This year, the Festival international de jazz de Montréal will highlight the exceptional contribution to music of five jazz artists, including George Benson.

The guitarist will be the 13th recipient of the Montreal Jazz Festival Spirit Award, which recognizes “the quality and innovation of the work as well as the determining influence of an artist on all of international popular music”.

The other honored musicians are Avishai Cohen, Stacey Kent, Marisa Monte and Édelène Fitzgerald. These winners will be respectively awarded, during the 43rd edition of the Festival, the Miles-Davis, Ella-Fitzgerald, Antônio-Carlos-Jobim and Oliver-Jones prizes.

The 43rd edition of the Jazz Festival will take place from June 29 to July 8.