There are only two seasons in Montreal: winter and construction. So what do we do for fun in "construction season"? Well, for starters, we have the International Jazz Festival , a two-week long celebration of jazz, blues and beyond. The largest of its kind, the festival attracts world-class jazz musicians as well as young hopefuls, who perform in an open stage for free, while sweaty young funs cheer them in the audience below. There are, of course, ample supply of beer in nearby stands and I smelt marijuana, too. For older folks like me, we buy ticket to see some older musician playing some old-fashioned jazz. Chucho Valdes is the quintessential Latin jazz pianist from Cuba. His quintet consists of a piano, a bass, a drum and a conga. He didn't speak much (all in Spanish) and just played and played . Some songs showed off his skill and speed and others presented his softer side. There was a brief quotation from "Rhapsody in Blue", playfully resolved into his o...