great must-have is the $12 Friends of the Festival card, which is kind of a VIP card, giving you free stuff and perks galore. They are available at participating SAQ stores, Renaud-Bray and Best Buy outlets and on site at the fest. Some of the perks included are a free compilation CD, a ticket to a draw, a bottle of water, sunscreen and the loan of a stroller. Festivalgoers of legal drinking age can also use the card to get into the late-night jam sessions at the Salon Jeanne-Mance of the Hyatt Regency.

Whatever you do, don't forget to pick up the festival's official program catalogue – that would just be shameful. There's no way you could possibly remember where all your fave shows are playing without the handy 178-page handbook, outlining what's going on where. You can pick up your copy totally free at Metropolis, Place des Arts, SAQ outlets, most downtown hotels, major book and retail stores, and, closer to the start of the fest, at concert venues.

Although this only gave you an itsy bitsy taste of the variety and talent that will be showcased at this year's Montreal Jazz Festival, that's all the more reason to go check it out for yourself, and hopefully now you have some incentive – I know, I'm such a tease. – M.K.