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13th Edition | FEBRUARY 16-26, 2012
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Honorary Co-Presidents

Toots Thielemans

Toots Thielemans A harmonica pioneer, Toots Thielemans contributed mightily to bringing the instrument a new musical pedigree. While working primarily in jazz, the Brussels native has never hesitated to crossover into pop (Billy Joel, Julian Lennon…) and world music (The Brasil Project…). A brilliant whistler and accomplished guitarist, Thielemans plays the harmonica with a speed and fluidity generally associated with saxophonists.

Born in 1922 in Brussels, Jean "Toots" Thielemans picked up the accordion at the age of three; he wouldn't discover the harmonica for another 15 years. Moving to the U.S. mid-century, he released the album The Sound in 1955, unveiling the full measure of his talent. In the early '60s, living temporarily in Sweden, he recorded the album The Whistler and His Guitar, including the popular piece Bluesette, which would become a classic in the genre.

We've also heard him in the movies, thanks to Quincy Jones' involvement, on the soundtracks to Midnight Cowboy, The Getaway and Sugarland Express and in the theme song to classic, eternal children's TV program Sesame Street.

In concert Thursday, February 16 at 8 p.m.

Luc De Larochellière

Luc De Larochellière He appeared as a big longhaired kid in 1988, with a bracing, brainy, mature song that hit like a slap in the face: Amère América. Sure, it was his debut album, but he'd already collected three awards at the Festival de la chanson de Granby (singer-songwriter, chanson primée, for best unpublished song, and the media-voted award) two years earlier. Twenty-one years later, he offers us a gift of an album, Un toi dans ma tête, his 8th, which took home the 2010 Félix award for Singer-Songwriter, and was also heralded as "one of the most beautiful albums released here in the past decade" by critic Marie-Christine Blais in La Presse.

Between those peaks, there have been other albums, but also periods of silence-some of them too long. Just attend one of his shows or listen to a best-of collection (like Voix croisées, his duets with other artists including Vigneault and Cabrel) to understand how deeply rooted his presence is in Québécois song, and how important his oeuvre has been to us over the past 25 years, rolling out such classics as Sauvez mon âme, Chinatown, Si fragile, Si j'te disais reviens, La route est longue, Ma génération, Cash City

An artist engaged with the younger artistic generation, recipient of scads of awards (ADISQ, including 1989 Singer-Songwriter of the Year, a number of Socan awards, a Juno, etc., not to mention Victoires de la musique nominations in France), a collection of gold and platinum albums, Luc De Larochellière is undoubtedly one of the leading lights-and voices-on our music scene. And if he has refined his art to a fine point of simplicity, his career and oeuvre nonetheless remain exemplary and magnificent.

As part of MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE 2012, De Larochellière directs and appears in the tribute concert Ne me quitte pas, an homage to the great Jacques Brel.

In concert Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m.

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