MONTREAL - Music legend Leonard Cohen will bring his trademark smoky voice to the Montreal stage this June with his first performance in his hometown in 15 years.
Cohen, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday, will give three shows at the Montreal International Jazz Festival on June 23-24-25 at Place des arts.
His performances will be a prelude to the festival, which runs June 26 to July 6.
Cohen has an album coming out this year and will perform new work at the festival as part of his tour - the singer's first such endeavour since he released "The Future" in 1973.
Renowned for his poetry and novels since the 1950s, Cohen has produced classics such as "So Long, Marianne" and "Everybody Knows."
In announcing the appearance by the 73-year-old poet, novelist, singer and songwriter, the Jazz Festival described him as "one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time."
"A great humanist, his songs explore the issues of spirituality, religion, sexuality, power, loneliness, interpersonal relations - simply put, the human condition."
There are more than 1,200 cover versions of his songs, including those done by artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, U2, Tori Amos and Rufus Wainwright.
