Talking Pictures with Fredrik Ljungkvist
2026-07-01 21:00 - 23:00 (America/Vancouver) | Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H3R7, Canada
“Treading the blurry line between new music and jazz, Talking Pictures excels in juxtaposing sonic textures.” – Ottawa Citizen
Formed in 1993 by guitarist/composer Ron Samworth (NOW Orchestra, DarkBlueWorld), the wide-ranging sonic palette and ecstatic, empathic interplay of Talking Pictures has had a massive influence on Vancouver’s creative music community. They’ve also played a vital role as West Coast cultural ambassadors through their extensive touring and collaborations with the likes of Robin Holcomb, Achim Kaufmann and Wayne Horvitz.
Featuring Peggy Lee cello, Bill Clark trumpet/EWI, and Dylan van der Schyff drums/percussion alongside Samworth, Talking Pictures will be joined by Fredrik Ljungkvist, the innovative Swedish saxophonist/clarinettist whose “playing can be fiery and expressive, but also fragile and poetic” (All About Jazz). A member of LSB Trio and Atomic, Ljungkvist has worked with international heavyweights like Ken Vandermark, Kris Davis, Mats Gustafsson, and many others.

The JD Rich Trio (Late Show)
2026-07-01 21:00 - 23:30 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Keyboardist and composer/songwriter JD Rich (Jared Richardson) delivers a supercharged evening of melodic originals, reimagined pop covers, and memorable themes from movies & video games, tied together with a groovy funk/fusion sound. Featuring Colin Sankey on bass and Trent Otter on drums.
Jared is from Victoria, BC, and currently based in Vancouver. He is a graduate of Berklee College of Music (2016), where he majored in Electronic Production & Design. He has written and produced music across many genres, including pop, jazz, film scores, and orchestral compositions performed by the Victoria Symphony, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

smurf
2026-07-01 21:30 - 23:00 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
“GORDY 黎名卓 is a former jungler turned ex-ghost writer and cd Videographer who retired from the chess.com blitz solo q ladder to fulfill his lifelong Jazz Dream.
He calls on goated ascendants Rick Son piano, Piyotr Kao bass, Sadie Koshan drums, with an almost funny sense of improvised collectivity that finds itself stripped of all performativity – it could be modern or it could be a return to tradition depending on who you ask…
“With no costumes no routines no secret code no masters and no songs…Will all that’s left be summ primordial shi ? stay for the jam lets c.” – Gordy Li
Open Jazz Jam to follow, hosted by smurf. Presented in association with Tyrant Studios.

Ben Frost Quartet
2026-07-02 12:00 - 14:00 | Bentall Centre Dunsmuir Patio
Trumpeter and composer Ben Frost is a quietly essential voice in Vancouver’s jazz community, known for his lyrical approach to the horn and deeply considered original writing. His music balances clarity and openness, drawing listeners into expansive, melodic worlds, a sound clearly captured on his 2022 album Pixies. Influenced by masters like Wayne Shorter and Kenny Wheeler, his Quartet featuring Miles Wong drums, David Caballero bass, Noah Franche-Nolan piano, and Ben Frost trumpet brings his compositions into sharp focus through a collaborative, improvisational lens.

Jillian Lebeck's Starlight
2026-07-02 13:30 - 14:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
Jillian Lebeck’s Starlight explores a dreamland that ranges from British jazz soundscapes, 1960s American pop, 21st-century classical, chamber jazz, and modern Canadian jazz. Vancouver-based pianist, composer, and vocalist Jillian Lebeck is one of the most exciting voices on the Canadian Jazz scene. An alumni of the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Jillian has worked with Christine Jensen, Mike Allen, Dave Robbins, Seamus Blake, Kate Hammett-Vaughan, Melody Diachun, and many more. Her sparkling Starlight ensemble features Jon Bentley saxophone, Conrad Good double bass, and Bernie Arai drums.

Song Form // Less: Wendy Eisenberg // Lisa Cay Miller
2026-07-02 14:30 - 16:00 | Zameen Art House, 1515 Anderson St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H 3R5, Canada
Wendy Eisenberg has spent the past decade as a fixture of independent music and an artist of inspired multiplicity. As a singer-songwriter, improviser, and virtuoso guitarist, the coordinates of their artistry are ever-shifting, from art-rock to jazz to blistering free improv and eloquent folk. The poetic, formally daring folk songs of her new album Wendy Eisenberg comprise their most certain vision yet, creating a quietly euphoric atmosphere while examining “happiness, love, and memory with a forensic curiosity (Pitchfork).
A master of extended technique and ardently cerebral composition, pianist Lisa Cay Miller is “making some of the most intricate and beautiful music that can be heard in Vancouver today” (The Georgia Straight). Her recent recording 682/681 documents her work in duos and trios with some of the Amsterdam improv scene’s greats, including Ig Henneman, Anne La Berge, John Dikeman, and Wilbert De Joode. The album perfectly encapsulates Miller’s artistry: intense, diverse improvisations, and an uncompromising focus on using timbre, texture, form, and function in the service of brilliant abstraction and passionate expression.
Solo sets will be followed by a short duo collaboration and artist talk about form in music, presented in association with IICSI at the University of British Columbia.

Erika Chow’s General Assembly
2026-07-02 16:00 - 17:00 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
Vancouver-based saxophonist Erika Chow’s General Assembly is a new ensemble dedicated to playing the music of the late, great, Wayne Shorter. The group made its debut in August, 2025 as a quartet, but has recently expanded to a quintet, adding trumpet to allow the band to explore more of Shorter’s extensive repertoire. From the early 60s Jazz Messengers, to Miles’ Second Great Quintet, to the pioneering jazz fusion of Weather Report and beyond, Wayne Shorter helped shape one of the most innovative and influential periods in jazz history. With RJ Abella trumpet, Jancis Bautista piano, Dan Howard bass, and Jordy McIntosh drums, Erika Chow’s General Assembly keeps that spirit alive and adventurous.

Steve Gunn "Music for Writers”
2026-07-02 17:00 - 18:00 | Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H3R7, Canada
“Peaceful, empathic, atmospheric. Gunn paints aural pictures to wander through.” – The Big Takeover
Steve Gunn is a New York-based guitarist and songwriter who has been at the vanguard of American experimental and guitar-oriented rock music for over a decade, and close listening reveals the influence of blues, folk, ecstatic free jazz, and psych in his continually unfolding output. In 2025, Gunn released Music for Writers, his first official solo instrumental album, on Three Lobed Recordings. The release highlights his ongoing exploration of tone, atmosphere, and composition, and as Pitchfork said, it “aims to inspire creativity and reflection, to ignite synapses, to spur you along in whatever writerly endeavor you might be undertaking. It’s meant to exist somewhere between atmospheric and meditative.”

Van Django Trio
2026-07-02 18:00 - 21:00 | Coquette Brasserie, 2685 Arbutus Street, Vancouver, BC, V6J3Y4, Canada
Van Django is a Vancouver-based string swing quartet rooted in the gypsy jazz traditions of 1930s Paris, blending virtuosity, charm, and infectious energy. Since forming in 1998, the group has toured extensively across Canada and internationally, with performances in the United States, Europe, and China. A favourite at Djangofest Northwest, Van Django has shared the stage with celebrated artists including the John Jorgenson Quintet and Romane, while their recordings have received international radio play on CBC, NPR, and beyond.

The Jake Huse Quartet
2026-07-02 18:30 - 22:00 | 2nd Floor Gastown (at the Water St. Café), 300 Water St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B1B6, Canada
The Jake Huse Quartet makes its Jazz Fest debut with a groove-filled set of jazz-blues, classics by Coltrane, Miles, and Mingus, plus rhythmically adventurous originals. Saxophonist Jake Huse has performed around the world—from Montreal and Paris to Mombasa and Tokyo—bringing global influences, reggae-inspired rhythms, and a deep love of jazz into his music. Joining him are some of Vancouver’s standout young jazz talents: Max Huberdeau piano, Wynston Minckler bass, and Arvind Ramdas drums. Together, they promise an energetic and deeply grooving performance.

Sarah Stark (Early Show)
2026-07-02 19:00 - 20:00 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Sarah Stark is a singer/songwriter based in Vancouver, BC. Her powerhouse vocals and soulful songs are not to be missed. Her lyrics are heartbreakingly candid, and her melodies are hard to keep out of your head. In the footprints of Adele, Billie Eilish, and Amy Winehouse, Sarah showcases the same lyrical vulnerability and confidence. Her latest single Dull Glow can be found on all streaming platforms.

MA:Q & Sharon Minemoto Quartet (Double Release)
2026-07-02 19:30 - 21:00 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
MA:Q
Formerly known as the Mary Ancheta Quartet, the newly renamed MA:Q (pronounced M-A-Q) pushes the boundaries of genre, drawing inspiration from Weather Report, Betty Davis, McCoy Tyner, and David Byrne to create a “crisp, fresh, funky fusion, landing somewhere between vintage Headhunters and swinging organist Jimmy Smith” (Vancouver Sun). A Vancouver-based Canadian Filipina, Ancheta’s forthcoming MA:Q album When the Light Comes to Play deals with themes of resilience, moments of clarity, and the transitional state between waking and sleeping. The LP incorporates more piano than her Level Up EP, as MA:Q moves toward modern jazz with dynamic elements of funk, hip-hop, and Afrobeat.
With Dominic Conway sax, Matt Reid bass, and Paul Clark drums, MA:Q come to play, and come correct, with their groove-driven, future-facing “supercharged jazz and funk” (Georgia Straight).
Sharon Minemoto Quartet
Following the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbour, nearly 22,000 Japanese Canadians were stripped of their civil rights and forced to leave their homes. Sharon’s paternal grandmother took her children to Japan, and the family was stranded near Hiroshima when the US atomic bomb was dropped. With his family stuck in Japan, Minemoto’s grandfather died in an internment camp in Moose Jaw. After the war, Japanese Canadians were forbidden to return to the West Coast. Their choice: move east of the Rockies or “Repatriate” to Japan. Sharon’s maternal grandparents took their Canadian-born children to Japan, where they faced years of discrimination before returning to Canada.
With the support of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society, pianist Sharon Minemoto composed nine works that reflect on her family’s experience during WWII. A fixture on the Vancouver contemporary jazz scene, Minemoto is known for her “tasteful and engaging work at the keyboard, which is never short of inventive” (All About Jazz) and her tight-knit quartet with Jon Bentley tenor saxophone, Bernie Arai drums, and Darren Radtke bass.
This is an accessible venue. If assistance is required please contact: boxoffice@coastaljazz.ca
Please Note: Seating is limited with a mix of seating and standing room. Arrive early for seating.

Rich Hope
2026-07-02 20:30 - 23:00 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
“An exhilarating slice of primal blues-rock. It’s what rock and roll should be” – Blues Blast Magazine
You can almost feel the floorboards rattle as Rich Hope and his band blaze through their original repertoire of blues-boogie and Americana on Live At The ANZA Club, which was named one of the 10 best B.C. albums of 2025 by the Vancouver Sun. A live document seems only natural for vocalist/guitarist Rich Hope, considering he plays with some of Canada’s best musicians, including the City & Colour rhythm section of drummer Leon Power and bassist Erik Nielsen (who also oversaw the recording with the legendary Howard Redekopp), as well as Vancouver roots scene mainstays Scott Smith on electric and pedal steel guitars and Darryl Havers on keyboards. But it’s Hope who drives the mayhem right from the opening notes of “It Come Alive”—a garage-rock stomper that should give Little Steven chills—to the triumphant final notes that ring out amidst full-throated calls for another encore!
Thanks to the Graham and Gayle Cooke Foundation.
There will be tickets available at the door.

Patrick Shiroishi and Nick Yacyshyn with Lee Hutzulak (live visuals)
2026-07-02 21:00 - 23:00 | Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H3R7, Canada
Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist Patrick Shiroishi’s discography is as dizzying as it is diverse, including solo work, collaborative releases, and guest appearances with Chelsea Wolfe, Dirty Projectors, Che Chen and claire rousay. Of the many configurations Patrick works in, sax+drums is his favourite, and for this VIJF show, he’s excited to be playing with his dear friend Nick Yacyshyn in a duo setting for the first time.
Vancouver-based drummer Nick Yacyshyn is best known as part of experimental metal group SUMAC, whose rare mixture of brutal heaviness and free jazz-inspired fluidity has included collaborations with Keiji Haino, Caspar Brötzmann, and Moor Mother. Although rooted in extreme music subgenres, Nick’s dynamic approach brings a common thread of deep musicality and curiosity to each of his chosen projects.

They’ll be joined by Lee Hutzulak, who utilizes live cameras, misfit lenses, a fishtank, spray bottle, lenticular plastic, broken bits of mirror, crystals, and an assortment of light sources to create compelling, shape-shifting projections. When not making experimental projections, Hutzulak is a noted musician who leads Dixie’s Death Pool, improvises in a variety of combinations, and provided the beautiful artwork for this year’s Festival.

Neelamjit Dhillon Ensemble
2026-07-02 21:30 - 23:00 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
An exploratory ensemble at the crossroads of global free improvisation and modern jazz, this quartet crafts immersive soundscapes that blur borders and expectations. Driven by the intricate pulse of tabla, the harmonic depth of keys, the textural edge of guitar, and the grounding force of bass, their music unfolds in real time—spontaneous, conversational, and deeply intuitive. Drawing on traditions from across continents while remaining fiercely contemporary, they balance chaos and cohesion with striking sensitivity.
Neelamjit Dhillon tabla, Chris Gestrin keys, Alvaro Rojas guitar, Karlis Silins bass.
Open Jazz Jam to follow, hosted by Neelamjit Dhillon Ensemble.

GroundUp feat. Tiffany Rivera (Late Show)
2026-07-02 21:30 - 23:30 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Born and raised in Vancouver, Tiffany Rivera discovered her love for music at the age of 6. This early passion blossomed into a multifaceted career as a musician, singer, and performer, with a particular affinity for RnB, Soul, Disco, and Pop music.
Influenced by powerhouse singers like Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé, Tiffany’s musical journey has taken her to various stages, including the Khatsahlano Music Festival, FIFA Women’s World Cup Official Draw, Variety of Hearts Telethon, Harmony Arts Festival and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, just to name a few.
All net proceeds from the door will be donated in support of the Saint James Music Academy.

Caley Watts Workshop
2026-07-03 13:00 - 14:00 | Tom Lee Music Hall, 728 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1E4, Canada
Caley Watts is a Cree singer/songwriter who grew up along the river banks, mountain ranges, and rainforest of Nuxalk Territory, and her blend of folk and roots draws heavily on the pace and beauty of her home. In praising the “understated magic” of Caley’s music, CBC Music said “it’s easy to imagine oneself whisked far away from the insularity of daily life, to somewhere wilder and grander.” Caley’s debut album River’s Daughter is the result of more than three years of mentorship and co-writing sessions with an incredible community of artists, including William Prince, Serena Ryder, Kinnie Starr, and Katie Pruitt.

ISBN
2026-07-03 13:00 - 15:00 | Bentall Centre Dunsmuir Patio
ISBN is the project of multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and educator Isabel Leong, extending her work beyond leading the acclaimed Ghibli Jazz Orchestra into a more intimate ensemble setting. In this project, she explores a wide-ranging palette of jazz languages through a flexible, collaborative approach that keeps the music in constant motion. Joined by vocalist Sofia Avelino, bassist Bella Fedrigo, and alto saxophonist Nicholas Wise, Leong moves between standards, modern jazz, Latin repertoire, original compositions, and jazz-inflected folk. The result is a set of music that reflects both her arranger’s imagination and her instinct for narrative-driven performance.

Brad Turner Quartet
2026-07-03 13:30 - 14:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
Multiple JUNO and National Jazz Award-winning trumpeter/composer Brad Turner has been an enormously influential figure on the Vancouver jazz scene for over three decades, having co-founded Metalwood and worked with artists such as Joe Lovano, Kenny Wheeler, John Scofield, Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jensen, Seamus Blake, and Kenny Werner.
His Quartet with Bruno Hubert piano, André Lachance bass, and Dylan van der Schyff drums have built a telepathic rapport and a following of tapped-in jazz fans since their founding in the early 90s. Drawing from a repertoire of synapse-firing originals and masterful interpretations of standard tunes, this highly interactive group explores free improv, structured composition, and potent groove-based themes.

Song Form // Less: Steve Gunn // Karen Ng
2026-07-03 14:30 - 16:00 | Zameen Art House, 1515 Anderson St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H 3R5, Canada
Steve Gunn is a New York-based guitarist and songwriter who’s been at the vanguard of guitar-oriented experimental, psych-folk and indie rock for over a decade. On 2025’s, Daylight Daylight, his first singer-songwriter release since 2021’s Other You, Gunn uses negative space as effectively as he uses loping melodies and quietly observational lyrics. “Listening to it can feel like staring into an expertly arranged terrarium; it’s remarkable how so much beauty can take up so little space” (Pitchfork).
Toronto-based improviser and saxophonist Karen Ng has established herself as a unique musical force both nationally and internationally, performing with some of Canada’s most prized artists such as The Weather Station, Andy Shauf, Do Make Say Think, and many more. One of Canada’s leading improvisers, “with a breathtakingly wide musical scope” (Musicworks), she also collaborates regularly with ad hoc ensembles in the wider improvising scene across Canada, in Europe, and in the US.
Solo sets will be followed by a short duo collaboration and artist talk about form in music, presented in association with IICSI at the University of British Columbia.

Malleus Trio
2026-07-03 16:00 - 17:00 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
Malleus Trio are Vancouver-based instrumentalists who fuse high-octane improvisation with dynamic, locked-in original compositions. Having forged their musical rapport for over a decade, there’s palpable chemistry between drummer Ben Brown, tenor saxophonist Dominic Conway, and bassist Geordie Hart, and their language speaks to both familiarity and risk.

Flowers for Tone
2026-07-03 17:00 - 18:00 | Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H3R7, Canada
Tony Wilson helped shape creative music in Vancouver and beyond since the 1980s. A longtime Hornby Islander, Tone passed away suddenly on June 6, just weeks ahead of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival he performed at so many times (often on his birthday, which the Festival always coincided with). Tony led innumerable projects of his own compositions, and lent his stratospheric imagination to the Peggy Lee Band, Dark Blue World, Pugs & Crows, and his unflinching multi-disciplinary works like The Homeless Project.
Ever curious, and always able to channel fire and find channels to the spiritual, Tony’s far-ranging interest in composers and players from the obscure to the renowned often led him to present projects at the Festival that spotlighted and extrapolated on the works of Sonny Greenwich, Lenny Breau, Jim Pepper, Pedar Long, Frank Zappa, Sun Ra, and others. Tony’s improvisational genius and signature guitar playing elevated these performances beyond tribute, and often felt like a melding of powerful cosmic forces.
He was an open-hearted collaborator who paid tribute to so many, and though our hearts are hurting we’re looking forward to sharing time with many of Tony’s friends, family, and collaborators in the time slot that Tony was going to present “Flowers for Albert”, a project celebrating Albert Ayler. Instead, we’ll gather for Flowers for Tone, celebrating Tony’s profound impact and influence on our hearts and ears, and honouring his lasting legacy on the creative music scene.
The Flowers for Tone ensemble features James Meger bass, Kenton Loewen drums, Feven Kidane trumpet, Ruthie Ha saxophones, Peggy Lee cello, Cole Schmidt guitar, and several other guests.

Dutch Robinson Trio
2026-07-03 18:30 - 22:00 | 2nd Floor Gastown (at the Water St. Café), 300 Water St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B1B6, Canada
R&B Hall of Fame vocalist, producer, composer, and actor Dutch Robinson an upbeat mix of fresh and cool arrangements for jazz standards, R&B Soul Classics and Dutch’s original hits. Dutch is a world class performer who exudes presence and truly touches audiences. This show will move you. Prepare to be transported.
Featuring Dutch Robinson vocals, Brian Bird on keys/vocals/bass, and Herb Weber on guitar/vocals.

Leah Barley (Early Show)
2026-07-03 19:00 - 20:00 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Vancouver-based singer/songwriter Leah Barley offers stirring original songs that evoke both the jubilation and heartbreak inherent to classic folk and country music. An accomplished banjo player as well as guitarist, Barley creates a sound as affecting today as it was a century ago.

Cellar Live 25th Anniversary: Cory Weeds Little Big Band ft. Jerry Weldon & Noah Franche-Nolan Trio
2026-07-03 19:30 - 21:00 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
Cory Weeds Little Big Band ft. Jerry Weldon
Take it from Downbeat Magazine: “renaissance man Cory Weeds has the Midas Touch!” An indefatigable force on the Vancouver scene, the tenor saxophonist and impresario keeps the flame of classic straight-ahead jazz burning bright. Inspired by tenor heroes Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and Gene Ammons, Weeds calls on an all-star cast of Vancouver musicians to join him alongside special guest tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon. A renowned player on the New York City scene for more than 35 years, the veteran sax man’s résumé reads like a virtual “Who’s Who of Jazz.” To mark the 25th anniversary of Weed’s fantastic Cellar Live record label, the band will play music from Weeds and Weldon’s albums Explosion and Home Cookin’, as well as new material!
With Steve Kaldestad alto saxophone, James Danderfer tenor saxophone, Dave Say baritone saxophone, Jim Hopson and Brian Harding trombones, Brad Turner and Julian Borkowski trumpets, Chris Gestrin piano, John Lee bass, Graham Villette drums, and Jill Townsend conductor/musical director.

Noah Franche-Nolan Trio
Noah Franche-Nolan is a JUNO-nominated, Vancouver-based pianist, improviser, composer, and producer. Known for blending emotional sincerity with technical intricacy, he leads the Noah Franche-Nolan Trio, whose acclaimed releases on Cellar Live Music include Within the Stream (2023) and 2025’s Rose-Anna, an “elegant, intelligent, sometimes energetically wilful opus” wherein Franche-Nolan “paints a rich, idea-filled portrait of a personal universe that mixes propulsive contemporary jazz, cultural references to Acadia, and a beautiful exploration of belonging, spirituality and attachment” (PANM360).
Noah co-leads Raagaverse and is a sought-after, stylistically wide-ranging sideman who performs regularly with Francois Houle’s Quartet, Russell Wallace’s Saltchuck City Orchestra, John Korsrud’s Absolute Unit, and the Hard Rubber Orchestra. His Trio features James Meger bass and Nicholas Bracewell drums.
This is an accessible venue. If assistance is required please contact: boxoffice@coastaljazz.ca
Please Note: Seating is limited with a mix of seating and standing room.

Bonnie Northgraves
2026-07-03 20:00 - 22:00 | Frankie’s Jazz Club, 755 Beatty Sreet, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2M4, Canada
Bonnie is a trumpet player, vocalist, and composer based in Vancouver. Her singing is smoky and rich, and her trumpet playing a call to the early jazz styles of New Orleans while remaining fresh, inventive, and playful. Bonnie has one foot rooted in jazz heritage and one foot stepping forward creating a fresh new voice in the musical landscape. This powerful combination has given wings to a music career that’s seen her perform on Juno award winning albums, and numerous tours across North America, Europe, China, and India; delighting audience at home and abroad.
With Brent Mah saxophones, Dean Thiessen piano, Wynston Minckler bass, and Seth Kitamura drums.

Chopping Spree!
2026-07-03 20:30 - 23:00 | Ocean Artworks, 1531 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V3E 2T1, Canada
A post-fusion band that thrives in the highest-energy pockets of Vancouver’s live music scene, Chopping Spree! makes every show a must-see see with their intensely fun stage presence and captivating instrumental interplay. Under a broad-minded jazz fusion ethos, they slice through genres ranging from 70s Japanese fusion, prog rock, metal, and psych, to funk, disco, post-rock/ambient, and even rap. Called ”the scene’s breakout band” by Rhythm Changes, Chopping Spree! are creating hypnotic and energetic “jazz that people are moshing to.”
Chopping Spree! is Eddie Naranjo drums, Hayden Cohen keys/vocals, Kyler Young saxophone/vocals, Junny Chen guitar, Colm McIntosh percussion, and Olivier Leclerc bass.
Thanks to the Graham and Gayle Cooke Foundation.
There will be tickets available at the door.

Wendy Eisenberg Viewfinder
2026-07-03 21:00 - 23:00 | Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H3R7, Canada
Brooklyn-based guitarist, vocalist, composer, and 2026 Coastal Jazz Artist in Residence Wendy Eisenberg’s Viewfinder is a sprawling and sublime creative response to her laser eye surgery procedure and new visual life. An elusive song cycle that encompasses free jazz, post-rock, beauty, fallibility, questioning, seeing anew, and the unseen, “what’s most striking about Viewfinder is Eisenberg’s ability to crystallize their complex, nuanced thoughts about the limits of perception without creating new dogma in the process” (Pitchfork).
Recorded at Brooklyn’s Figure 8 with a lineup that featured rising NYC artists Tyrone Allen II, Zekereyya el-Magharbel, Andrew Links, Carmen Q. Rothwell, Booker Stardrum, and Chris Williams, for this special VIJF performance Eisenberg will be joined by West Coast creative lights Dan Gaucher drums and electronics, JP Carter trumpet and electronics, and Nebyu Yohannes trombone, as well as former Vancouverites Sean Cronin bass and Cat Toren piano.
“What’s notable is that Eisenberg, who has in the past proven to be more than capable of shredding, doesn’t necessarily step out in front of the band; their intricate, textural guitar playing acts more as a canvas for the group to fully colour in.” – The Quietus

LACREMA: LEBECK
2026-07-03 21:30 - 23:00 | Tyrant Studios, 1019 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M3, Canada
LACREMA: LEBECK is a collaborative project from distinguished Canadian pianist Jillian Lebeck and acclaimed jazz vocalist Laura Crema. Inspired by the influential duo recordings of Norma Winstone and John Taylor, they draw from art song, folk traditions, bossa nova, jazz and original compositions, while their ensemble interplay balances structure and improvisation with a focus on lyricism, dynamics, space, and rhythmic vitality. With bassist Conrad Good, saxophonist Jon Bentley, and drummer Bernie Arai, Lebeck and Crema create a sound that is at once intimate and expansive—an evocative musical conversation set within a richly nuanced sonic landscape.
Open Jazz Jam to follow, hosted by LACREMA: LEBECK. Presented in association with Tyrant Studios.

Ezra Kwizera (Late Show)
2026-07-03 22:00 - 23:30 | Guilt & Co., 1 Alexander Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1B2, Canada
Ezra Kwizera’s music carries the spark of life of someone who has seen and survived hardship, war, poverty, and growing up as a Rwandan refugee in Uganda. Yet from seemingly insurmountable challenges, Ezra has risen up to become one of the most notable artists and music producers in Africa and internationally.
In recent years, Ezra has travelled around the world and performed in front of thousands of people in places such as Africa, UK and US. Now based in Vancouver BC, Canada he has brought with him his energetic yet soulful melodies along with his signature unique mix of genres and cultures.
Having a richly multi-ethnic performance style, Ezra fluidly sings and raps in English, Kinyarwanda, Luganda, Zulu and Swahili, while infusing flavors of Reggae, Soca, East African Bongo, and Pop. Hearing Ezra sing, you know that he is sharing with you his story, and making you want to dance to celebrate life at the same time.
