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Polaris Prize Short List Names Tegan and Sara, Owen Pallett, Shad, Broken Social Scene

From 40 albums the Polaris Music Prize list shortened to 10 finalists this afternoon. Making the cut for the prestigious Canadian music award are: the Besnard Lakes, Broken Social Scene, Caribou, Karkwa, Dan Mangan, Radio Radio, Owen Pallett, the Sadies, Shad, and Tegan and Sara. The list was announced in order by the CBC's Grant Lawrence with ...

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Montreal Jazz Festival: Two to Watch

Every year the Montreal Jazz Festival serves as a launching pad for new talent and this year is no exception. Spinner took note of two singer/songwriters in particular, and both happen to be local boys with guitars on their backs and harmonicas at their lips. Bobby Bazini plays the circuit in his native Quebec and word has slowly been spreading ...

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Allen Toussaint Is All Smiles at the Montreal Jazz Festival

A standing ovation is a pretty great way to start a concert -- and with more than 50 years of songwriting and recording to his credit, Allen Toussaint deserves nothing less. The warm welcome came at 6PM in a church basement just outside of the Montreal Jazz Festival grounds, and from there the evening unfolded like the best-kept secret of the ...

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Cyndi Lauper's True Colour Is Blue at the Montreal Jazz Festival

She may have kept the crowd waiting a touch too long for her arrival, but Cyndi Lauper brought out the big guns within seconds of taking the stage at the Montreal Jazz Festival. For the first song, she kicked up a leg, raised her hem and gave 'em hell. For the second, she brought out a good friend, R&B legend Allen Toussaint, to tickle the ...

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Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears Bring the Blues to Montreal Jazz Fest

Forget back-up dancers -- tonight on the Scène Loto Québec stage at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears proved that a line of bobbing brass musicians is the ultimate in stage décor. Lewis and the Honeybears weren't the only ones dancing -- the entire crowd was equally enthusiastic with swaying ...

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Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson and John Zorn Spark Walk-Outs at Montreal Jazz Festival

In all fairness, no one really knew what to expect when the legendary Lou Reed, his wife, multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, and saxophone guru John Zorn took the stage at the Montreal Jazz Festival, but it's fairly safe to say that no one expected to be told to "get the f--- out" of the Salle Wilfred Pelletier where the trio performed. That ...

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Broken Bells Say Debut Was Almost a Double-Album

With all of the time they spend together, it's hard to imagine there's anything Danger Mouse and his Broken Bells bandmate James Mercer have yet to share. But side-by-side on their tour bus, Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton) admits to his pal that he may not have fully explained how hard it was to cut their debut album down to just ten tracks. "To ...

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