John Coltrane's Blue World:

Get your tickets at the early bird price of $18 before September 5. Regular tickets will be $25.

Sixty years ago, inspired by Jean-Luc Godard and John Cassavetes, Gilles Groulx made a French-Canadian nouvelle vague movie in Montreal. Le chat dans le sac is a portrait of an earnest, self-absorbed young man — a would-be revolutionary — and his exploitative relationship with a naive theatre student. To compose the score, Groulx turned to bebop saxophonist John Coltrane… whose score was finally released in 2022 as the album Blue World. The film is a fascinating time capsule capturing Montreal in the early 60s, the cultural currents of the time (with newspapers looming large), and the sexual attitudes of the period. This screening will be preceded by a live jazz concert by the Mike Allen Trio.

Mike Allen is a legendary tenor saxophonist who has been at the forefront of the Canadian Jazz scene for 30 years. Known for his work with everybody from Michael Bublé to Sonny Greenwich, Mike is particularly adept at interpreting the music of John Coltrane. Before this special screening of Le chat dans le sac (The Cat in the Bag) Mike will be joined by Adam Thomas on bass, and Julian MacDonough on drums, for a unique performance featuring the music of Coltrane’s Blue Room (featuring the soundtrack of the film), and other Coltrane compositions.

Join us as we celebrate the 98th birthday of John Coltrane and the 60th Anniversary of a French Canadian classic.

An accomplished musician who has studied Coltrane in depth and forged a style that is fresh and vital

Jazz Journal International