Photo by John R. Welsh

Brian Wilson Festival de International de Jazz de Montreal- 7/7

World-class jazz, of the variety found at legendary Manhattan venues and major American and European jazz festivals, remains the calling card for the Festival de International de Jazz de Montreal. But the Montreal fest, with a reported attendance of nearly two million for its 37th edition making it one of the world’s largest, leavens its blue-chip bebop, post-bop, fusion, electronic and avant-garde jazz with major blues, rock, pop, hip-hop, soul, world music and Americana artists.

Brian Wilson, recipient of the fest’s Spirit Award, previously given to the likes of Prince, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon, brought his 50th anniversary Pet Sounds tour to the 3,000-seat Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier theater anchoring the Place des Arts performing arts complex. The two-hour show was a wildly received recreation of the acclaimed album, a deceptively complex, beautifully arranged surf-pop classic that upon its release argued for the Beach Boys as the most significant American rival to the Beatles.

The truth about Wilson, 74, whose well-documented genius and struggles were so artfully explored in 2014’s biopic “Love & Mercy” (the song of that name closed the Montreal show): His powers as a singer and performer perhaps inevitably have been significantly diminished in recent years. Tentatively walking to center stage piano, he sat down at the grand piano and proceeded to struggle with many of his vocals, which sometimes wandered out of key and occasionally cracked.

And yet, the overall effect of the music often verged on the magical, thanks to the strength of the arrangements and the robust performance of the oversized band of singers and instrumentalists, 11-strong including its star.

“Heroes and Villains,” a song Wilson wrote with Van Dyke Parks for the “Smile” album (shelved in the ‘60s but revisited four decades later), opened the show, and charmed with its lush a cappella harmonies. More hits followed, including signature ‘60s anthem “California Girls,” “I Get Around,” which had many listeners standing and dancing, “Don’t Worry Baby” and “Cool, Cool Water,” with original Beach Boys member Al Jardine. “One Kind of Love,” from Wilson’s 2015 album “No Pier Pressure,” was followed by a couple of tunes, “Wild Honey” and “Sail On, Sailor,” featuring Beach Boys associate Blondie Chaplin on vocals and guitar, that felt like a distraction from the main event.

“Pet Sounds,” of course, was the centerpiece of the concert, and it was all there, and imbued with a degree of poignancy, thanks in part to Wilson’s on-stage demeanor and iffy singing. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” with the show-stealing Matthew Jardine (Al’s son) singing much of the high lead, was a highlight. So were “You Still Believe in Me,” the instrumental “Let’s Go Away for Awhile,” “Sloop John B,” featuring co-writer Al Jardine,” a downright gorgeous “God Only Knows,” a moving “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times,” and “Caroline No.”

The long, uninterrupted set rolled on with even more hits familiar beloved by many Boomers, including “Good Vibrations,” “Help Me Rhonda,” “Surfin’ USA,” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.”

It was a carefully calibrated time-trip of a concert that, if nothing else, demonstrated the continuing appeal of the lush, sun-dappled Southern California pop that Wilson and his bandmates created.