Liza Minnelli received this year’s Ella Fitzgerald Award 2012

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The 2012 Montreal Jazz Festival – A Feast for the Senses Written by Sheila Horne Mason; Photos by Kevin R. Mason   

The 33rd edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal took place June 28 - July 7, 2012 (with a couple of pre-Festival concerts on June 27, and a special Battle of the Bands on July 8).  It was festive in every sense of the word. With a profusion of offerings from over 3,000 musicians from 30 countries, special art exhibitions, and street performers, this Festival appealed to the ears, eyes, and heart. Even Mother Nature blessed the Festival, as beautiful weather prevailed for the majority of the events.
Global superstar Liza Minnelli, Academy Award winner and recipient of a special “Legends” Grammy, now has another prestigious honor for her mantle. Minnelli received this year’s  Ella Fitzgerald Award. Liza said, “Ella Fitzgerald was my hero; I have every record of hers. I really learned from her!” Minnelli received a standing ovation when she arrived on stage. Despite a recently broken ankle and some hoarseness, this lifelong child of show business charmed the audience with “Liza with a Z” in French, and regaled the crowd with anecdotes from her life. After speaking about Charles Aznavour, Fred Ebb, and filling in for Gwen Verdon in the Broadway show Chicago, she sang “Maybe This Time,” “Cabaret,” and a duet with singer-pianist Billy Stritch, “I Can’t Give You Anything but Love.” She continued with “The World Goes Round” and “New York, New York” to thunderous applause. For an encore, Minnelli finished with a moving, a cappella version of “I’ll be Seeing You.”