Dave Brubeck honoured by Montreal jazz fest

The Montreal International Jazz Festival has broken out a second Miles Davis Award this year for jazz pianist Dave Brubeck.

The festival already awarded its annual Miles Davis prize for lifetime achievement last week — to saxophonist Sonny Rollins.

But on Monday Alain Simard, president of the Montreal festival, honoured Brubeck for his long career with a special issue Miles Davis Award.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet plays Monday night to close the festival.

Brubeck, 89, is credited with moving jazz west to California in the 1940s with his distinctive style. His 1959 album Time Out is considered a jazz classic.

Also honoured  Monday was Toronto's Don Thompson, who won the Oscar Peterson Award from the festival for his outstanding contributions to Canadian jazz.

Vancouver's Thompson, a pianist, bassist, percussionist and maestro of the vibraphone, has been influential in Canadian jazz since the 1960s.

The Parc-X Trio of Montreal was awarded the Grand Jazz Award after being deemed best of eight jazz ensembles who took part in a pan-Canadian competition.

The $5,000 Galaxie Rising Star Award for the best composition went to Toronto composer and trombonist Darren Sigesmund for his piece Dance for Leila.