By 1989, Coastal Jazz had four jazz festivals under their belt – three with du Maurier sponsorship – and had made an indelible mark on Vancouver’s cultural scene. Vancouver Magazine wrote, “In just five years, they have brought the music out from its bohemian shadows and into the big time, with an annual jazz festival that is one of the most adventurous in North America…”
Last week we shared how the festival’s early intentions to program a wide variety of jazz, blues and creative music were, in fact, intentional. The Vancouver Sun wrote, “one look at the program can have a dedicated listener swooning,” but still, the calendar was accessible to the less initiated. In fact, the options were abundant, with 400+ artists featured over ten days. The Commodore hosted shows nine of those nights.
The Sun also wrote, “Once again the Festival presents diverse musical influences within the genre, from the free jazz piano of Marilyn Crispell to the big band ersatz swing of Vancouver’s Jazzmanian Devils.” As it turns out, Marilyn Crispell not only performed that year, but recorded Duets, a live album, with American saxophonist and composer Anthony Braxton, at The Western Front. It was released in 1990.
The 1989 lineup included local luminaries Fraser McPherson, Oliver Gannon and Phil Dwyer. The Sun went on to say, “The Festival’s biggest coup this year has been the inclusion of Sun Ra, the 74-year-old poet/keyboardist/composer/bandleader who claims to be from Saturn and has been playing his unique and diverse music for over 50 years.” Local jazz music enthusiast and former Coastal Jazz board member, Nou Dadoun, was at the Commodore that night, and wrote about the Sun Ra’s interplanetary adventures.
“The band with singers and dancers was in full force and swung the joint from Ellington to Astro Black to Snow White with Angels and Demons at Play along the way in a show that is one of the all-time festival highlights!”
Sun Ra Arkestra would come back to play the Jazz Festival in different incarnations over the next few decades, most recently with an eye-popping performance in 2023. Another now-familiar face, Wayne Horvitz – who brought his Electric Circus to Performance Works this past June – would make his Vancouver Jazz Festival debut in 1989.
As well, the Festival’s emphasis on free programming had taken hold. Thanks to an early days’ partnership with Granville Island, the closing free weekend on the island was a mainstay. “The free element has always been part of the festival,” said co-founder John Orysik in a 1989 interview. “The idea to make the festival accessible was with us from Day 1. We wanted people to access this music and not have any obstacles to it. Whether those obstacles were economic or whether they had a stereotypical view of what jazz was and so they weren’t willing to spend any money. Here was an opportunity by presenting free concerts where you could just go and dabble without any obligation.”
Today Coastal Jazz continues to works diligently to democratize access to arts, music, and culture. We create inclusive spaces for artists to collaborate and audiences to meet, and constantly strive to break down barriers and make these enriching experiences available to all, believing that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, should have the opportunity to appreciate and participate in these cultural events.
But we cannot do it alone.
Without government support, we are at risk of not being able to fulfill our mission. Please consider supporting our advocacy campaign. Click here to learn how you can share your voice before the 2024 Provincial Election.
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