The year 2000 – or Y2K, if you’re old enough to recall – saw Coastal Jazz celebrate its 15th festival. It kicked off with a cover story in The Vancouver Sun titled,
Sound Festival – The du Maurier International Jazz Festival Vancouver has evolved into a model North American cultural event in just 15 years
The article traces the history of the Festival’s origins, the birth of the Coastal Jazz & Blues Society and the friendship of the organization’s three co-founders – Robert Kerr, John Orysik and Ken Pickering. Their passion for jazz brought them together, and inspired a jazz appreciation movement in Vancouver. Who better to impress jazz upon the city than three jazz-obsessed superfans?
(Check out our Festival Memories series starting with year one.)
By year two, wrote The Vancouver Sun, the form of the Festival was taking shape. “They would focus on a program for many tastes anchored by a handful of headliners who would play such venues as the Orpheum and Commodore. They would mix import and local acts, with locals double-billed with headliners.”
The society would not just stage a 10-day event and go away. It would stage concerts throughout the year, and the individual events fuelling interest in the festival, and vice-versa.”
It’s worth noting here that this approach to programming the festival continues today. Venues have changed over the years. These days a marquee show might be held at The Queen Elizabeth, the Playhouse or the Orpheum. But collaborations between visiting and local artists are still vital to Vancouver’s Jazz Festival experience. You could count on seeing many throughout the calendar. The importance of year-round programming to foster the Coastal Jazz community remains, but unfortunately continued funding challenges require us to focus our limited budget on the festival.
From June 23 to July 2, 2000, the Jazz Festival presented 1,600 musicians in 38 venues. Big bands dominated. After a two-year hiatus the Commodore came back to host programming every night, including four Afro-Cuban bands. Headliners at the Orpheum that year included vocalist Holly Cole, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Jonny Lang, Cesaria Evora plus Barbito Torres.
Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band sold out the Commodore, which also hosted Jacksoul, Los Moscosos, and Jane Bennett & The Spirits of Havana. Keb’ Mo’ played the Vogue Theatre, as did Rickie Lee Jones and the David Sanchez Sextet. The Monday night crowd at Rossini’s for Ray Brown’s show were treated to a surprise appearance by none other than Diana Krall. Krall, who was there with her parents, appeared on stage for eight minutes with famed bassist.
In the festival’s familiar refrain of presenting innovative European jazz-based improvisers, A Box of Swedes featured 20 artists who were considered among the most creative on the burgeoning Swedish music scene. New Dutch Swing at the Cultch returned for featuring Han Bennink, who was so popular he was introduced as the “next mayor of Vancouver.” Vancouver-based musicians Paul Plimley, Ron Samworth and John Korsud were invited to collaborate.
That year you could also see François Houle with his Electro-Acoustic Project, and Improvisations for Orchestra – a grand scale concert of new Canadian compositions (including Vancouver pianist Paul Plimley) for a CBC Vancouver Orchestra. Artistic Director Ken Pickering noted in the guidebook, “Over the years the depth and range of “local” musicians have also had an enormous impact. Celso Machado, Paul Plimley, Ron Samworth, François Houle, John Korsud, Peggy Lee, Dylan Van der Schyff, and Tony Wilson are some of the important musicians who define the uniqueness of Vancouver’s creative music community.”
“In many ways this year’s festival felt more like the World Cup of creative improvised music.” (CODA Magazine)
Thankfully many of these artists are still playing the Festival today. Will they be playing our 2025 festival?
Mark your calendars and find out, June 20 – 29, 2025. We’ll be back with our first festival show announcements and new flashbacks in January.
Catch up on all our festival flashbacks. Do you have a memorable festival memory? Share your story with us! Join the conversation on Instagram, Facebook or X @coastaljazz.
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