Eleven years in, the Vancouver Jazz Festival was in a zone. It had just passed the ten year mark.Audiences were coming out in droves. There had been plenty of accolades and worldwide media attention, but as the year kicked off, the team at Coastal was likely more interested in the music – and for good reason. In 1996 they would host nearly 1,000 musicians for the annual du Maurier International Jazz Festival. The lineup included some big names, with one headliner hailing from BC. In the span of about five years Diana Krall had gone from playing a free show on the streets of Gastown to selling out the Orpheum on an opening night double bill with the George Shearing Duo. “Nainamo-born Krall had hit the big time.” (Vancouver Sun)
The lineup included some big names, with one headliner hailing from BC. In the span of about five years Krall had gone from playing a free show on the streets of Gastown to selling out the Orpheum on an opening night double bill with the George Shearing Duo. “Nainamo-born Krall had hit the big time.” (Vancouver Sun)
The Festival also featured jazz heavyweights Ellis Marsalis, vocalist Abbey Lincoln, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, guitarist John Scofield, and guitarist and acid jazz purveyor Charlie Hunter. Blondie front woman Deborah Harry joined New York City’s The Jazz Passengers at the Commodore. Paul Plimley, Francois Houle and the NOW Orchestra debuted new projects with visiting composers and improvisers. Tony Wilson presented a tribute to the late jazz trumpeter and world-music innovator Don Cherry.
Jazz fest locations expanded to 26 venues. New ones included Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens, Metrotown Plaza in Burnaby and the CBC Building for a series of open-to-the-public recording sessions for its new Jazz Café radio series. With plenty of mainstream jazz on offer, the programming also continued its commitment to the cutting edge. “It’s still called a jazz festival but the lineup at this year’s festival reflects a musical world in which boundaries are as obsolete as the Berlin Wall.” (Bellingham Herald)
The global nature of the programming could not be overlooked. There was Brazilian bossa nova performer and songwriter Gilberto Gil, jazz pianist Randy Weston and his band African Rhythms, Scandinavian avant gardists and other European jazz artists, and the addition of an Asian improvisational series at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens. The series opened with a performance by Miya Masaoka, a San-Francisco based koto player whose repertoire ranges from Japanese traditional music dating from the 12th century to more modern standards by Duke Ellington and Thelonius Monk.
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