Imagine it’s August 1985. It’s the summer of Live Aid. SkyTrain’s Expo Line is still months away from opening. You can buy a home in the West End for around $200,000. Corey Hart and Platinum Blonde dominate the Canadian music charts, while Kate Bush’s song “Running Up That Hill” has just been released (for the first time).
And during the week of August 19 – 25, 1985, the Vancouver International Jazz Festival was born.
Billed as the first annual Pacific Jazz and Blues Festival, it featured 100 musicians from BC, Washington state, and Oregon at clubs and venues around the city. The inaugural event was created (and mostly financed) by a small, but passionate, crew of music fans. The group – led by John Orysik, Robert Kerr and Ken Pickering – had just founded the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society. The non-profit organization was born with the intent of providing a 10-day music festival along with a year-long jazz presence. A new jazz era began.
In the years since, the Jazz Festival has cemented itself as a cultural institution in this city. As we head towards our 40th anniversary, we’ll track the evolution of the Festival by highlighting the world-class artists and legendary performances from each and every year.
Vancouver has changed a lot in the last 40 years, but the mission of Coastal Jazz has not. We continue to ensure jazz remains an integral part of our city’s vibrant arts scene by fostering the creation and exchange of sounds and ideas between the local, national, and international music communities.
But before we go forward, it’s worth going back. Join the conversation by sharing your festival memories on Instagram, Facebook or X at @coastaljazz.
