There isn’t much of a through line connecting the musicians performing at Performance Works (1218 Cartwright St.) this year, other than pure talent. It’s a diverse group featuring Inuit throat singers, a South Korean vocal powerhouse, and Tuareg Blues guitarists — not to mention a contingent of up-and-coming jazz greats.
Piqsiq (June 25) are two sisters from Yellowknife who easily blend throat singing
techniques with beat-boxing and other contemporary styles. They are just as
comfortable on folk music stages as they’ll be at this year’s festival, as they
incorporate healthy dollops of both improvisation and traditional Inuit music into their
sets. Their first album was produced by Vancouver’s own Ruby Singh.
When Julian Lage (June 26) teamed up with Nels Cline to deliver a gorgeous duo
performance at the 2014 festival, Cline was arguably the bigger name at the time,
though that may not be the case anymore. Lage is as good as everyone says he is,
and his debut album for Blue Note was easily one of the best records of 2021.
He’ll be backed by Scott Colley (Brian Blade, John Scofield) on bass, and Dave King
(Bad Plus) on drums.
If unique artists that don’t sound like anybody else is your bag, Youn Sun Nah (June
27) is going to be one of your top priorities to check out at the Performance Works.
Her voice is bold, but also rife with nuance and texture. Although her jazz vocals have
been critically acclaimed for almost two decades, it’s her recent forays into original
composition and song writing that have been getting rave reviews.
Several years ago, saxophonist/composer Darius Jones was asked in an interview who
the next big thing in jazz was going to be. He brought up Joel Ross’ name immediately,
and time has proved him right. Ross (June 29) is only 25, but was one of the brightest
stars at the 2019 festival, and has released three critically acclaimed albums on
Blue Note Records. Watching him play vibraphone in person is like watching a tornado dance.
One of the many highlights of the 2019 festival was the Vancouver debut
of Les Filles De Illighadad (July 3). They performed at Robson Square, and those in
attendance walked away knowing that they had just witnessed magic. It’s easy to
compare them to other Tuareg musicians like Tinariwen, Tamikrest, or Mdou Moctar,
but the reality is that this Niger-based trio doesn’t sound like any other band on earth.
— by Tim Reinert
