Montreal Jazz Fest Adds Kamasi Washington, Unreleased Coltrane Recordings to 2026 Lineup

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (FIJM) (June 25-July 4) revealed the final additions to its 2026 lineup including Kamasi Washington returning to the festival’s main stage, following his 2022 performance and international sensations KELS and MonoNeon on a bill that is bolstered by local talent, newly announced opening acts and late-night events.

The Académie will also mark John Coltrane’s centenary in its own unique way with a world exclusive. Alongside Ken Druker of Verve Records, the festival will host a first listen to tracks from a new album of previously unreleased recordings of Coltrane from the early 1960s. Scheduled for release in September, the album will be titled The Tiberi Tapes: A Preview of the Mythic Recordings . The showcase will take place at the Académie, which is expanding its programming this year.

The Rogers Stage lineup is also expanding with late-night sets featuring international artists. It will be a festival debut for KELS, a singer-songwriter known for her powerful, old-school vocals as well as experimental bassist MonoNeon, who last performed at the FIJM in 2022. Also gracing the stage the duo DOMi & JD BECK.

Local talent takes center stage at Club Montréal Loto-Québec with the addition of Juno-nominated drummer Salin, who weaves northern Thai sounds with West African psychedelic rhythms. Audiences can also discover Ping Pong Go, the quirky new musical project from pianist Vincent Gagnon and drummer P-E Beaudoin.

New opening acts have also been added to the indoor concert lineup. Notably, Franco-Gabonese singer-songwriter Anaïs Cardot, considered one of the rising stars of French jazz, will open for Diana Krall at Place des Arts’ Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier (ÉVÉNEMENTS SPÉCIAUX TD). At the same venue, audiences will hear Lucinda Chua, a talented English, Malaysian and Chinese cellist and composer, who opens for St. Vincent.

Following the success of the 2025 edition of the Académie, the FIJM, which is presented by TD Bank Group in collaboration with Rio Tinto, continues its educational and community mission. This singular place for meaningful connection between seasoned artists, emerging musical talent and the public returns with even more activities in 2026. Offered on a first-come, first-served basis, all Académie events are free and divided into two streams: inspiring discussions between artists and the public and masterclasses featuring practical demonstrations.

Most of the activities will take place at the Monument-National and all are hosted by key industry players. Highlights include The Alchemist, the producer, DJ and rapper who has seamlessly bridged the gap between the old and new schools and international standout Brandee Younger hosting a masterclass showcasing her revolutionary use of the harp in modern jazz.

Traditionally presented in English, the Académie will offer simultaneous translation for the first time in 2026, via an app that’s downloadable on-site, ensuring greater accessibility for everyone.

From 11:00 PM to 3:00 AM, FIJM presents the afterparty series, “After Jazz.” Making its return is PHONO, a pop-up bar featuring DJ sets curated in collaboration with Ferias and Music Is My Sanctuary, alongside a signature cocktail menu. Steps away for the festival grounds are the sessions at Le Balcon featuring jazz, rock, hip-hop, R&B and soul.

The Quartier des Spectacles will be buzzing thanks to performances at the Cabaret Havana Club, where a lineup of fully acoustic brass bands and jazz quartets will offer salsa, groove and swing rhythms. Meanwhile on the Rio Tinto Stage, fans can catch emerging talent of the JazzFest des jeunes du Québec, showcasing local student combos making their official FIJM debut.

Jazz in all its forms takes over the entire city including special programming at Cinéma du Parc and Cinéma du Musée (in collaboration with Cinéma Cinéma), at the NFB and at PHI.

Recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest jazz festival on the planet, the festival has been synonymous with musical passion for more than four decades. Located in the heart of downtown Montreal, closed to traffic and opened until midnight, the festival site becomes the global meeting place for jazz lovers. Held over 10 days, the festival hosts more than 350 shows, most of which are free and open-air, presented on the Place des Festivals.

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/05/20/montreal-jazz-festival-unveils-additions-to-lineup-including-kamasi-washington-and-the-premiere-of-unreleased-john-coltrane-recordings/)._