Preparations are underway for the 17th edition of the Hudson Music Festival (HMF) which will be held from August 2 until August 7.

The six-day event will feature a wide range of music styles including classical to jazz and from rock to reggae, said Blair Mackay, President and Cofounder of the festival. 

The HMF was established in 2007 by Mackay and his wife Lynda Clouette-Mackay to highlight and support the vibrant cultural environment in the town.

"We're doing everything from classical to jazz to rock and a lot of rolls in between. We have two feature artists coming up from Italy and a folk classical singer with a great jazz group from Toronto," said Mackay.

Day of free music

The musical lineup on August 5 will feature three free tributes to the great musical artists of reggae, jazz and rock. 

"This is the free day we'll be doing tributes to all kinds of music. We have a bunch of talented locals doing a tribute to Bob Marley and then we have a bunch of great jazz guys doing Jazz Messengers," said Mackay.

"And we have The Crazy Diamonds, a nine-piece Pink Floyd retrospective band from Ontario celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon," Mackay added.

Highlighting regional talent

The mission of the HMF is to provide performance opportunities for talented professional and amateur musicians from the region and to bring exciting national and international artists to the Hudson community. 

"I live in Hudson and we think it's a good idea to do music in the middle of the summer and to bring people into the town and create a cultural environment of high quality music," said McKay

"We bring in a lot of stuff that's world renowned that you normally won't find in a small town. We're trying to bring in as much diversity and culture and also trying to promote new talent," Mackay added.

While the event is staged in Hudson, the organizers are welcoming people from throughout the Vaudrueil-Soulanges region and beyond including the Island of Montreal and eastern Ontario to visit and participate in the festivities. 

Concert schedule

Aug 2 - Serhiy Salov, solo piano concert, 7:30 p.m.

Aug 3 - Big Messe of Patti Smith with the Not Patti Smith Group, 7:30 p.m.

Aug 4 - Derek Falls Blues Band, 5 p.m.

Aug 4 - Coco Rose - Mtl indie-funk band, 8 p.m.

Aug 5 - Hudson community stage review, Hommage to Bob Marley, 1 p.m.

Aug 5 - RC Jazz Sextet, Hommage tu the Jazz Messengers, 3 p.m.

Aug 5 - Karen Myatt, Jazz world music, 5 p.m.

Aug 5 - Crazy Diamonds - Hommage to Pink Floyd, 8 p.m.

Aug 6 - Ditch Flowers - Trio Roots Americana, 5 p.m.

Aug 6 - Sicilian Jazz Project - With Michael Occhipinti, 8 p.m.

Aug 7 - Becky Reesor, 7:30 p.m.

Aug 7 - The Legend of Madiba, 8:30 p.m.

For more information about the Hudson Music Festival, visit http://www.hudsonmusicfestival.ca/#1467729568619-bba4346a-1037.