A voice so fragile against the stark, hard imagery of her lyrics, and a packed Montreal Spectrum hung on her every note. The venue was set-up cabaret style with individual tables, and the sound was perfectly balanced so as to feature the sometimes tentativeness of her songs. I hate cliches, but you could hear a pin drop while she was playing.     As to playing (as opposed to singing) I was surprised at how much of it she did. Switching from acoustic guitar to synth keyboard to grand piano, the show felt like an intimate solo set, although she was backed-up by a trio. Highlights of the evening were the spooky "Ghostyhead" during which she thumped a frame drum, and the stunning encore - a solo piano rendition of the delicate "On Saturday Afternoons in 1963" from her first album.       As to the Montreal Jazz Festival itself - there is music everywhere! Its in the bars on St. Denis, in the streets around Place Des Arts, and its in the many concert theatres. My companion and I arrived with virtually no plan, knowing that you can`t miss with this Fest.      Oddly, she and I may see very little actual jazz this weekend. We plan to take in ANTIBALAS / FEMI KUTI & THE POSITIVE FORCE tonight who would best be described as a world music group, and Sean Lennon may be on the agenda as well. But who knows - we will go where the mood takes us.Rikki Lee Jones photos here: http://melodytrip.com/Community/photos/carlotta_pix/picture13693.aspx   http://melodytrip.com/Community/photos/carlotta_pix/picture13694.aspx