Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival

JOYFULTALK
2022-06-24 23:30 - 2022-06-25 00:30 (America/Vancouver) | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
The brainchild of left-field composer/producer/instrument builder and multimedia artist Jay Crocker, JOYFULTALK’s kaleidoscopic sound phases giddily between analog and electronic dimensions. His fellow travelers—like the supernatural Jesse Zubot on violin and electronics and drummer Eric Hamelin—are guided by the Nova Scotia-based Croker’s graphic scores, handmade kinetic sculptures, and resurrected gear through dense, exuberant avant-jazz collages. Whether it’s the ghost in the machine, or the man behind the curtain, someone has a great ear for off-kilter melodies and widescreen, trance-inducing, futurist out-jazz. The immersive new album Familiar Science is out now on Constellation Records.

Anthem Sounds of Youth Stage
2022-06-25 - 2022-06-26 | 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 some 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.
Saturday, June 25:
Noon | St. Thomas Aquinas Senior Jazz Band
115PM | Wellington Senior Jazz Band
230PM | Windsor Senior Jazz Band
345PM | Vancouver College Senior Band
5PM | Abbotsford School for the Integrated Arts Senior Jazz Band
Sunday, June 26:
Noon | St. George’s Senior Jazz Combo
115PM | Semiahmoo Grade 12 Jazz Combo
230PM | Vancouver Symphony School of Music Jazz Combo
345PM | Elgin Park Senior Jazz Band
5PM | Handsworth Senior Jazz Band
Presented by:

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Sister Jazz Orchestra
2022-06-25 12:30 - 13:30 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Directed by Christian Morrison, the powerhouse 18-woman Sister Jazz Orchestra showcases Vancouver’s most accomplished female musicians while inspiring new generations of jazzwomen. Shining a light on composers from Mary Lou Williams to Christine Jensen, Sister Jazz is dynamic, celebratory big band jazz from Canada’s only all-female professional jazz orchestra.
Sister Jazz Orchestra is:
Music Director: Christian Morrison
Rhythm Section:
Shannon Thue piano, Madeleine Elkins guitar, Jodi Proznick bass, Jamie Lee drums
Saxophones:
Ingrid Stitt, Julia Nolan, Karen Graves, Jen Davidson, Jen Vance
Trombones:
Robin MacLulich, Janine King, Hayley Bennett, Ellen Marple
Trumpets:
Jocelyn Waugh, Geeta Das, Heather Anderson, Melissa Hammer, Bonnie Northgraves
Vocals:
Bonnie Northgraves

Joyce N’Sana
2022-06-25 13:00 - 15:00 | Civic Plaza (North Vancouver), 126 14th St W, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7M 2M9, Canada
Montreal-based singer/songwriter Joyce N’sana calls her music Afroblueshop. It’s an apt description of her energetic fusion of Afro-blues and hip hop with sides of satisfying reggae, soul, and gospel. With a clear, determined message—to spread peace—N’sana will perform with her four-piece band and local guests.
Co-presented with Festival d’été

Mary Ancheta Quartet
2022-06-25 14:15 - 15:15 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Known for killing it alongside Khari Wendell McClelland, Jill Barber, Tonye Aganaba, and scores of other great artists, keyboardist Mary Ancheta steps into the spotlight with her organic, modern take on jazz and electro-funk. Inspired by the likes of Squarepusher, Jimmy Smith, and Prince, Ancheta knows what’s up when it comes to arresting melodies and irresistible grooves.
With Joel Fountain drums, Dominic Conway sax, Matt Reid bass.

Orchid Ensemble
2022-06-25 14:30 - 15:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
“One of the most adventurous groups uniting Eastern and Western musical traditions” (Georgia Straight)
Orchid Ensemble features internationally renowned musicians Lan Tung erhu/vocals, Dailin Hsieh zheng, and Jonathan Bernard marimba/percussion. For this festival performance, their special guest is Mongolian musician Anand Avirmed on morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) and khoomei (throat singing).
Thanks to Sound of Dragon Society

Pantayo
2022-06-25 15:45 - 16:45 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Pantayo is an all-female Toronto-based ensemble that combines the percussive metallophones and drums of Southern Philippines kulintang traditions with synth-based grooves to create incomparable lo-fi R&B gong punk. Polaris Prize-shortlisted in 2020, Pantayo explore the possibilities of kulintang while “patching together practical feminism, punk ethos, Indigenous resistance, Asian visibility, queer fabulousness, and the universal thirst for new sounds” (Pan M 360).

Black Gardenia featuring Daphne Roubini
2022-06-25 16:00 - 18:00 | British Columbia
Led by the mesmerizing vocalist Daphne Roubini, Black Gardenia’s burnished blend of vintage jazz, folk, and blues blissfully “transports listeners back to a time of martinis, lounge suits, and hazy cigarette smoke” (Georgia Straight). With Andrew Smith guitar/ukulele, Chris Davis trumpet, Paul Pigat guitar, and Jeremy Holmes bass.
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Louis Cole Big Band
2022-06-25 17:30 - 18:45 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Futuresonic drummer Louis Cole (KNOWER, Thundercat) is an L.A.-based, Grammy Award-winning producer, composer, DIY digital creator, and all-around musical live wire. Viral videos like “Bank Account” have amassed millions of views, but his live performances are on a whole other level. Quickfire, hook-laden electro-funk, mischievous humour, soft-focus balladry, and blazing imagination? Writ large for big band? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

Ghost-Note
2022-06-25 19:30 - 20:30 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Multiple Grammy-winning rhythm dynamos Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth (Snarky Puppy) put percussion in the spotlight—and push funk music into the future—with their explosive group Ghost-Note. Featuring a host of next-level players, conscious social commentary, and fresh takes on Afrobeat, hip-hop, and psychedelia, Ghost-Note is polyrhythmic, celebratory musical madness!

Jocelyn Gould - Early Show
2022-06-25 19:30 - 20:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada
One of the finest instrumentalists of her generation, Winnipeg-born, Toronto-based guitarist Jocelyn Gould’s natural, joyful playing bears the marks of Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. With a swinging quartet featuring Will Bonness piano, Curtis Nowosad drums, and bassist Liany Mateo, the prolific Gould will be performing music from her 2021 JUNO Award-winning album Elegant Traveler as well as dynamic pieces from her brand new 2022 album Golden Hour, which adds her engaging, plaintive vocals to the well-established foundation of her jaw-dropping guitar work.

PIQSIQ + Kee Avil
2022-06-25 19:30 - 22:00 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
PIQSIQ
Alternating between ancient songs and haunting new compositions, PIQSIQ draws upon Inuit throat singing traditions to create spine-tingling ambiance that transports listeners to the North and beyond. With roots in Nunavut and Yellowknife, sisters Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay began singing katajjaq in childhood. Incorporating improvised looping into their live performances, PIQSIQ fuses the sounds of their forebears with a singular vision that’s both modern and otherworldly.
Presented in association with Full Circle: First Nations Performance
KEE AVIL
Having evolved from playing guitar with broken cymbals and drumsticks to forging askew tempos and templates glued together by samples of screws dropped into crystal bowls, Constellation recording artist Kee Avil guitar/voice/electronics draws upon the bracing theatrics of Juana Molina, Scott Walker, Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey, while arriving at a knotted sonic terrain that is all her own.

JP Carter / Lisen Rylander Löve / Luke Stewart / Jason Nazary
2022-06-25 21:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
There was a time when a jazz quartet would play physical instruments in a manner everyone could understand, and there’ll come a day when musicians will imprint their artistic ideas on folks with the merest wave of a laser tuba. Future historians will look back on Vancouver trumpeter JP Carter, Swedish saxophonist Lisen Rylander Löve, and Americans Luke Stewart (Irreversible Entanglements) bass and Jason Nazary (Anteloper) drums as essential links along that timeline: four artists who mastered their traditional instruments before adding extended techniques and electronic processing en route to entirely new modes of expression.

Potatohead People + Xhalida
2022-06-25 21:00 - 23:00 | British Columbia
POTATOHEAD PEOPLE
Vancouver hip hop/electronic duo Potatohead People (Nick Wisdom and AstroLogical) first met in high school, bonding over a shared love of J Dilla and Madlib. Since then, the “formidable tandem” (OkayPlayer) has released three albums of forward-thinking grooves, assembled a kicking 10-piece band, and worked with artists like De La Soul, Moka Only, and Kaytranada.
XHALIDA
From Filipina and South African ancestry, Xhalida September grew up around an abundance of world knowledge and musical diversity. Buoyed by her broad-ranging passions for singing, songwriting, dance, linguistics, social activism, ethnobotany, and photography, it’s Xhalida’s poetry that’s been the primary gateway for her ever-evolving, community-minded soul music.
Presented in association with Full Circle: First Nations Performance
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Jocelyn Gould - Late Show
2022-06-25 21:30 - 22:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada

DJ O Show
2022-06-25 23:00 - 2022-06-26 00:00 | British Columbia
Orene Askew, aka DJ O Show, brings energy and expertise to every event she DJ’s and hosts. Coming from a diverse background, O Show is driven by her passion. She is Afro-Indigenous and a proud member of the Squamish Nation. Feeling as though she stood out in a unique way, she embraced both her cultural backgrounds and incorporates the teachings she has learned into everything she does. DJ O Show has experience teaching with an inspired approach. She is an inspirational speaker, having traveled across the country to bring ambition and drive to all generations, and is a former member of Squamish Nation Council.
Presented in association with Full Circle: First Nations Performance
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Anteloper
2022-06-25 23:30 - 2022-06-26 00:30 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
Anteloper shares the iconic Chicago Underground Duo’s “penchant for heavy electronic textures—synthesized bass lines, amorphous acidic squiggles, washes and counter-riffs” (Chicago Reader) while adding heavy, cosmic, punk energy and skewed pop undertones. Trumpeter Jaimie Branch (Fly or Die) and drummer Jason Nazary (Little Women) have been collaborating for years, both playing their main instrument plus synthesizers/electronics. With deep rhythmic passages, telepathic improvisations, and effortless melodic negotiations, Anteloper bounds freely over the grassy plains of jazz, electro, and free music.

Jodi Proznick: New Horizons
2022-06-26 12:30 - 13:30 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
With New Horizons, Multiple National Jazz Award winner, JUNO nominee, WCMA Jazz Artist of the Year, and all-around spectacular Vancouver bassist/composer Jodi Proznick explores repertoire from Herbie Hancock, Woody Shaw, Kenny Wheeler and Miles Davis, as well as fresh originals.
With Chris Davis trumpet, Tilden Webb keys, and Nick Bracewell drums.

Kobo Town
2022-06-26 14:00 - 16:00 | Lynn Valley Village, 1277 Lynn Valley Rd, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7K 2A1, Canada
“An intoxicating blend of lilting calypsonian wit, dancehall reggae and trombone-heavy brass.” – The Guardian
Toronto’s Kobo Town continues to redefine calypso music and push boundaries of the Caribbean sound on their new album, Carnival of the Ghosts. Trinidadian songwriter Drew Gonsalves’ buoyant music stimulates both body and mind; his infectious grooves juxtaposed with incisive lyrics inspire fans worldwide, including Carlos Santana, who covers his tunes.

Greasy G and the Poole Party featuring JAKITO!
2022-06-26 14:15 - 15:15 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Driving Latin, swing, and Afrobeat grooves + greasy Hammond organ = good times! The spontaneously combustible trio of Chris Gestrin keyboards, Joe Poole drums, and Jack Duncan congas and percussion delivers the funky goods. Recommended for anyone who loves some “Green Onions” while hanging out “On the Corner”!

Kamil Piotrowicz Trio
2022-06-26 14:30 - 15:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
Polish composer/pianist Kamil Piotrowicz phases between the avant-garde and the mainstream, blending hyperpop melodies, colourful minimalism, and radical improvisation into his long-form compositions. With intense dynamics and expressive complexity, Kamil’s Warsaw-based trio features Krzysztof Szmańda on drums and vibraphone, and Andrzej Święs on bass.
Thanks to Festival JAZZTOPAD—Poland
Presented in association with Polish Cultural Institute New York

Ludic
2022-06-26 15:45 - 16:45 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
Ludic’s explosive and delightfully bright groove-pop is an unhesitating cannonball into the deep end of the pool. Featuring guitarist Ayla Tesler-Mabe (Calpurnia), drummer Rhett Cunningham, and bassist/keyboardist Max Cunningham, the young Vancouver trio’s inventive, instantly addictive, and “delightfully off-kilter” (Vancouver Sun) indie jazz/funk/pop tunes draw influence from icons like Stevie Wonder and the postmodern soul of Hiatus Kaiyote.

Audrey Ochoa Quartet
2022-06-26 16:00 - 18:00 | British Columbia
A prolific trombone dynamo on the Edmonton scene, 2020 WCMA Jazz Artist of the Year Audrey Ochoa mixes jazz, Latin, fusion, and propulsive pop with a playful sense of humour. Described by mentor and trombone master Hugh Fraser as “highly original and powerfully lyrical”, Ochoa’s played with Lew Tebackin, Marcus Miller, and the Temptations. Her quartet features Jim Head guitar, Mike Lent bass, and Jon May drums.
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Tanika Charles
2022-06-26 17:30 - 18:30 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
“Post-Drake Toronto is developing a rep as a fertile scene for soul and R&B, and Tanika Charles could be the city’s next breakout act.” – Uncut Magazine
Formerly known as the best kept secret in soul, Tanika Charles is a two-time JUNO-nominated Polaris Prize long-lister who—with her aptly-named backing band The Wonderfuls—continues to win over audiences one stream, one Shazam, and one encore at a time.
With Jeremy John bass, Sidone Harris keys, Kevin Ekofo guitar, Sean Samuels drums.

Malika Tirolien
2022-06-26 19:30 - 20:30 | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
From Guadeloupe, and now living in Montreal, Grammy-nominated vocalist, songwriter and keyboardist Malika Tirolien offers an electric mix of creativity, sincerity, and pure vibe. Her new album HIGHER—coproduced with Snarky Puppy’s Michael League—takes R&B, soul, hip hop, and jazz on an Afro-futurist trip from anger to forgiveness.
With Nadia Baldé voice, Nancy Dassas voice, Philippe L’Allier guitar, Jean-Michel Frédéric keys, Mark Haynes bass, Harvey Bien-Aimée drums.

Laila Biali - Early Show
2022-06-26 19:30 - 20:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada
With a “voice that makes the listener shudder it’s so rounded and pure” (Montreal Gazette), keyboardist/vocalist Laila Biali moves effortlessly between incandescent contemporary jazz and absorbing modern pop. A deeply personal composer and lyricist, Biali took home Vocal Jazz Album of the Year at the 2019 JUNOs and was nominated for last year’s sparkling Out of Dust. In Laila’s eclectic performances, melodies take thrilling left turns and bold choruses give way to thoughtful instrumental interludes. One minute, Biali’s soaring over a hard-charging, bluesy storm, the next she’s baring her soul on an impassioned ballad. It’s jazz, it’s pop, it can’t be put into a box…but it’s definitely beautiful.
Thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts

Amendola vs. Blades with Skerik and Cyro Baptista
2022-06-26 21:00 - 22:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
The adventurous California-based duo of Wil Blades (Billy Martin, Charlie Hunter) on Hammond B3 and clavinet and Scott Amendola (Nels Cline, Bill Frisell) on drums/percussion/electronics takes “an intoxicating sonic journey” (JazzTimes) through odd-meter prog, dark-hued funk, Latin jazz, daring improv, and psychedelic dub… but wait, there’s more! The incomparable Seattle saxophonist Skerik (Les Claypool, Bobby Previte), and percussionist Cyro Baptista—a long-time John Zorn collaborator who’s also worked with Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, and Trey Anastasio—join in for a wild dust-up full of imagination, humour, passion, and virtuosity.

Gentle Party + Wallgrin
2022-06-26 21:00 - 23:30 | British Columbia
GENTLE PARTY
West Coast chamber pop trio Gentle Party’s expansive sound interweaves the nimble, melodic strings of harpist Elisa Thorn (HUE) and violinist Meredith Bates (Pugs & Crows) with dream-like electronic shimmers and Jessika Yliruusi’s hauntingly evocative voice. The Wire calls their lush new album, God Complex, “startlingly confident and accomplished.”
WALLGRIN
“The vocal equivalent of walking on water, Wallgrin’s spacious, spacey and atmospheric songs are as thoughtful as they are compelling.” — CBC Music Vancouver-based composer/vocalist/violinist Tegan Wahlgren’s lush, string-based orchestration, beat-driven pop, and ornate vocal arrangements “measure up to standards set by art-pop visionaries like Björk and Kate Bush” (Northern Transmissions).
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Laila Biali - Late Show
2022-06-26 21:30 - 22:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada

Jaimie Branch C'est Trois
2022-06-26 23:30 - 2022-06-27 00:30 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
It goes like this: 1) heads bob, 2) jaws drop, 3) minds are blown. Three of the boldest, brightest, most bad-ass players in modern improvised music come together to do the thing that needs doing, right when we need them to do it. C’est Trois is danceably anti-fascist, electrically charged free-punk creative-moment music brought to you by Jaimie Branch (FLY or DIE, Anteloper) on trumpet and electronics, Luke Stewart (Irreversible Entanglements, Blacks’ Myths) bass, and Tcheser Holmes (Irreversible Entanglements, Aquiles Navarro) drums. Be present!
