres being showcased, including: bent rock, noise, avant folk, free jazz, urban beats, experimental electronics and contemporary composition. Both established musicians as well as younger, emerging artists are scheduled to appear, including 1960’s New York minimalist Charlemagne Palestine, backwoods guitar picker Jack Rose, Scandinavian jazz trio The Thing, Montreal’s Ken Vandermark and Japanese underground artist Tetuzi Akiyama. The festival will also feature a special series on Middle Eastern music and a “Tools of the Trade” workshop series.

“Liberation music is inspired by freedom of expression, improvisation, and sonic exploration and appeals to music aficionados world wide,” said festival founder Mauro Pezzente. “Given the context in which much of this music is made and the reaction it provokes, it is also music that resonates with progressive social movements.”

Details: suoniperilpopolo.org