What makes a good festival?

This author shares his thoughts on why the Montreal Jazz Festival is so good, and what the SF Jazz Festival might do to improve.

ContraCostaTimes.com | 07/30/2006 | How cities can jazz up music festivals: "What makes Montreal such an adrenaline-inducing experience is the way that the festival grabs hold of the city's imagination, becoming the dominant cultural story for a huge metropolitan region of more than 3 million people. With more than 150 performances by a staggering range of musicians, many only tangentially related to jazz, the most exciting part of the festival is discovering musicians you've never heard before. For music fans, it can be an almost overwhelming experience.

"With a typically Canadian embrace of sensible urban planning, Montreal has developed the ideal infrastructure for throwing a huge, multi-venue event. The festival takes over the heart of the city's cultural district, turning several major streets into car-free zones while transforming the plaza in front of the Contemporary Art Museum into a vast outdoor party, with refreshments, food stalls and multiple bandstands offering free concerts.

"The festival's eight indoor venues, which offer ticketed concerts, are either on the plaza or within a few blocks."