Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival

John Gross Trio
2025-06-18 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Vancouver)
John Gross is a master of saxophone multiphonics, Vancouver-based American tenorist John Gross has worked with Billy Mintz, Tony Malaby, and Lionel Hampton. Saxophone Journal called him “a phenomenon of knowledge and experience” and “one of the most meaningful players on the scene.” Nevermind theory and technique, which he commands in spades, John Gross “plays his life on the horn.”
John Gross will be joined by Feven Kidane on trumpet, and Jim Hopson on trombone/tuba.
Coastal Jazz & False Creek Ferries present: Band on a Boat. The event takes place by Canoe Bridge pedestrian bridge in Olympic Village. The timing of this event is only as exact as the tides.

Ru & Harmeet Quintet
2025-06-20 18:00 - 20:00 | Zameen Art House, 1515 Anderson St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H 3R5, Canada
Ruthie Ha & Harmeet Kaur Virdee are two of Vancouver’s most talented young Jazz musicians. On June 20, they will be performing together at the Zameen Art House, an intimate performance space on Granville Island, as part of a special Infidels Jazz Showcase taking place during the Vancouver International Jazz Festival,
They will be leading a special Quintet that will perform their own original music.
Featuring: Ruthie Ha tenor saxophone, Harmeet Kaur Virdee bass, Noah France-Nolan piano, Parmela Attariwala violin/viola, and Karl DeJong drums.
Presented by Infidels Jazz.
Note: This is an Infidels Jazz production, and Jazz Festival artist, staff, or volunteer passes are not applicable.

Q3
2025-06-20 18:20 - 21:00 | 2nd Floor Gastown (at the Water St. Café), 300 Water St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B1B6, Canada
Quinn, Schulz, and Shakir showcase the jazz talents of Norm Quinn trumpet/flugelhorn, Guenter Schulz guitar, and David Shakir bass. Their performances feature unique takes on jazz standards and original compositions. Norm Quinn is known for his melodic innovation and leads groups like Big Shoulders and The Curbside Collective. David Shakir excels across jazz, classical, and indie rock, playing with groups such as Big Shoulders and NOW Orchestra. Together, they present a magical fusion of jazz styles.
Set times:
1st – 6:15pm – 7:45pm
2nd – 8:30pm – 9:45pm

Immanuel Wilkins & Lutosławski Quartet
2025-06-20 19:00 - 20:15 | Western Front, 303 East 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1S1, Canada
Immanuel Wilkins “embodies contemporary jazz at its most thrilling.” – MOJO
The music of saxophonist/composer Immanuel Wilkins is filled with empathy and conviction, bonding arcs of melody and lamentation to pluming gestures of space and breath. Listeners were introduced to this riveting sound on Wilkins’ acclaimed debut Omega, which was named the #1 Jazz Album of 2020 by The New York Times. On his stunning sophomore album The 7th Hand, the Brooklyn-based, Philadelphia-raised artist’s “ocean-deep jazz epics” (Pitchfork) explored relationships between presence and nothingness across an hour-long suite.

This Festival performance marks the Canadian premiere of a new Immanuel Wilkins piece written for the Lutosławski Quartet and commissioned by Jazztopad Festival / National Forum of Music in Wroclaw, Poland. An ensemble of versatile and open-minded artists, Roksana Kwaśnikowska violin, Marcin Markowicz violin, Artur Rozmysłowicz viola, and Maciej Młodawski cello blend contemporary repertoire with gems from classical, Romantic, and jazz music. Founded in 2007, the Lutosławski Quartet is one of Europe’s foremost contemporary classical string quartets, specializing in the music of their namesake, Witold Lutosławski, as well as works by Bacewicz, Szymanowski, and the group’s own Marcin Markowicz.
About the Piece: Ethnic Cleansing — An American Tradition
This piece is dedicated to the people of Palestine who have faced a systematic forced displacement from their homeland, as well as the recent flood of deportations performed by the US Government. It explores the idea that Sandi Hilal speaks of in her essay “Permanent Temporariness”, called “al masha”, referring to group land cultivation in order to prevent their land being illegally seized by settlers. This piece is about constantly living on the edge of life and death.
Additional support is provided by the Polish Cultural Institute New York, National Forum of Music – Poland, and the Western Front.
Discounted tickets are available for students, artists and those who are unable to afford full price. Select “Discount Pricing” tickets at checkout.
This venue does not have an elevator. For accessibility information and seating please contact: boxoffice@coastaljazz.ca

Early Show: Retro Replay
2025-06-20 19:00 - 20:45 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Come vibe with Retro Replay, a fresh take on the golden age of R&B. We’re serving up the best jams from the ’90s and 2000s, featuring Vancouver’s own Jon Müller on vocals, Jonny Tobin on keys, and Trent Otter on drums. This trio is turning heads with their smooth grooves and hot takes on all your faves. Don’t miss out—join us and relive the music that defined an era!

Farah Siraj
2025-06-20 19:30 - 21:30 | West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Dr, West Vancouver, British Columbia, V7V 1J8, Canada
Vivacious Jordanian flamenco-jazz artist Farah Siraj has sung in English, Arabic, and Spanish on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Centre, and at events like the Nobel Prize Awards, World Economic Forum, and United Nations World Peace Day. The singer-songwriter and guitarist leads an ethnically diverse quartet of musicians from the Middle East, Europe, United States, and South America.
Presented in association with North Shore Jazz.
Special thanks to West Vancouver Memorial Library.

Cory Weeds Quartet featuring special guest Tyler Henderson
2025-06-20 20:00 - 23:00, 2025-06-21 20:00 - 23:00 | Frankie’s Jazz Club, 755 Beatty Sreet, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2M4, Canada
Cory Weeds is an expressive saxophonist with a warm and impactful sound rooted in jazz tradition. Jazz aficionados know that Weeds conveys an unerring sense of swing.
Recording more than 20 albums as a leader that document his dynamic saxophone playing on both hard-swinging tunes and gentle ballads, he has shared stages and recording studios with the likes of Bill Charlap, Joey DeFrancesco, Champian Fulton, Jeff Hamilton, Harold Mabern, Roy McCurdy, Brad Turner, and many other high-level artists.
He’s a fearless musician who embraces a broad range of playing situations and then delivers with performances that shine.
Arriving in New York from Houston in 2019 to attend Juilliard, Henderson has quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after pianists in the city. It is rare to hear a musician this young play with such maturity and depth. While attending Julliard Henderson began working with legendary musicians such as Joe Magnarelli, Bruce Harris, Rodney Green, and Grant Stewart. His debut record Love Endures has just come out on the Cellar Music label. He has also made numerous appearances on the label as a sideman with his contemporaries Keiran Brown, Jacob Chung and Brandon Suarez.

Star System Plays Sun Ra
2025-06-20 20:30 - 22:00 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
Drawing on the vast and diverse catalogue of one of music’s most prolific, pioneering, and confounding figures, Star System goes from in-the-pocket swing to controlled cosmic chaos and intergalactic improvisation. From classic charts to uncharted territories, the 9-piece Star System is “stunning to behold” (Exclaim!).
With Dan Gaucher drums/electronics, Colin Cowan bass/FX/voice, Mary Ancheta keys, Tom Wherrett guitar, Adrian Avendaño drums/percussion, Gordy Li tenor sax/electronics, Feven Kidane trumpet/voice, Josh Zubot violin/electronics, Lee Hutzulak synth/electronics.

Second Show: Immanuel Wilkins & Lutosławski Quartet
2025-06-20 21:00 - 22:30 | Western Front, 303 East 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1S1, Canada

Jimi James Fraser Sextet
2025-06-20 21:30 - 23:00 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
Buy advance tickets here
Since 2019, the passionate pianist/composer Jimi James Fraser has called on a shifting cast of Vancouver Jazz House alumni for his sublime, energetic Sextet. Taking cues from Art Blakey, The VEJI (Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation), Horace Silver, and other great multi-horn lineups of the 50s and 60s, the band absolutely cooks on originals and new arrangements of classic tunes. With Tamas Balai alto sax, Spencer Drody trumpet, Conor Lum tenor sax, Brad Pearson bass, and Arvind Ramdas drums.

Open Jazz Jam to follow, hosted by Jimi James Fraser Sextet.

Coco Jafro
2025-06-20 22:00 - 23:30 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Throughout their Revolution, COCO JAFRO have become a synchronous soul-unit honing their craft, absorbing the sights, sounds and feels from cultures across the globe; creating a unique tapestry of sounds that captures the pulse, energy and vibrancy of innovative world music.
From North African traditional trance to Afro-Latin funk fused with throwback 60’s rhythms, this collective delivers high energy performances while still following their mantra of remaining grounded, protecting our earth and being in harmony with it. Rise up, occupy the dance floor and be set free; freedom to move, freedom to think, freedom to exchange culture and energy without oppression, suppression or repression as COCO JAFRO brings the power and the party to people.

5 Nights in Paradise: Dandelion Records DJ set
2025-06-20 22:30 - 23:30 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
Summer weekends are for dancing under the stars! Paradise Cultural Society — the team behind the summer-ending, spectacular event Paradise Island — joins forces with Coastal Jazz to present 5 Nights in Paradise. During opening and closing weekend, Ocean Artworks turns into an outdoor dance party after dark, featuring an exciting lineup of the Pacific Riviera’s finest talent.
Don’t miss all five nights in Paradise:
June 20 • Dandelion Records DJ set
June 21 • Dane DJ set
June 27 • CHXMERAS + DJ Saba
June 28 • Paradise Boyz DJ set
June 29 • Kozue DJ set

Open Jazz Jams
2025-06-20 22:45 - 2025-06-29 23:30 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
Tyrant Studios hosts ten exhilarating nights of artist performances followed by the Festival’s signature latenight, open jazz jams. The historic venue, located above Vancouver’s legendary Penthouse Nightclub, has been a frequent haunt for the greats of performing arts history, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Oscar Peterson. Come early for 9:30pm sets, then stay into the night as the headliners become hosts, sharing the stage with visiting artists and local players alike starting at 11:00pm (jam signup at 10:45pm). All Tyrant Studio shows are $18 in advance, $20 at the door. The jam is $10 for the public and PWYC for jazz jammers.
June 20 – Jimi James Fraser Sextet
June 21 – Ard ‘n Saul
June 22 – Biboye Onanuga New Standards Quartet
June 23 – Chris Fraser Quartet
June 24 – MUSICMUSICMUSIC
June 25 – Let’s Make the Water Turn Black – Frank Zappa Tribute
June 26 – David Blake Trio
June 27 – Mili Hong and Friends
June 28 – Tom Wherrett Group
June 29 – Daniel Deorksen Band

Julian Borkowski Chordless Quartet
2025-06-20 23:00 - 23:30 | Frankie’s Jazz Club, 755 Beatty Sreet, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2M4, Canada
Julian Borkowski is thrilled to welcome the great Ardeshir Pourkeramati into his chordless quartet’s appearance in the Frankie’s After Dark concert series! The positivity, humor and joy in friendship is both evident and infectious in their music together. Along with jazz standards and original compositions, the group will be playing the music of such artists as Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy in tribute to the great chordless quartets of the past.
Featuring: Julian Borkowski trumpet, Ardeshir Pourkeramati tenor saxophone, Todd Stewart drums and David Caballero bass.
Presented by Infidels Jazz.

Waahli & Guests
2025-06-21 13:00 - 14:30 | Civic Plaza (North Vancouver), 126 14th St W, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7M 2M9, Canada
Waahli is a Montréal-based artist of Haitian descent who fuses hip-hop, Afrobeat, reggae, and Haitian funk into a unique musical approach deeply rooted in his heritage. A co-founder of hip-hop supergroup Nomadic Massive, Waahli’s solo career has also flourished; his fourth album Seven Bubbles dropped this year. Performed in English, French, and Haitian Creole, it’s an astoundingly inventive project that pushes aesthetic and sonic boundaries. For this show, Waahli will be joined by Vancouver musicians in what’s sure to be a thrilling collaboration.
Presented in association with North Shore Jazz.
Special thanks to Centre culturel francophone de Vancouver.

Sounds of Youth: Day 1
2025-06-21 13:00 - 18:00 | Sounds of Youth Stage, Robson Square, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Come hear BC’s burgeoning young talent! Music education is an essential part of the Jazz ecosystem, and this initiative showcases ten of the best high school jazz combos and big bands from Metro Vancouver and around the province. With great young players and dedicated educators stepping up to the Festival stage, it’s always a highlight of the Downtown Jazz weekend.
Schedule:
1:00pm – Holy Cross Secondary Senior Combo
2:15pm – St. Thomas More Secondary Senior Jazz Band
3:30pm – Handsworth Secondary Senior Jazz Band
4:45pm – Grandview Heights Secondary Senior Jazz Band
6:00pm – Semiahmoo Secondary Senior Jazz Band

With additional support from Anthem Properties and Tom Lee Music.

Amphibioux
2025-06-21 13:30 - 14:30 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Drawing from the roots of choro, forró, samba, baião, bossa nova, and jazz, Amphibioux honours the musical giants that came before them, while joyfully adding their own present-day ripples of inspiration. The core group of Julia Farry bass, Mauricio Zani piano, Choenden Kyirong trombone, and Tiago Cavalcanti percussion will be joined by a trio of honorary Amphibians in Connor Lum reeds, Liam MacDonald percussion, and Sara Magal vocals.

Sharon Minemoto Quartet
2025-06-21 14:00 - 17:00 | La Fabrique St. George Winery, 7 E 7th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5T 1M4, Canada
Since the age of sixteen, Sharon Minemoto has been performing to audiences around the world. She is the leader of a trio, a quartet and a quintet. Her trio and quintet have each released one CD as well as several shows for CBC Radio. Her quartet’s recording, “Safe Travels”, took the band on a Canadian tour in February and March of 2018. In August, 2023, the quartet released their second album, “Dark Night, Bright Stars.” This performance features Sharon Minemoto piano, Jon Bentley tenor sax, Darren Radtke bass, and Bernie Arai drums.
In addition to performing, she is a seasoned educator. She has been on faculty in the music department at Vancouver Community College since 2000 and sits on the board of directors for the Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund. Sharon has been curating the popular weekly jazz series at La Fabrique St. George Winery since September, 2022.

Niña Mendoza
2025-06-21 14:30 - 20:30 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Niña Mendoza is a ‘Vancouver’/ Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territory-based DJ that holds the torch for the boogie. An uncanny sense of the groove imbues their DJ sets with a broad swath of styles. With deep knowledge & fierce passion for music, Mendoza’s sets crawl underneath the skin of the mainstream & unearth gold.
Niña Mendoza will be performing between each set of music:
Set 1: 2:30pm-3:15pm
Set 2: 4:15pm-4:45pm
Set 3: 5:45pm-6:30pm
Set 4: 7:30pm-8:30pm

Feven Kidane Sextet
2025-06-21 15:15 - 16:15 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
The Feven Kidane Sextet is a feel-good jazz project headed by trumpeter Feven Kidane, a staple of the Vancouver music scene. Inspired by the engaging leadership of Dizzy Gillespie, the sonics of the “Three Roys” (Ayers, Hargrove, Brooks), and the beauty of the Black experience, the Feven Kidane Sextet shares songs of joy, wonder, sensitivity, and connection.
Nebyu Yohannes trombone, John Nicholson saxophone, Noah Franche-Nolan piano, Biboye Onanuga drums, and Milo Johnson bass.

Julian Jayme: City Folk
2025-06-21 16:00 - 18:00 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
Vancouver-based guitarist/composer Julian Jayme’s City Folk project is a bright mix of indie/folk-influenced original jazz compositions and arrangements of pop songs and jazz standards. With Kria Wall voice, Ardeshir Pourkeramati tenor sax, Emilio Suarez cello, Quincy Mayes piano, David Caballero bass, and Nicholas Bracewell drums.

Hanging Hearts
2025-06-21 16:45 - 17:45 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
“Intelligent and fascinating fusion for the 21st century” – All About Jazz
Rooted in Chicago’s rich tradition of forward-thinking jazz and experimental music, Hanging Hearts thrives at the intersection of energy, groove, and improvisation. Led by saxophonist Chris Weller and featuring Cole DeGenova on keyboards and synth bass alongside Quin Kirchner on drums, the band channels the city’s genre-blurring spirit.
Whether drawing from post-bop, punk, free jazz, or electronic minimalism, Hanging Hearts delivers music that speaks to the head, the heart, and everything in between.

Jennifer Scott & Rene Worst Play Carla Bley
2025-06-21 18:00 - 19:30 | Zameen Art House, 1515 Anderson St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H 3R5, Canada
This show has been cancelled. All ticket holders will be refunded.
Jennifer Scott & Rene Worst are two of Vancouver’s most prolific & talented Jazz luminaries. They’ve been entertaining audiences in our city for decades, both together & in various projects.
On June 21, they will be performing the music of legends Carla Bley & Steve Swallow at the Zameen Art House, an intimate performance space on Granville Island, as part of an Infidels Jazz Showcase taking place during the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Jennifer Scott vocals/piano and Rene Worst bass.
Presented by Infidels Jazz.
Note: This is an Infidels Jazz production, and Jazz Festival artist, staff, or volunteer passes are not applicable.

David Sikula Trio
2025-06-21 18:20 - 21:00 | 2nd Floor Gastown (at the Water St. Café), 300 Water St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B1B6, Canada
With an emphasis on groove, melodic and rhythmic interplay, and chance-taking, this trio explores an ever-growing repertoire of jazz classics, tunes from the American Songbook and original compositions with a forward thinking view, yet always with a deep sense of swing, immediacy, warmth, connection, and reverence for the history of the music.
Featuring Joe Poole drums, Dan Howard bass, and Dave Sikula guitar.
Set times:
1st – 6:15pm – 7:45pm
2nd – 8:30pm – 9:45pm

Empanadas Ilegales
2025-06-21 18:30 - 20:00 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Vancouver-based psychedelic cumbia and salsa ensemble Empanadas Ilegales delivers a Latin surf-rock/free-jazz fusion of contagious cumbia rhythms, hypnotic guitar melodies, and otherworldly experimental salsa trumpet lines. Their latest album, Creepy Mambo, pays homage to cumbia cult classics, infusing vintage vibes with contemporary synth, slinky dub grooves, and feverish percussion departures to create a “delicious, psych-fried take on Latin dance music” (Exclaim).
With Daniel Hernandez Pinto bass, Jaime Millan guitar, Ricardo Perez guitar and vocals, Andrea Milagros maracas, Jocelyn Waugh trumpet, Alonso Benavente Fortes congas and percussion, and Daniel Ruiz drums, timbales and vocals.

Early Show: Mivule
2025-06-21 19:00 - 20:45 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Mivule is a diverse band incorporating the styles of Reggae, Afrobeat, and Dub in English as well as in Luganda. Their infectious rhythms and heartfelt lyrics are primed to get people on their feet. Ugandan singer-songwriter Brian Broda is the powerhouse frontman of Mivule, delivering rhythm guitar and strong vocals featuring lyrics which include themes of social justice, love and peace.

Mary Ancheta’s MAQkestra Performs the Music of Betty Davis
2025-06-21 20:00 - 23:00 | BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7J 3H5, Canada
Vancouver keyboardist Ancheta has long been influenced by Betty Davis, a crucial voice of 1970s funk. Ancheta’s six-piece band performs the flamboyant diva’s gritty, sexually-charged, incredibly funky tunes – mostly from seminal albums They Say I’m Different and Nasty Gal – fronted by supreme vocalists Dawn Pemberton, Leo D.E. Johnson and Krystle Dos Santos. A sell-out sensation when it debuted last year, this R&B-funk spectacular is not to be missed. With Dominic Conway saxophone, Feven Kidane trumpet, Matt Reid bass, Vinicius Cavalieri guitar, Paul Clark drums.
Presented in association with North Shore Jazz.

Kneebody
2025-06-21 20:30 - 22:00 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
“Putting a finger on a band like Kneebody is a bit like raising it to the wind. At any given moment, the group’s artistic inclinations can whip in an unpredictable direction” — Wall Street Journal
In their two-decade history, Kneebody has created a genre all its own, and a cueing system that allows them to change tempo, key, style, and more in an instant. Touching on post-bop, 70s jazz fusion, 20th-century minimalism, and hints of head-bobbing 90’s hip-hop, the Grammy-nominated group brings explosive rock energy and nuanced ensemble playing to their compositions, and no-hold-barred adventurism to their improv.
Kneebody is keyboardist Adam Benjamin, trumpeter Shane Endsley, saxophonist Ben Wendel, and Nate Wood on bass and drums (simultaneously!).
Since their 2005 debut on Dave Douglas’ Greenleaf Music Label, Kneebody have released critically-acclaimed albums on labels like Colortone, Concord, Motéma, Winter & Winter, Edition, and Brainfeeder. Their brand-new album, Reach (on GroundUP), coalesces the unmistakable sounds Kneebody have cultivated over two decades, while boldly pointing towards new directions for the veteran collective.

Bonnie Northgraves and the Sentimental Gentlemen
2025-06-21 20:30 - 22:30 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
Vancouver’s Bonnie Northgraves is known for her rich, emotive voice, and joyful trumpet playing. Specializing in vintage jazz from the 1920s and 30s, she not only breathes new life into classic tunes, she also lights up the stage with impressive originals that blend modern influences with timeless sounds.
Bonnie dances between festive whimsy and heartfelt depth with Dean Thiessen piano, Noah Gotfrit bass, Josh Roberts guitar, and Tyler Murray drums.
