Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Paul Pigat (Cousin Harley) and Stephen Ulrich (Big Lazy)
2022-06-30 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Vancouver) | BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7J 3H5, Canada
Two guitar titans, Vancouver’s Paul Pigat and New York-based Big Lazy frontman Stephen Ulrich, perform as a duo! Expect to be wowed by a fabulous array of vintage pop, swing and surf music, both retro and original. Then Paul and Stephen will be joined by Big Lazy’s rhythm section (Andrew Hall bass, Yuvall Lion drums) for a set of twang-noir and rockabilly jazz.
“Paul Pigat, the gent behind Canada’s Cousin Harley, is simply one of the top rockabilly players, not to mention a mean country blueser and bebop jazzer.” – Guitar World
“The instrumental music of Big Lazy echoes of Hollywood soundtracks–scores from gritty detective flicks, suspenseful prison breakouts, and spaghetti Westerns.” – Vintage Guitar Magazine

Samara Joy w/ Pasquale Grasso Trio
2022-06-30 19:30 - 20:45 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
That someone so young can so completely inhabit the timeless classics of the Great American Songbook borders on the supernatural. NPR calls her debut album “imposing”, the JazzTimes critics poll just named her Best New Artist, and she won the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition three years ago, at age 19. Velvet-voiced rising star Samara Joy is scarily good—and the hairs on the backs of our necks are all the better for it! She’s joined by Italian-born NYC guitarist Pasquale Grosso—who Pat Metheny recently called “the best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life”—and his trio-mates Sam Edwards bass and Keith Balla drums.

Peggy Lee Band - Early Show
2022-06-30 19:30 - 20:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada
Equally adept in far-out free improv, the classical rigour of her work with the VSO, and the arcing melodic textures of her detailed, emotionally deep compositions, cellist/composer Peggy Lee exudes mastery in both quietude and fire. Premiering new music alongside selections from its rich back-catalogue, the Peggy Lee Band builds a sound world where “melodies slide in and out of abstraction; skewed marches butt up against folk songs; chamber music niceties crumble under the assault of funk and psychedelia.” (Georgia Straight). With Dylan van der Schyff drums, Brad Turner trumpet, Jeremy Berkman trombone, Jon Bentley sax, André Lachance bass, and guitarists Tony Wilson and Ron Samworth.

John Paton's Parallax
2022-06-30 17:00 - 18:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
Saxophonist/composer John Paton has led many distinctive projects over the years, including Soft Morning City and Black Top Blues Band. His new quartet with Thomas Hoeller guitar, James Meger bass, and drummer Todd Stewart debuts music Paton composed during lockdown, drawing diverse influence from the likes of Tim Berne, Henry Threadgill, Patrick Zimmerli, and Ween.

Under the Surface
2022-06-30 16:00 - 18:00 | British Columbia
“Powerful music without compromise.” – Nederlands Dagbla
Dutch trio Under the Surface create mysterious, immersive improvisations that have the gravity and certainty of meticulous compositions. Finding new paths for melody and poetry, silence and space, drummer Joost Lijbaart, guitarist Bram Stadhouders and vocalist Sanne Rambags come together for “extraordinary live improvisations” (Jazz Scotsman).
Thanks to Nederlands Fonds voor Podiumkunsten
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Michael Formanek Drome Trio
2022-06-30 14:30 - 15:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
Focused on bassist Michael Formanek’s compositional output, which The New York Times praises as “graceful in its subversions,” Drome Trio’s debut Were We Where We Were sprung from musical palindromes that began as graphic scores before being reinterpreted into conventional notation. Rounded out by Chet Doxas saxophones/clarinet and Vinnie Sperrazza drums, the band’s live set promises heady exhilaration.

Missy D + CAST
2022-06-29 21:00 - 23:00 | British Columbia
MISSY D
This year’s Full Circle and Coastal Jazz’s co-Feature Artist (with KeAloha), Missy D is a fierce bilingual femcee from the intersection of Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, and Zimbabwe. Singing and rapping since age 11, Missy fuses her musical heritage with hip hop, soul, and R&B. Her dizzyingly diverse sense of genre is matched by her stellar band: Ian Cardona and Yato Noukoussi drums, Vinay Lobo guitar, Dave Taylor bass, and Sejal Lal violin/vocals.
Presented in association with Full Circle: First Nations Performance
CAST
Jessica Léger voice/guitar/percussion, Ben Brown drums/metallophone/xylophone, and James Meger bass artfully centre rhythm and voice in CAST. In their uncluttered arrangements—where space and silence act almost as additional band members—every musical choice is charged with intention as they move from the intimate to the immense.
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Wayne Horvitz Trio + Karen Ng
2022-06-29 21:00 - 22:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
Renowned composer, pianist, and master of electronics Wayne Horvitz’s “aptitude for myriad modes of jazz, funk, classical, and prog, and his extraordinary melodic instincts, make anything he attempts a riveting pleasure” (The Stranger). His fellow Seattleite, vocalist Ayesha Brooks (aka Musicbox), draws power from gospel, jazz, hip hop, and rock, while Vancouver innovator Peggy Lee is “one of the world’s most accomplished practitioners of improvisational cello” (Musicworks). Joining these West Coast creative delights is Toronto saxophonist/clarinetist Karen Ng. Possessed of a “breathtakingly wide musical scope” (Musicworks), Ng moves fluidly between avant-garde jazz, indie, and post-rock communities.
June 29 • Tom Lee Music Hall (Wayne Horvitz Workshop) @ 1pm • FREE

Joel Ross Good Vibes
2022-06-29 19:30 - 20:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
Undoubtedly the most thrilling new vibraphonist in America, Joel Ross has a way of being everywhere interesting at once. From innovative albums with Makaya McCraven, revolutionary combos like Marquis Hill’s Blacktet, and James Francies’ star-making debut, Joel’s “sly and mysterious approach” (Pitchfork) filters influences from Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett through a jaw-dropping blur of mallets, talent, and inextinguishable ideas. With three Blue Note releases since 2019—including Spring 2022’s The Parable of the Poet—the prolific, spontaneous artist adds his name to the label’s illustrious vibraphone legacy with Godwin Louis alto saxophone, Kanoa Mendenhall bass, and Jeremy Dutton drums.

Used Gowns + The Nausea
2022-06-29 17:00 - 18:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
USED GOWNS
Feral noise, fractured beats, and strange beauty.
With an array of effects added to his big-picture bass-playing, Shanto Acharia has exploded his composition and improv approaches outwards in all directions. Eschewing polite accompaniment in favour of unapologetic, heavily absurdist co-occurrence, Used Gowns features guitarist Cole Schmidt (SICK BOSS) and drummer Stephen Lyons (Fond of Tigers).

THE NAUSEA
Anju Singh’s chamber-doom project The Nausea channels doubt and discomfort, venting and volume, hypnosis and requiems, and Jean-Paul Sartre’s La Nausée through her uncompromising violin playing and bracing electronic processing.

Emily Best
2022-06-29 16:00 - 17:00 | British Columbia
Cut with country-soul nostalgia, Emily Best’s blend of pop, rock, folk, and jazz has “the same appeal as cursive writing—elegant and rare” (Permanent Rain Press). The Vancouver-based vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist’s lush songs are full of heartache and healing, with “never a note out of place” (The Province). Best’s group features Gavin Youngash guitar, Rob Thomson bass, and Max Ley drums.
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Giveton Gelin
2022-06-29 14:30 - 15:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
22-year-old Nassau-born trumpeter Giveton Gelin has learned from some of the world’s best, including Wynton Marsalis and the late Roy Hargrove. A 2021 Juilliard graduate with accolades from the Young Arts Foundation, ASCAP’s Herb Alpert Award, DC Prix, and the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program, Gelin is a bright musical light who pays tribute to his forebears while adding his own character to the narrative of jazz.
With Micah Thomas piano, Morgan Guerin saxophone, Kayvon Gordon drums, Jonathan Michel bass.

Amanda Tosoff with special guest Emilie-Claire Barlow - Late Show
2022-06-28 21:30 - 22:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada
Toronto-based pianist/composer Amanda Tosoff is “an assured, forward-thinking voice” (Vancouver Sun) who pairs a rigorous command of the jazz piano legacy with an eagerness to push beyond labels. With her latest release—the 2022 JUNO-nominated Earth Voices—Tosoff pulls jazz, pop, art-song, and poetry into her deeply emotional, lyrical orbit. Joined by JUNO Award-winning vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow, saxophonist Allison Au, bassist Jon Maharaj, and drummer Morgan Childs, Tosoff’s ensemble creates “thoughtful, sparkling, poetically-inspired chamber jazz!” (New York Music Daily).
Thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts

Petunia and the Vipers + Emily Rose Nyberg
2022-06-28 21:00 - 23:00 | British Columbia
PETUNIA AND THE VIPERS
Petunia and the Vipers seem to have time-travelled straight from the 1920s. Barnstorming through Western swing to early rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues, theirs is a joyfully anachronistic symphony of picking, yodels, howls, and pure fun.
EMILY ROSE NYBERG
Emily Rose Nyberg learned to play guitar from her father Rodney, who heartily encouraged her unorthodox style. Now that he’s passed, Emily sings gospel, old-time country, and blues-inflected songs she’s road-tested in Southern Appalachia kitchen parties and East Van punk houses alike—bridging them to the heavens through inspired finger-picking on Rodney’s old hollow-body guitar.
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Like The Mind
2022-06-28 21:00 - 22:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
Like The Mind is a collective of award-winning musicians from Canada and Sweden who share a deep musical curiosity and a relentless pursuit of artistic excellence. Drawn together by the unmistakable similarities in their musical sensibilities, Like The Mind is dedicated to creating sound works that represent the vast collective subconscious made from individual experience. Their music is arresting, immersive, and immensely creative—this show is a must-see for any inquisitive musical mind. With Lisen Rylander Löve saxophone, Meredith Bates violin, Peggy Lee cello, Emma Augustsson cello, Elisa Thorn harp, and Lisa Ullén piano.
June 27 • Tom Lee Music Hall (Lisa Ullén Workshop) @ 1pm • FREE
Thanks to the Swedish Arts Grant Committee (Konstnårsnåmnden)

Tord Gustavsen Trio
2022-06-28 20:00 - 22:00 | BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7J 3H5, Canada
On the sublime new album Opening, Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen reveals a fresh take on his highly lauded investigations into Scandinavian folk and jazz. The trio–including drummer Jarle Vespestad and bassist/electronics manipulator Steiner Raknes–explores innovative approaches to technique, while creating intricately textured improvisations and understated melodic hooks.
Opening “retains what first drew so many people to Gustavsen: mesmerizing hush; sublimated urgency; spare melodic grace. It also reveals 11 years of creative evolution.” – Stereophile

Amanda Tosoff with special guest Emilie-Claire Barlow - Early Show
2022-06-28 19:30 - 20:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada

GoGo Penguin
2022-06-28 19:00 - 23:00 | Vancouver Playhouse
“Jazz, techno, hip-hop and dubstep are glimpsed here, but for all the looping motifs and dance floor vibes, this is the work of three sure-footed improvisers with deep jazz roots”—The Guardian
Manchester-based Blue Note recording artists GoGo Penguin’s skittering break-beats, powerful sub-bass, telepathic interplay, and penchant for anthemic melody “recall the intricacy of Aphex Twin or Four Tet” (The 4O5). Electrifying live performers, pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka, and drummer Jon Scott channel electronic and club culture atmospheres alongside influences from jazz, rock and 20th century minimalism to create music that flows from the dancefloor to meditative inner-worlds.

Producers Lounge: Summer Social
2022-06-28 19:00 - 21:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
CONNECT: Producers Lounge x Coastal Jazz
Connect. Community. Celebrate.
Welcome back to another Producers Lounge social mixer. Come connect with your music community in-person again, while at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
The event is hosted by Jane Aurora (Producers Lounge) and Nina Horvath (Executive Director of Coastal Jazz).
The panel discussion is moderated by DJ Denise Fraser (Host of URP and Queer FM), and features: Alexis Douglas (SoundGirls.org), Mimi Abraham (Production Manager), Caitlin Goulet (Singer/Songwriter & EmergenceBC), Roisin Adams (Pianist & Composer), Manuel Avila (Touring FOH/MON), and Kristina Lao (Entertainment Consultant & Host of Bombshell Brunches).
Schedule:
7:00 PM Doors
7:30 PM Panel
8:00 PM Connect Social
9:30 PM Optional, Afterparty at Ocean Art Works (3 min walk, $10 at the door) featuring: Petunia and the Vipers + Emily Rose Nyberg
Sponsored by: Producers Lounge, Coastal Jazz, d&b audiotechnik, Dirty Laundry Winery, SoundGirls.org, Emergence BC, Bombshell Brunches, IATSE 118

PRIMARY Trio + Karen Ng / Russell Sholberg / Lisa Ullén
2022-06-28 17:00 - 18:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
PRIMARY Trio
Since their 2019 debut at the Museum of Anthropology’s International Women’s Day, decolonization has been at the core of the femme-fluid and racialized PRIMARY Trio’s relationship-building on stolen territories. Rooted in Black American improvised music traditions, Suin Park piano, KeAloha drums, and Feven Kidane bass/trumpet create a shared dialect that begins with listening and spreads outward in sonic story-shaping. Presented in association with Full Circle: First Nations Performance
Karen Ng / Russell Sholberg / Lisa Ullén
“Think of any style of modern saxophone playing, and chances are Toronto’s Karen Ng has done it, and done it beautifully” (Musicworks), while Stockholm-based pianist Lisa Ullén’s artistic range “appeals to fans of John Cage as well as Cecil Taylor” (Downtown Music Gallery). They’re joined in broadminded improv by JUNO Award-winning Vancouver bassist Russell Sholberg (Pugs & Crows).

Kevin Romain's Salience Network + Emma Augustsson
2022-06-28 16:00 - 18:00 | British Columbia
Inspired by neuroscience, socialism, humility, and fine coffee, drummer/composer Kevin Romain (Only A Visitor), bassist Jeff Gammon and saxophonist John Nicholson set up shop in the lush median between precision and intuition. With genre-defying Swedish cellist Emma Augustsson, Romain’s Salience Network searches for intangible emotional alchemy using beautifully simple tools: wood, metal, and breath.
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

Dan Wilson Quartet
2022-06-28 14:30 - 15:30 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
With chops to burn, American guitarist Dan Wilson melds “the buffered warmth of Wes Montgomery with the quicksilver phrasing of Larry Carlton” (JazzTimes).
A Grammy nominee as part of Joey DeFrancesco’s group, Wilson has also lit it up in Christian McBride’s Tip City. His quartet features Glenn Zaleski piano, David Throckmorton drums, Brandon Rose bass.
Thanks to LetterOne RISING STARS Jazz Award

Immanuel Wilkins - Late Show
2022-06-27 21:30 - 22:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada
“One of the most compelling instrumentalists in improvised music” – NPR Morning Edition
Hot on the heels of Omega (the #1 Jazz Album of 2020, per the New York Times), saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins dreams big with his latest Blue Note release, The 7th Hand, a seven-movement suite of new originals that explore relationships between presence and nothingness. Wilkins’ music is filled with empathy and conviction, bonding arcs of melody and lamentation to plumes of space and breath, boldly brought to life by his quartet, featuring Micah Thomas piano, Richard Rosato bass, and Kweku Sumbry drums.
Thanks to LetterOne RISING STARS Jazz Award

Only A Visitor + Devours
2022-06-27 21:00 - 23:30 | British Columbia
ONLY A VISITOR
“Proof that there’s a beautiful world to be won by looking beyond old patterns.” – The Georgia Straight
Vocalist/pianist Robyn Jacob’s eclectic avant-pop compositions and adventurous vocal arrangements evoke Bjork, TuNe-YaRdS, and Dirty Projectors.
With drummer Kevin Romain, bassist Jeff Gammon, and singers Emma Postl and Celina Kurz, Only A Visitor is “one of the most fascinating and singular musical projects to come out of Vancouver in recent memory” (Discorder Magazine).
DEVOURS
Subversive and club-bangingly inclusive, Devours’ dark-hued, confessional electropop confronts masculinity, body image, gay politics, self-love, and nostalgia. Exclaim! calls Vancouver-based DIY artist Jeff Cancade’s underground queer pop project “unpredictable, and relentlessly catchy.” Better still, it’s irresistibly danceable.
Sponsored in part by CHMC Granville Island

CANABRAVA NOW featuring Douglas R. Ewart and Mankwe Ndosi
2022-06-27 21:00 - 22:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
cana brava: a bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris)
There are approximately 2,000 species of bamboo. It comes smaller than a little finger and larger than a foot in diameter; it possesses incredible tensile strength and is used in thousands of widely varied applications, from a food and clothing source to the construction of instruments and furniture. As an ensemble, CANABRAVA NOW strives to emulate bamboo by being diverse, resilient, flexible, enduring, elegant, beautiful, unique, communal, bounteous, eternally relevant and ecologically sound. Featuring Douglas R. Ewart, composer/woodwinds/percussion, Mankwe Ndosi voice, Lucy Strauss viola, Matthew Ariaratnam guitar, and Lisa Cay Miller piano.
Curated by Douglas R. Ewart, co-produced with the NOW Society

Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio
2022-06-27 20:00 - 22:00 | BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts at Capilano University, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7J 3H5, Canada
“It’s hard not to start moving once Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio hits the stage.” – WKPX
With a deep soul backbone augmented by jazz, rhythm and blues and rock ’n’ roll, Seattle’s Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (Delvon Lamarr Hammond B3, Jimmy James guitar, Don Weiss drums) evokes a classic, all-instrumental sound with a virtuosic sensibility all its own. Undeniable chemistry propels the group’s solid grooves and funky improvisations.

Youn Sun Nah
2022-06-27 19:30 - 22:00 | Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R8, Canada
“Sun Nah possesses the sensuousness of Melody Gardot, the quirky, theatrical air of Björk, and the blues of a Parisian chanteuse.” (All About Jazz). Expressive, crystal-clear, and deeply affecting, Youn Sun Nah has a voice that needs to be heard in person. Now in her third decade as a performer, Sun Nah has left indelible impressions on audiences across Europe, Korea, and North America, while garnering dozens of awards and prizes internationally. Her 2022 release Waking World is an exciting milestone for the veteran artist—her first record comprised entirely of her own songwriting.

Immanuel Wilkins - Early Show
2022-06-27 19:30 - 20:30 | Pyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3L4, Canada

Cécile McLorin Salvant
2022-06-27 19:00 - 23:00 | Vancouver Playhouse
Since winning the Thelonious Monk competition in 2010, vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant has been blazing trails in jazz and art music, picking up multiple Grammys and a MacArthur Fellowship along the way. But after five critically acclaimed releases, Ghost Song (her new release and Nonesuch debut) immediately occupies a world of its own. A compact, cyclical, immersive suite of songs populated by distinct spiritual characters, Ghost Song bears all the signatures of a McLorin Salvant project—thoroughly considered, carefully rendered, and absolute in its cohesion—while also being marked by the assured confidence of a once-in-a-generation artist stepping fully into her potential.

Littles
2022-06-27 17:00 - 18:00 | The Ironworks, 235 Alexander St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6A 1C2, Canada
Andromeda Monk’s compositions challenge players to switch roles and imitate each other, going so far as to have acoustic instruments emulate disembodied electronic glitch. This conceptual hall of mirrors is offset by heartfelt melodies, laying groundwork for improvisations by Lucy Strauss viola, Natasha Zrno clarinet/effects, Feven Kidane bass, Matthew Ariaratnam guitar, Adrian Avendaño drums, and Monk on synthesizer.
