Woody Allen, Aretha Franklin to play Montreal Jazz Festivalby Joe Rosen

At first glance, Woody Allen, Aretha Franklin and Leonard Cohen would not seem to have all that much in common, but at least one shared thread easily pulled is that all three are among the performers scheduled to appear at this summer’s annual Montreal Jazz Festival, June 26 to July 6.

Clarinet in hand, Woody Allen will be making his Montreal debut when he appears, for one night only, June 30, with his New Orleans Jazz Band. The great blues and jazz singer Aretha Franklin also will be making her first appearance at the festival.

Leonard Cohen, at 73 a favorite (if not venerated) son of Montreal, will do three pre-festival shows, on June 23, 24 and 25. Cohen, a poet, novelist and songwriter and singer, is best known for “Suzanne” and “Hallelujah” and will be singing new songs as part of his tour, his first since 1993.

Other performers and groups lined up for the 29th edition of Canada’s biggest jazz festival include singer-songwriter James Taylor; Omara Portuondo, the 78-year-old diva from Cuba; brilliant bassist Charlie Haden and his new band; a saxophone summit comprising Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman and Ravi Coltrane; and jazz-rock fusion group Steely Dan.