The 12th annual du Maurier International Jazz Festival landed June 20 – 29, 1997. That year had a memorable impact on the nineties, giving birth to not one but two massive entertainment icons – the first book in the Harry Potter series and the movie Titanic. Streaming books, movies and music was still quite a few years away. Society hadn’t even been through the dot-com boom – or bust – yet. At the time, the internet was still a new kid on the block. Only an estimated 13% of Canadian households used the Internet from their home computers.
“This is the most ambitious jazz festival yet – over 1000 artists at 37 different venues.” (Jazzscene)
The real strength of Vancouver’s festival had always been the way it integrates modern and traditional jazz on one wide-ranging program, and that year’s lineup was massive, with 1,000 artists performing at 37 venues. Diana Krall’s opening night homecoming show at the Orpheum had been sold out for weeks. Other headliners included the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Thelonius Monk’s son T.S. Monk plus Cyrus Chestnut (touted as the “new Oscar Peterson”), jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, Herb Alpert and his band, the Jackie McLean Sextet and Bill Frisell to name a few. Local favourites were a-plenty including the Brad Turner Quartet, Tony Wilson performing a Tribute to Sun Ra, and the all-women band VIEW (Vancouver Improvising Ensemble of Women).
The Georgia Straight reported, “It’s Vancouver’s singular championing of the avant-garde that puts it in a class by itself among the world’s top jazz festivals.” To that end, the European Improvisation Project featured five of the most respected improvisers on the planet in 1997 – German pianist Georg Graeme, British bassist and composer Barry Guy, Swedish reeds player Mats Gustafson and drummer Raymond Strid and British saxophonist John Butcher. Coastal one-of-a-kind collaborations between B.C.-based and international musicians. what a “trombone summit” featuring Ray Anderson (U.S.) and Konrad Bauer (Germany) with locals Hugh Fraser and Brad Muirhead; concerts combining Vancouver pianist Paul Plimley with Dutch drummer Hans Bennink.
The biggest change to the 1997 Festival was the final weekend. Since Expo ’86, free closing weekend shows had taken place at the Plaza of Nations, but in 1997 they moved to the newly opened Roundhouse community arts centre and the adjacent David Lam Park. Two days, four stages, 38 shows, all free! The outdoor shows at David Lam Park would soon become synonymous with the Vancouver Jazz Festival and a favourite of residents and staff alike. Sadly, in recent years, this beloved event has been cut from the Festival calendar due funding challenges. The loss of a title sponsor in 2022, rising costs for labor and infrastructure, a decrease in funding for arts and culture, all of this has compounded to be a very precarious landscape for arts organizations like Coastal Jazz.
This December 3rd is Giving Tuesday, which kicks off our end of year fundraising campaign. With your support, Coastal Jazz can remain a vital part of Vancouver’s cultural fabric — a place where music, connection, and creativity thrive. This is an opportunity to reimagine what we can achieve together. Please consider becoming a donor to Coastal Jazz. Donors enjoy access to purchase presale tickets plus opportunities to get close to the action and the artists during the Vancouver International Jazz Festival (June 20 – 29, 2025).
Catch up on all our festival flashbacks. Did you attend shows in David Lam Park? Do you have a memorable festival memory? Share your story with us! Join the conversation on Instagram, Facebook or X @coastaljazz.
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