Keeping the Beat and Staying Rooted: Little Burgundy Jazz Festival
A week-long celebration of Montreal’s jazz heritage brings community, history, and rhythm together during time of forceful removal in the heart of Little Burgundy.
Dateline: Little Burgundy, Montreal, Quebec – April 18th, 2025
The Montreal Black Jazz Society is happy to announce the Keeping the Beat and Staying Rooted: Little Burgundy Jazz Festival. This Festival will be a week long running from June 10th to the 16th, 2025. During this festival, we promise to mark our territory by turning the iconic Little Burgundy neighbourhood into a vibrant celebration of sound, community, and history, all while paying tribute to Montreal’s Black jazz musicians. There will be more than 30 performances across local venues, a lineup of artists from across Canada, and a free community jazz parade. One of the main highlights will be performances from Little Burgundy’s own John Doe providing the vocals and Jane Doe playing the guitar. Sarah Jones, Executive Director of the Montreal Black Jazz Society says, “Little Burgundy has always been the heartbeat of Black culture and creativity in Montreal. This festival is more than just a music event… It’s a movement to honour our roots and bring light to our culture.”
Other than performances, attendees can explore the lounge, where old school jazz records will be played, and can attend storytelling panels where elders from the Jazz community will share their soulful journey of jazz in Canada. The events will be held at community centres and local parks across the Little Burgundy neighbourhood.
In a city where so many members have been forced out of their homes and businesses due to urban renewal, this festival is a reminder of what still stands… Our voices, our roots, and our community spirit. Rather than letting these stories be erased, we’re choosing to celebrate and preserve them. That’s why attendance to this Festival is by donation, making it accessible to everyone. We believe joy, culture, and connection should remain in the hands of the people, not come with a price tag.
“The energy of this community and its music shaped the soul of Canadian jazz,” says Bill Smith, the Festival’s Music Director. “With this event, we’re not only paying tribute, we’re passing the mic to the next wave of artists who are ready to carry the legacy forward. Funds raised will also support those in our community who are being forced to move, helping them pay rent” This festival is supported by the City of Montreal, the Canadian Heritage Fund, and local donors, the little Burgundy Jazz Festival invites people of all ages to join in on the music, whether it’s by dancing in the streets, listening to legends, or connecting with the next generation of jazz musicians.
Visit the local neighbourhood parks or our website to find out about available merchandise, artist schedules, and festival maps. The Montreal Black Jazz Society is committed to preserving and promoting the cultural and musical history of Little Burgundy while providing platforms for future voices and opportunity for housing.
For further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Priya Gill
Email: priya-g1@hotmail.com
Phone number: (123) 456-7899
2. Fact Sheet
Jazz in Burgundy: Keeping the Beat and Staying Rooted, Even When Forced to Move – Fast Facts
- Event Dates: June 10–16, 2025
- Location: Various venues and local parks across Little Burgundy, Montreal
- Headliners: John Doe and Jane Doe
- Over 30 live jazz performances from local and national Black musicians
- Youth Jam Sessions and Music programs led by professionals
- Listening Lounge featuring classic jazz records from the 1940s–1960s
- Storytelling panels with jazz community elders
- Entry via donation
- Reminder that the community cannot be broken due to removal by force
- Free community jazz parade on June 15
- Funded by: City of Montreal, Canadian Heritage Fund, and private donors
- Festival proceeds fund year-round youth music mentorship programs and rent for those being forced out of their homes and businesses.
Media Assets:
Caption: Community members dance to the rhythm during the Jazz Parade, show the powerful connection between music and neighbourhood.
Credit: Photo by Chuck Burton (NBC News)
Usage Rights: Free for distribution and reproduction by media outlets with attribution.
Caption: Official promotional poster for the 2025 Keeping the Beat and Staying Rooted: Little Burgundy Jazz Festival featuring bold lettering and saxophone imagery.
Credit: Created by Priya Gill using Canva.
Usage Rights: Free for distribution and reproduction by media outlets.
The blog posts for the Keeping the Beat and Staying Rooted: Little Burgundy Jazz Festival’s main goal is to build a meaningful connection with the community by telling impactful stories about the festival, the neighbourhood, and the impact Black jazz musicians have in Montreal. By engaging with cultural content, the Montreal Black Jazz Society will strengthen its relationship with stakeholders, highlight the importance of the festival, and preserve and celebrate the musical history of Little Burgundy. The blog will be a tool for community engagement, using transparency and storytelling to create trust and excitement surrounding the festival and its goals.
Spokespeople:
- Sarah Jones – Executive Director of the Montreal Black Jazz Society, who will lead the festival’s plans
- Bill Smith – Festival Music Director
- John Doe – A respected member of the Little Burgundy community, possibly a former church choir member, who tells stories of jazz’s impact on the local culture
- Jane Doe – Young singer and guitarist in Little Burgundy, who will represent the next generation of jazz musicians coming out of Little Burgundy
Content Calendar:
To engage with the audience, the Montreal Black Jazz Society will upload a wide range of blog posts leading up to and during the festival, that share the goals, values, and themes. The content calendar will follow a weekly publishing schedule to keep the audience engaged and informed. The blog post ideas will work to inform, inspire, and entertain the readers while reinforcing the cultural significance of the festival:
- May 15, 10 AM:
- Echoes of a Voice: How Little Burgundy Shaped Canadian Jazz: This post will dive into the history of jazz in Little Burgundy, showing of the neighbourhood became a place for Black musicians and their contributions to Canadian jazz. This post will also show the importance of local venues to promote local jazz music, instead of forcing them out of Little Burgundy.
- May 22, 10 AM:
- Meet the Artists: Up and Coming Voices in Black Canadian Jazz: This post will focus on the up-and-coming jazz musicians who will perform at the festival. This post will share their journeys, musical influences, and what it means to be a part of the new generation of Black Canadian jazz artists.
- May 29, 10 AM:
- John Doe’s Roots: A Reflection of the Past: This post will be a behind the scenes of John Doe. It will share his music journey, connection to the Little Burgundy neighbourhood, and why he thinks this festival is important in keeping the community together. This blog post will talk about his ongoing influence and how he thinks he inspires other musicians.
- June 5, 10 AM:
- Why We March: How a Community Becomes One: This post will promote the community jazz parade, which will march through Little Burgundy. It will also dive into how parades unite people from different communities.
- June 12, 10 AM:
- The Lounge Experience: Remembering the Sound: This post will take readers through the festival’s listening lounge, sharing jazz records from the 40s-60s. It will include stories behind the records and why it is important to preserve old jazz for future generations.
Audience Feedback and Engagement:
Audience feedback will be an important part of the blog posts, which will provide valuable information on how the content is being received and what topics the readers most enjoy. To keep track of feedback, the comment section will be on for each post, which will allow the readers to share their thoughts and experiences. Also, Instagram polls will be used to gather real-time feedback from festival followers.
Analytics also play an important role in tracking the blogs performance. Google Analytics will be used to measure page views, time spent on the page, and click-through rates in order to measure the effectiveness of the content. This data will help future blog posts, by making sure the content is relevant and engaging.
After the festival, the Montreal Black Jazz Society will send out a survey after the festival to collect detailed feedback on the festival’s impacts, which blog posts they enjoyed the most, and what theme they would like to see in future blog posts.
Justification:
The blog posts are important for building trust and creating a deeper connection within the community. By telling stories of both past and present jazz musicians, the blog emphasizes transparency and cultural pride. Sharing personal stories, behind-the-scenes content, and stories from the community shows how the festival is trying to preserve their presence in Little Burgundy while offering a sense of belonging for future generations.
Through the festival’s use of diverse voices and storytelling, the Montreal Black Jazz Society will strengthen its relationship with stakeholders and increase awareness of its future goals. The blog will not only inform readers about the Little Burgundy Jazz Festival, but it will also promote advocacy for housing, youth mentorship, and music education programs. By including personal histories, music, and community impact, the blog campaign will reinforce the organization’s goal to keep the spirit of jazz alive in Little Burgundy.