Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Odario
2024-06-23 19:30 - 20:30 (America/Vancouver) | Downtown – Georgia Street Stage, 850 W Georgia St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6Z 2H7, Canada
750 Hornby St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H7
A hip-hop artist, music curator, storyteller, and all-around renaissance man, Odario is embedded in the beat and submerged in the bass. The Guyanese-born Odario Williams was raised in Winnipeg, where he became a pioneer in Peg City’s fast growing hip-hop community and founded the acclaimed Grand Analog. Today, the Toronto-based Odario is one of Canada’s coolest voices, both on-stage and as the host of CBC Music’s Afterdark, a nightly radio show that’s full of avant-flavours and infectious vibes.
From beat poetry to bent grooves, the “funky, eclectic and conscious” Odario sound “fuses hip-hop, blaxploitation funk, and drum ‘n’ bass into a seamlessly effervescent entity” (Exclaim).
With DJ Ofield K, Warren Bray bass, Aubrey McGhee saxophone, and Biboye Onanuga drums.

The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
2024-06-23 19:30 - 21:00 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
1218 Cartwright St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8
One of the most iconic rhythm sections in modern music, drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally were the insistent engine of DC post-hardcore legends Fugazi for over 15 years. In 2016, they formed Messthetics with guitar virtuoso Anthony Pirog, and released two albums of turbulent, propulsive, groove-laden instrumental art rock. Drawing on jazz, punk, dub, and free improv, they’re equally at home in an expansive take on Sonny Sharrock’s “Once Upon a Time” as they are in blazing, math-metal riff barrages.
In late-2021, they were joined onstage by acclaimed saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, and sparks flew. Lally recalls a full-throttle passage when Lewis and Pirog began trading solos. As the intensity escalated, the bassist felt simultaneously challenged and exhilarated. “You’re just holding on and going, it sounds great,” he remembers telling himself. “Just keep going!” Thankfully for fans of next-level, genre-defying music, they have. Called “one of the modern titans of the tenor” by All About Jazz, the ecstatic fervour of James Brandon Lewis’ playing points back to John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and the rich tradition of the Impulse! label–a tradition that the combustive quartet is now a part of with their eponymous 2024 release. For his part, Lewis relishes the chance to plug into the power of the Messthetics’ punk-adjacent milieu, calling their provocative real-time musical conversation a “high point of musical bonding and purely unapologetic energy! When you hear the Messthetics by themselves, that shit is cranking. And I’m always signing up to crank.”
No refunds.

Atley King Quintet
2024-06-23 20:00 - 23:00 | Frankie’s Jazz Club, 755 Beatty Sreet, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2M4, Canada
Vibraphonist Atley King leads this group comprised of Vancouver’s finest young musicians. They play all original contemporary music, with a love for each other and the music that is as the title of their debut album suggests, ‘Unconditional’, released on Cellar Music in October of last year. To say jazz is in good hands would be an understatement.
With Max Huberdeau piano, David Caballero bass, Arvind Ramdas drums, and Brad Turner trumpet/flugelhorn.

Scott Smith's Adventures in Pedal Steel
2024-06-23 20:30 - 22:30 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
1531 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9
Born of Scott Smith’s popular monthly show at Vancouver venues The Heatley and The Painted Ship, Adventures in Pedal Steel spotlights the instrument in all kinds of genres, from country, soul, indie-folk, and gospel, to wherever its beautifully arcing, aching shimmer can be found. With a crack band at his side, a revolving cast of fantastic guest singers, and an entirely different song list each month, the prolific and versatile Smith’s “Steel Nights” are a must-see for local music fans and a community hub for Vancouver’s busiest musicians to catch up with old friends and maybe sing a few Gram Parsons’ songs with the band. Alongside fellow adventurers Paul Pigat guitar, Jeremy Holmes bass, and Liam MacDonald drums, Smith will play classic pedal steel instrumentals, songs featuring the earthy, pure tones of vocalist Marin Patenaude, and selections from Smith’s ambient pedal steel album Lifeboat: Explorations in Pedal Steel.

Lache Cercel
2024-06-23 21:00 - 23:00 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
World renowned violinist/composer Lache Cercel is the creator of a new genre of music called Roma Jazz. His musical ideas have been presented in concerts performed on three continents. His music has been internationally recognized by other established, well-known artists as well as by official art institutions and diplomatic cultural attaches.
3 sets – $6 per set

Eli Davidovici’s Shapes Trio ft. Allison Burik
2024-06-23 21:30 - 23:00 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
Bassist Eli Davidovici’s trio featuring Dan Gaucher on drums and Dan Reynolds on piano will play a set of mostly Eli’s originals, including those featured on his 2023 album Shapes, with special guest Allison Burik (Montreal) on saxophone.
Stay after the set for an open jazz jam.

Odario Williams Afterdark
2024-06-23 22:30 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
1531 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9
Odario Williams fills the airwaves with his resonant voice and engaging musical journeys as host of CBC Music’s Afterdark, a nightly radio show that’s full of avant-flavours and infectious grooves. For two nights, he’ll be filling the dance floor at Ocean Artworks with DJ sets that reflect the many-hatted entertainer’s far-ranging musical tastes. With contemporary hits, compelling soundscapes, and healthy doses of dub, hip-hop, funk, and soul, Odario Williams keeps the vibes vibrant Afterdark.

Tom Lee Workshops 2024
2024-06-24 13:00 - 2024-06-28 15:00 | Tom Lee Music Hall, 728 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1E4, Canada
728 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1E4
The Vancouver International Jazz Festival offers free workshops and lectures for jazz fans and musicians to learn firsthand from some of our local and international performers.
David Stackenäs – June 24, 1PM
Called “cunningly enigmatic” by Jazz Weekly, Swedish guitarist David Stackenäs brings an artfully disruptive spirit to solo work and collaborations with avant-garde heavyweights like Thurston Moore and Ken Vandermark.
His idiosyncratic approach to contemporary jazz and free improvisation includes prepared guitar, conventional techniques, and the electronic possibilities of a growing armada of pedals. As a soloist, he often focuses on the organic sound-possibilities and timbres inherent in acoustic guitars. Orkesterjournalen called his solo album, Bricks (Clean Feed) “one of the most brilliant albums I’ve heard in a long time, so personal that it’s hard to describe.”
Stackenäs has played on over 70 recordings and toured Europe, the US, Japan, and the Middle East as a soloist and with various groups. His collaborations are many, among them Evan Parker, Barry Guy, Lina Nyberg, Sofia Jernberg, Rhodri Davies, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Paul Lovens, Axel Dörner, Paal Nilssen-Love, Jim O’Rourke, and Tatsuya Nakatani.
Mary Ancheta – June 25, 1PM
Known for killing it alongside the likes of Khari Wendell McClelland, Kimmortal, and Amanda Sum, keyboardist Mary Ancheta has made a big jump into the spotlight over the past couple of years, channeling her organic, modern take on jazz and electro-funk through her ascendant Quartet. Inspired by the likes of Squarepusher, The Meters, John Schofield, and Prince, Ancheta knows what’s up when it comes to arresting melodies and gritty, irresistible grooves.
Ancheta is a Canadian Filipina born in Hamilton. While teaching at the Ontario Conservatory of Music, she received her B.A. of Music from McMaster University. Now a Vancouver-based composer, you can hear her work on Showtime, Netflix, HBO, National Geographic, Bravo, Hallmark, CTV, Fox, Crave, TNT, and more. Mary is a passionate collaborator whose fundamental aim is to help tell diverse, honest stories about the human condition through music. She’s worked with iskwē, Buckman Coe, Ashleigh Ball, Dutch Robinson, Francis Arevalo, Jill Barber, Tonye, Marlie Collins, Missy D, Cookie Cartel, and many other tuned-in creators.
Tyson Naylor – June 26, 1PM
Vancouver-born, Berlin-based keyboardist Tyson Naylor has performed internationally in very diverse musical settings, and he’s equally at home in free jazz, soul, indie rock, and chamber ensembles. He’s played with Destroyer, Frazey Ford, and Dan Mangan, avant-improvisers like Tristan Honsinger, Tobias Delius, Axel Dörner, Mats Äleklint and Lina Allemano, large ensembles like Warsaw Improvisers Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Turning Point Ensemble, and groups best filed under “other”, like Dálava, Ron Samworth’s Dogs Do Dream, Tiny Pyramids, Sun Ra’s Star System, SICK BOSS, and Limbs of the Stars.
Signal to Noise praised his Trio’s debut album, Kosmonauten (Songlines), noting that Naylor “has an impish sense of humour that shows an affinity for the merrymakers of the ICP Orchestra. You can hear Misha Mengelberg’s spare, subtle intervals and dry-martini wit in his playing, though it’s Mengelberg filtered through Brad Mehldau.”
DJ O Show – June 27, 1PM
Coastal Jazz Artist in Residence Orene Askew, aka DJ O Show, brings energy and passion to everything she does. Winner of the 2022 International Indigenous Hip Hop Award for DJ of the Year, she’s a proudly Afro-Indigenous member of the Squamish Nation who embraces and embodies teachings from both of her cultural backgrounds.
With an outgoing personality and loads of charisma, O Show is not only one of the most positivity-emanating DJs around, she’s also a speaker and teacher who has traveled across the country to spark inspiration in folks of all generations; hosted/MC’d/DJ’d for the Canucks, Whitecaps, and Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week; and opened for Kevin Hart and Russell Peters. A former member of Squamish Nation Council, DJ O Show is the recipient of a 2015 BC Indigenous Business Award, the 2018 Stand Out Award from the Vancouver Pride Society, and the 2021 Alumni of Excellence Award from Capilano University.
DJ O Show remains true to her love of hip hop and R&B, laying down beats that pack dance floors from Vancouver to Toronto, Las Vegas to Texas, and anywhere else in need of some soulful shaking, while spreading the positive message that diversity makes beautiful music!
Presented in association with Talking Stick Festival.
Sam Wilson – June 28, 1PM
Canadian guitarist/composer Sam Wilson blends an early love of finger-style guitar with her love of jazz improvisation. Her practice as a performer-composer focuses on creating instrumental music for improvisers, and her current artistic muse is wild spaces and site-specific responses, as evidenced by her upcoming release Wintertides. Featuring drummer Jen Yakamovich and bassist Geordie Hart (Malleus Trio), it was written during the winter of 2022 on the East Coast (in Scotsburn, NS) and the West Coast (at Lena Residency, Galiano Island BC), inspired by contrasting landscapes and the collaboration of bi-coastal communities. Her albums Into a Heart Pt. II and New Doors (Jackson/Wilson Duo) both won Music Nova Scotia’s “Jazz Recording of the Year” in 2022 and 2023, respectively. In 2021 Sam won the Paul Cram Creation Award and composed “Recover-we”, her first piece for orchestra which was performed by Symphony Nova Scotia at the 2023 Open Waters Festival. “With a lyrical sensitivity to her instrumental compositions,” this rising talent on the national jazz scene “draws listeners in with subtlety and introspective levity.” – Pop Matters – Best Jazz of 2019
All events are free and open to all.
Presented by:

Shahzad Ismaily Artist Talk (moderated by Julia Úlehla)
2024-06-24 15:00 - 17:00 | Western Front, 303 East 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1S1, Canada
Shahzad Ismaily is a Brooklyn-based musician, composer, engineer, and founder of Figure 8 Recording. The New York Times called him “one of music’s most in-demand collaborators, flitting like a mischievous butterfly through genres as diverse as honeyed folk, rambunctious free jazz and spectral meditations sung in Urdu”. Over the last thirty years he’s played electric bass, drums, percussion, guitar, synths and all manner of instruments procured in life’s travels. He’s done work for dance and theatre, and recorded and performed with a diverse crew of artmakers, including Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Laura Veirs, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Marianne Faithfull, Faun Fables, Feist, Bryce Dessner, Keiji Haino, Ceramic Dog, Secret Chiefs 3, Sam Amidon, Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and more.
Moderated by scholar, composer and vocalist Julia Úlehla, known for her stunning synthesis of ethnomusicology and incandescent modern composition in the long-running Dálava. That ensemble, performing June 29 at Revue Stage, explores the nexus of ritual and performance, evoking the liminal intensity of layered temporalities and ancestral presences.
In association with Western Front.

Thad Bailey Mai Trio
2024-06-24 18:30 - 22:00 | 2nd Floor Gastown (at the Water St. Café), 300 Water St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B1B6, Canada
Thad is a prolific composer, improviser, and trumpet player based out of Vancouver, B.C. His playing can be found on over a dozen albums, and his projects have been featured in numerous festivals and venues in Canada. Having a diverse musical background, Thad’s performances evoke a colourful mosaic of harmonic choices, all while remaining deeply rooted in the traditions of jazz improvisational language. He will be joined by Dan Howard on bass, and Chris Fraser on guitar.

Michael Meroniuk
2024-06-24 19:00 - 21:00 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Michael Meroniuk is a session guitarist/mandolinist based in Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Michael’s performance history includes performances with JoJo Mason, Mathew V, Hey Ocean, Andrew Hyatt, Sophia Danai, John Reicshman, Greg Drummond, Portiia and many more.
1 set – $6 per set

Veronica Swift
2024-06-24 19:30 - 23:30 | Vancouver Playhouse
Veronica Swift has been ascending to the upper echelon of 21st century jazz singers over the last few years; with the interpretive ingenuity, bracing songwriting, and keen arrangements of her new eponymously titled album, she’s most certainly arrived.
While the Wall Street Journal has praised her “miraculous voice and innate gift for entertaining a crowd”, Swift’s not just one of the most dazzling singers of her generation, she’s also one of the most versatile. We hear moments of inspiration from Chopin and Beethoven, Puccini and Antônio Carlos Jobim, Queen and Nine Inch Nails, as Swift stirs opera, European classical music, bossa nova, blues, industrial rock, funk, and vaudeville into the melting pot of her dynamic, joyful modern jazz.
Accessible seating is available by contacting our box office. No refunds.

Bruno Hubert Trio CD Release
2024-06-24 20:00 - 23:00 | Frankie’s Jazz Club, 755 Beatty Sreet, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2M4, Canada
Bruno Hubert is one of Canada’s most lyrical and expressive Jazz pianists, with a deep sense of swing, lush harmonies, and beguiling melodic lines. His conception, while highly original and utterly genuine, is evocative of, at once, Erroll Garner, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans and other luminaries of jazz. While he is careful to stress that he is not a composer, he nevertheless presents a cornucopia of medley-like arrangements of jazz standards, soul, rock and pop influenced pieces, often in a lively night club environment. Hubert has been quietly underpinning the Vancouver jazz scene for over twenty years now and while he has a number of recordings under his own name, he is also a key associate of other top jazz musicians such as Juno Award winner Brad Turner (trumpet), Juno nominated vocalists Jaclyn Guillou and Denzal Sinclaire, Seamus Blake and others. Earlier in his career he collaborated with such musical luminaries as Gino Vannelli, and Norah Jones. Bruno will be celebrating the release of his newly recorded album, his 3rd for Cellar Music and his first since 2008.
With André Lachance bass and Joe Poole drums.

The Francis Henson Trio
2024-06-24 21:00 - 23:00 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
FH3 is Vancouver bandleader Francis Henson’s foray into the aural North American popular music landscape of the 60’s and 70’s celebrating the guitar, the song, and the story. Along with beloved local icons Trent Otter and Yamil Chain-Haddad, the trio selects their favourite songs from artists including Bob Dylan, Bill Withers, Freddie King, among many others.
3 sets – $6 per set

Sharon Minemoto Trio
2024-06-24 21:30 - 22:30 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
Vancouver-based keyboardist Sharon Minemoto is a swinging and sensitive performer whose highly melodic style is loaded with fresh, innovative harmonic ideas. Her compositions run the gamut from introspective to funky, drawing wide-ranging influence from Herbie Hancock, Kenny Wheeler, Stevie Wonder, and Alexander Scriabin. Her sharp Trio features Conrad Good bass and Bernie Arai drums.
Stay after the set for an open jazz jam (cheap cover $$$), hosted by Sharon Minemoto and presented in association with The Infidels Jazz and Tyrant Studios.
Doors 9pm, host sets 9:30pm, jams from 10:50pm.

Open Jazz Jam
2024-06-24 22:50 - 2024-06-27 23:30 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
A cozy hidden gem, and the hippest little room in Vancouver, Tyrant Studios is the go-to spot for nightly jazz jams throughout the festival. 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 sets by Sharon Minemoto Trio, Kevin Romain’s Salience Network, Tiny Pyramids, Teresa Marie and the Three, and more, then stay into the night as the headliners become hosts, sharing the stage with visiting artists and local players alike. We really can’t say much more, since these novel collaborations will take thrillingly unpredictable shapes. Come down and be part of Vancouver nightlife history in the making.
Doors 9pm, host sets 9:30pm, jams from 10:30pm
June 24 – Sharon Minemoto Trio
June 25 – Kevin Romain’s Salience Network
June 26 – Tiny Pyramids
June 27 – Teresa Marie and the Three
The open jazz jams June 24-27 will be presented in association with Tyrant Studios and The Infidels Jazz.

Daniel Wilfred, David Wilfred, and Peter Knight (of Hand to Earth) Artist Talk, moderated by Meredith Bates
2024-06-25 15:00 - 17:00 | Western Front, 303 East 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1S1, Canada
Hand to Earth has quickly developed an international reputation as one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary music ensembles, and this workshop/discussion will feature three of its members. Daniel and David Wilfred are keepers of Yolngu Manikay, indigenous songs from North East Arnhem Land that can be traced back more than 40,000 years, making them the world’s oldest continuously practised music tradition. Daniel sings of the stars, of fire, and of the cooling rain, while the drone of David Wilfred’s didgeridoo and atmospheres created by trumpeter/sound artist Peter Knight make for a bold sound that Jazzwise called “testing at times, mesmerizing at others, but always extraordinarily intriguing in its organic synthesis of the ancient and contemporary.”
Moderated by musician, composer and educator Meredith Bates. A JUNO Award winner with Pugs & Crows, and a nominee for her recent solo album, Tesseract, she co-leads Gentle Party and Sound Migrations and founded instrumental sextet Like the Mind, with renowned improvisors from Canada and Sweden. She’s artistic director of the Vancouver Improvised Arts Society.
Presented in collaboration with Jazztopad Festival (National Forum of Music), Wroclaw, Poland

Brent Mah Trio
2024-06-25 18:30 - 22:30 | 2nd Floor Gastown (at the Water St. Café), 300 Water St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B1B6, Canada
Join Brent Mah and his trio as they play an eclectic mix of jazz tunes from the likes of Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter and Joe Henderson. Familiar jazz standards with some unexpected twists and turns.
Brent Mah saxophone, Jason DeCouto organ, and Joe Poole drums.

The Black Space Jam feat. Shamir Virgo
2024-06-25 19:00 - 22:00 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Shamir Virgo is a Vancouver-based independent artist, songwriter and musician. He makes Pop/R&B-inspired music, his influences include the likes of Pink $wests, Daniel Caesar, Leon Thomas and Music Soulchild. He has worked with many Vancouver locals and aspires to create connections with other artists and musicians who strive to maintain musical integrity.
1 set – $6 per set

Laraaji
2024-06-25 19:30 - 23:00 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
1218 Cartwright St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8
Laraaji is a visionary musician, composer, and mystic who has enchanted audiences worldwide with his ethereal and transformative performances. Born Edward Larry Gordon, Laraaji’s music transcends conventional boundaries, seamlessly merging ambient textures with cosmic vibrations, creating an immersive and deeply introspective sonic journey.
Laraaji has been an unwavering practitioner of celestial sounds, operating in his own lane for decades, an 80 year-young American multi-instrumentalist visionary sound artist LARAAJI NADABRAHMANANDA & one of the pioneers of the new-age and ambient philosophies. In the early 70s, Laraaji lived in New York, admired Eastern mysticism and performed in parks playing a vintage stringed instrument called “Zither.” In 1978 Brian Eno saw Laraaji’s Washington Square Village performance and helped him record and release an album called “Ambient 3: Day of Radiance.” The release introduced this American musician to a wide audience, and his next 40 albums made him a true legend of meditative music.
Featuring special guests Michelle Helene Mackenzie and Hotspring.
This show is a co-presentation between Coastal Jazz and A Week in Paradise.

Julian Lage
2024-06-25 19:30 - 23:00 | Vancouver Playhouse
Speak To Me, Julian Lage’s fourth album for Blue Note Records, is full of virtuosic dispatches from an ongoing search for narrative beyond words. Intimate in tone and expansive in intention, it roves a broad landscape of American music, delighting in the deliberate crossing of wires between gospel, rural blues, California singer-songwriter sunshine, and skronky jazz. “Possessed of an unflappable technical facility and seemingly boundless curiosity” (The New York Times), the always astonishing New York-based guitarist has collaborated with Gary Burton, Nels Cline, Béla Fleck, John Zorn, and scores of next-level creative players. His adventurous and deeply attuned trio features bassist Jorge Roeder and renowned Bad Plus drummer Dave King.
This show is sold out.

Dave Robbins Sextet
2024-06-25 20:00 - 23:00 | Frankie’s Jazz Club, 755 Beatty Sreet, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2M4, Canada
Drummer Dave Robbins leads a vintage sounding hard bopping team of Steve Holy bass Chris Gestrin piano along with a rich front line of tenorist Mike Allen, trumpeter Brad Turner and alto saxophonist Cory Weeds through a toe tapping collection of originals and covers. Robbins has spent his career performing and recording with the finest jazz musicians in Canada and has always loved writing. The 20-year-old Dave Robbins Sextet was formed to spotlight this aspect of his musicianship, with a classic hard bop formation and exciting sound that also incorporates African and rock-infused jazz styles.

The Stephen Nikleva Band
2024-06-25 21:00 - 23:00 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
After years of side man work with many of Canada’s diverse artists including recording & touring with Sarah McLachlan, producing records for Dan Mangan & Veda Hille, and touring the world with roots artists Ray Condo & Petunia, and Roma violinist Lache Cercel Stephen put these influences to CD with ‘Square Moon” which the Georgia Straight called “…a tour de force…pure retro fun with a sparkly nitro finish”. As well as Paul Townsend, Noah Walker, & Joseph Lubinsky-Mast, expect special guests to join in.
3 sets – $6 per set

Kevin Romain's Salience Network
2024-06-25 21:30 - 22:30 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
Salience Network is a modern jazz ensemble led by drummer/composer Kevin Romain. Dramatic, spontaneous creation and razor-sharp precision come together on stage with Romain’s longtime collaborators Jeff Gammon bass, John Nicholson tenor and soprano saxophones, and Feven Kidane trumpet. Through dense polyrhythms and snaking melodies, they explore Romain’s hyperfixations on the neuroscience of emotion, circadian biology, coffee extraction theory, cool animals, and anti-colonial resistance. The Salience Network’s debut album, recorded to tape at Vancouver’s Afterlife Studios and released in November 2023 on the Infidels Jazz label, is a somber document punctuated by moments of humour and hope.
Stay after the set for an open jazz jam (cheap cover $$$), hosted by Kevin Romain and presented in association with The Infidels Jazz and Tyrant Studios.
Doors 9pm, host sets 9:30pm, jams from 10:50pm.

Kjetil Mulelid Trio
2024-06-26 13:30 - 15:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
1218 Cartwright St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8
“The affable and sometimes extroverted music of Mulelid shatters the popular misconception that all contemporary Scandinavian piano trios are trapped in a glacial echo chamber” – Jazz Journal
Since their 2017 debut on the prestigious Rune Grammofon label, the Kjetil Mulelid Trio has distinguished itself as one of Norway’s leading piano trios. While they do travel quite comfortably in the calm yet constantly unfolding sound world that is distinctively Nordic, Mulelid, bassist Rune Nergaard and drummer Andreas Winther, effortlessly conjure additional layers, tones and textures that evoke Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans, while veering off on surprising, telepathically-linked group improvisations that call upon each player’s broad creative experience.
Called “magical” by The Wire, Mulelid’s beguiling compositions expertly balance energetic, rhythmically complex and harmonically rich music with refreshing, evocative melodies.

DJ O Show Artist Talk, moderated by Gillian Thomson
2024-06-26 15:00 - 17:00 | Western Front, 303 East 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5T 1S1, Canada
Passion, positivity, and professionalism make 2024 Coastal Jazz Artist in Residence DJ O Show one of the most sought-after DJs working today. O Show—a.k.a. Orene Askew—is a proudly Afro-Indigenous member of the Squamish Nation who embraces and embodies teachings from both of her cultural backgrounds. Winner of the 2022 International Indigenous Hip Hop Award for DJ of the Year, she’s received a BC Indigenous Business Award, a Vancouver Pride Society StandOut Award, and the Alumni of Excellence Award from Capilano University, DJ’d for the Canucks, Whitecaps, and Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week, and opened for Kevin Hart and Russell Peters. She’s also a powerful, inspirational speaker who has travelled to numerous communities to share knowledge and uplift folks of all ages. DJ O Show stays true to her love of hip hop and R&B, laying down beats that pack dance floors from Vancouver to Vegas, and from Toronto to Texas, while spreading the positive message that diversity makes beautiful music!
Moderated by vocalist, songwriter, performer, disability support worker, and arts administrator Gillian Thomson. Of mixed Haida and European background, Gillian co-leads indie soul-pop band Sister Says with her brother Robert, sings jazz standards and original folk-soul songs, and has participated in theatre collectives as an actor and a vocal coach.
Presented in association with Western Front and Talking Stick Festival.

Cat Toren / John Korsrud Quintet
2024-06-26 16:00 - 18:00 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
1531 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9
This new quintet boasts two unique composers, an ensemble of uncommonly gifted accompanists, and an array of distinctive contemporary compositions. Cat Toren is a pianist and composer with six critically-acclaimed albums under her leadership and a JUNO Award earned with Pugs & Crows. Described as “vibrant, earthy and spiritual” by UK Vibe, the empathic Vancouver-born, Brooklyn-based Toren’s atmospheric abstractions and harmonic layering combines deep human warmth with creative fire. Composer and trumpeter John Korsrud is the leader and principal composer of Vancouver’s 18-piece Hard Rubber Orchestra. His compositions have been commissioned by The American Composers Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony, and Turning Point Ensemble. Korsrud’s diverse musical experiences include collaborations with Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Five Alarm Funk, and punk legends DOA.
Toren and Korsrud are joined by three of Vancouver’s most sought-after musicians in saxophonist John Nicholson, bassist Andre Lachance, and drummer Kevin Romain.

Hand to Earth: The Crow
2024-06-26 17:00 - 18:30 | Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H3R7, Canada
1601 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R9
Led by vocalists Daniel Wilfred and Sunny Kim, Hand to Earth has quickly developed an international reputation as one of Australia’s most distinctive contemporary ensembles. Daniel is a keeper of Yolngu Manikay, indigenous songs from North East Arnhem Land that can be traced back more than 40,000 years, making them the world’s oldest continuously practised music tradition. Sunny moves between English and Korean, intoning gestures that invoke the rawest of elemental forces. Together they sing of the stars, of fire, and of the cooling rain, while the drone of David Wilfred’s didgeridoo and atmospheres created by trumpeter/sound artist Peter Knight, clarinetist Aviva Endean, and violinist Amalia Umeda draw on the minimalism of Brian Eno and Jon Hassell to create a bed for these beautifully contrasting voices.
Songlines UK’s 5-star review of the unprecedented ensemble’s debut release raved that “while many contemporary projects strive to combine ancient and modern influences, this innovative and ethereal musical alliance actually achieves that lofty goal – with old cultural ground being respected, while new artistic ground is broken. Hand to Earth is a truly exquisite album.”
Presented in collaboration with Jazztopad Festival (National Forum of Music), Wroclaw, Poland
The Crow was co-commissioned by Melbourne International Jazz Festival and Jazztopad Festival
Doors open at 4:30pm. “Pay What You Can” or PWYC encourages donations upon entry. Cash, debit, credit card and Apple pay will be accepted. Money raised goes to support Coastal Jazz. Please note – no one will be turned away for insufficient funds.

Andy Hunter-James Danderfer Quartet
2024-06-26 18:00 - 23:00 | La Fabrique St. George Winery, 7 E 7th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia, V5T 1M4, Canada
Trombonist Andy Hunter is a member of the multiple Grammy Award winning WDR Big Band (Germany) and has toured around the world with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra, the Dave Holland Big Band, and the Spanish Harlem Jazz Orchestra. Andy’s current highlight projects include Latin Jazz Quintet Viento Terral, which just released its 2nd album featuring guest Bob Mintzer and directing the “Mambísimo Big Band,” a Mambo Big Band conjuring the era of dance music inspired by Tito Puente’s classic big band. With James Danderfer clarinet/saxophone, Conrad Good bass, and Nicholas Bracewell drums.

Dan Howard Trio
2024-06-26 18:30 - 22:30 | 2nd Floor Gastown (at the Water St. Café), 300 Water St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B1B6, Canada
Taking note from his favourite modern players and composers, Dan Howard aims to breathe fresh life into older tunes with his arrangements. With influences ranging from Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell to Wayne Shorter and Brad Mehldau, this group aims to play unique and exciting music that will keep the audience on their toes.
Joining Daniel are the unique musical voices of David Sikula on guitar and Riley Bartlett on trumpet/trombone.
