By Tim Reinert
Jazz evolves and it changes. That’s not a bug, it’s a feature. It’s one of the things this music is most known for, and it’s why there is endless debate as to what, exactly, Jazz is. This year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival lineup doesn’t pretend to know how to answer that question, but it does do it’s best to expand our definition of what Jazz is, and what it can be.
Julian Lage
One word that comes to mind when discussing the music of guitar virtuoso Julian Lage is restless. At least that’s what he seems to be, as he’s constantly jumping from one concept or subgenre to another, barely giving us a chance to appreciate what we just heard. Another great thing about listening to Lage live is getting to watch all the guitar nerds in awe as they try to figure out just how he does what he does. This is one of the headlining shows of this year’s Jazz Festival, and tickets are going quickly.
June 25, 7:30PM
Vancouver Playhouse
Tickets are online for $45-$65 plus fees
The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
What happens when one of the most fearless tenor saxophonists in Jazz today teams up with one of the most iconic rhythm sections in punk history? We’ll find out on June 23rd, but the fiery new album released on Impulse Records by The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis gives us some clues. This is one of those rare superstar collaborations that is just as good as you want it to be, and a perfect show for those rock and punk heads that aren’t sold on this whole “Jazz” thing yet.
June 23, 7:30PM
Performance Works
Tickets are online for $37 plus fees
George
John Hollenbeck is no stranger to eclecticism, having worked with everybody from Bob Brookmeyer to Theo Bleckmann over the years, as well as having founded the Claudia Quintet. George is his newest project, an endearing smattering of Jazz by way of Art Pop created by Hollenbeck, Anna Webber, Sarah Rossy, and Chiquita Magic. If you’re looking for possible futures for where this music might go next, George could lead the way.
June 23, 3:45PM
Downtown – Georgia Street stage
Free to attend
Emmeluth’s Amoeba
I talked in my last blog post about how 2024 seems to be a callback to the years where our Jazz Festival was dominated by Scandinavians. Alto saxophonist Signe Emmeluth is another great example of that, and her Amoeba band is full of Norwegians and Danes all looking to grow the music further.
June 26, 9:30PM
Revue stage
Tickets are online for $27 plus fees
Konrad Agnas Rite of Passage
In 1997, Per “Texas” Johansson played the Vancouver International Jazz Festival for the first time, and I was in awe. I absolutely loved his sound on the saxophone and clarinet and went to every single show of his that I could. I even got to introduce him, in only my second year MC’ing for the Jazz Festival. Now he’s back, and he’ll be playing with Torbjörn Zetterberg and Johan Graden as part of Konrad Agnas’ Rite of Passage project. This is another one of the great Scandinavian groups gracing our Jazz Festival in 2024.
June 27, 1:30PM
Performance Works
Free to attend
Bellbird
In 2023, Montreal’s Bellbird released Root In Tandem, one of my favourite albums of that year. And while Mili Hong and Eli Davidovici lived here for many years, and while both Alison Burick and Claire Devlin have performed here before, this is their first time performing in Vancouver as a collective. As far as I’m concerned, Bellbird is one of the most exciting new voices on the Canadian Jazz scene.
June 26, 8:30PM
Ocean Artworks
Tickets are $10 at the door
Wayne Horvitz Electric Circus
Wayne Horvitz is no stranger to either Vancouver or our Jazz Festival. His collaborations with people like Peggy Lee and Dylan van der Schyff is the stuff of legend. This special performance will feature Horvitz using Butch Morris’ “conduction” methods to lead the band, which will include our artists-in-residence Sakina Abdou and Shahzad Ismaily, plus local musical adventurers like Gordy Li, Nikko Whitworth, Shruti Ramani, and many more.
June 30, 7:30PM
Performance Works
Tickets are online for $37 plus fees
Other Contemporary Jazz highlights this year will include performances by Kevin Romain’s Salience Network, guitarist Sam Wilson, and Berlin-based pianist Tyson Naylor playing his first Vancouver dates in several years.
For more on Tim’s picks, check out this Infidels Jazz podcast episode.
