John Pizzarelli, Stevie Wonder, et al. Win Montreal Jazz Festival Awards

Stevie Wonder, Toots & The Maytals, John Pizzarelli, Ornette Coleman and Susie Arioli are the 2009 winners of the prestigious prizes awarded annually by the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal to artists who have made extraordinary contributions to the evolution of music. They will receive, respectively, the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award, Antonio Carlos Jobim Award, Ella Fitzgerald Award, Miles Davis Award, and Oscar Peterson Award.

In addition, Bruce Lundvall, the president of Blue Note Records, will receive the first annual Bruce Lundvall Award, which will be presented annually to a non-musician who has left a mark on the world of jazz or contributed to the development of music, through media, concert or record industries.

The Festival, which will run from June 30-July 12, features concerts by dozens of performers. This year’s line-up includes Tony Bennett, Madeline Peyroux, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, Jamie Cullum, Chris Botti, Buddy Guy, Eliane Elias, Lee Konitz, Joshua Redman, Al Jarreau, and many more.

For more information, visit www.montrealjazzfest.com.