The Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (FIJM) returned in its 43rd edition in full swing (and shuffle, backbeat, Afrobeat, and even ¾ time). It’s been three years since we’ve attended as in 2020 and 2021, like most of the world, the pandemic restricted the festival to a virtual online event, and last year, while it came back in real life, Covid was still viral enough in the city to keep us at bay. But we had little excuse this year, and perhaps it was because of our absence that the festival seemed more vibrant and stronger than…
