The story of Coastal Jazz and Blues Society is the story of determination, passion, idealism, community, and of course, music. Founded in 1985, we incorporated in 1986 as a community-based, not-for-profit, charitable arts organization located in Vancouver, British Columbia. From the very beginning, the society has worked diligently to establish Vancouver as a centre for the creation and exchange of sounds and ideas between the local, national, and international music communities.

Our mission is to not only increase the appreciation of the music, but to strengthen the arts community by developing special projects, artistic exchanges, partnerships, educational initiatives, community programs, and collaborations that further the art form. Our vision encompasses a wide spectrum of jazz, blues, world, creative, and improvised music, including evolving forms of jazz and the technologies and media that influence jazz as an art form.

Today, the Society ranks as BC’s largest not-for-profit music presenter producing the annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Bright Moments series of concerts, the annual Winter Jazz festival on Granville Island, as well as presenting local, national, and international artists throughout the year. Along with music presentation, the society also has a long-standing commitment to music education, presenting the Cypher: Write, Record, Perform program exclusively for young musicians, the Sounds of Youth performance stage, regular workshops by local visiting international artists including the monthly Cool School: Get Hip to Jazz series, children’s music programs, and more.

The Society is also a significant part of Vancouver and BC’s economic engine and tourism industry, attracting over half a million people to the annual jazz festival and generating over $43 million in economic activity.