Winnipeg International Jazz Festival Announces 2012 Line-up

For 10 days in June, the Winnipeg International Jazz Festival will transform the city for its 23rd year of music. Winnipeg’s largest downtown music festival, which runs June 14-23, announced its lineup on April 13. With nearly 100 performers taking over various city stages at over 40 ticketed shows during the 10-day run, the venerable music fest draws thousands of concert goers for a wide range of events spanning just about every genre, from jazz standards to R&B, hardbop to hip-hop, roots and blues to indie rock and ska, latin jazz, and just about everything in between.

This year's line-up offers a fantastic chance to catch local talent, boasting over 50 Manitoba acts throughout the fest. Audiences can hear homegrown music in the clubs and theatres, in the late night shows, and on the outdoor stage during the 2012 festivities.

Jazz Fest kicks things off in the heart of the Exchange District with a free opening weekend at Old Market Square, June 14-17. The Cube will feature a diverse all-Manitoba line-up, including Flo, Trio Bembe, Marco Castillo & Brazilian Beats, Flying Fox and The Hunter Gatherers, Enjoy Your Pumas, Mise En Scene, The Liptonians, The Lytics, Royal Canoe, Dustin Harder and The Dusty Roads Band, The Noble Thiefs, Moses Mayes with expat Maiko Watson, and more.

This year’s Theatre Series welcomes a range of international names, including chart-topping R&B sensation Janelle Monae, indie rock outfit The Hold Steady, soul legend Booker T. Jones, and jazz composer/pianist Ramsey Lewis. Locals Greg MacPherson and Erin Propp will be among the openers.

Indie rockers The Antlers, remix trio A Tribe Called Red, and haute rock act Young Empires are among the list of performers at Jazz Fest's groundbreaking Club Series. The Pyramid Cabaret, Aqua Books, Le Garage, Times Change(d), Juss Jazz, King's Head, and Winnipeg Free Press News Café will open their doors to 36 events, which feature plenty of Manitoba music, including Imaginary Cities, Small Girl, Doug Edmond, Helen White, Demetra, Monika Wall, Rosemarie Todaschuk, Sol James, Curtis Nowosad Sextet, Red Moon Road, Haunter, Sweet Alibi, and Sierra Noble.

For those looking to connect with festival artists to boost their music skills, Jazz Fest also offers free workshops. Taking place at the Manitoba Conservatory, the TD Jazz Labs will feature sessions and talks by the likes of trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, drummer Mark Kelso, guitarist Henry Johnson, and more.

See the complete line-up at jazzwinnipeg.com and check out the Live Music Calendar for all your Jazz Fest events.