As time passed the middle of the “aughts” in 2006, you could say Coastal Jazz and the Jazz Festival had achieved a kind of permanence in Vancouver. The 20th anniversary was now behind them. Thousands of people worked and volunteered their time for it each year. Thousands of artists performed at the event, while hundreds of thousands attended. People anticipated it, and even if you didn’t, the Festival was nearly impossible to miss.
“It’s a sprawling, colossal happening.” (Vancouver Sun)
The footprint was far and wide with 40 venues hosting 1,800 musicians, at least 130 of the shows free to the public (30% continue to be free at the Festival). Coastal’s admirable budget of $3.5 million meant they could attract big names to perform, and market the heck out of it to make sure the crowds came out in droves – which they did, smashing attendance records year after year. Shows sold well. In fact, a large percentage of the Festival’s revenue was attributed to ticket sales which had broken the $1 million mark in 2005.
Stephen Harper was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Canada in February. Twitter premiered in March. Otherwise 2006 had been pretty quiet, though you would never know it by the wonderful chaos on the cover of that year’s Festival guide. On it, Jason McLean’s artwork fused street, folk and avant garde styles into an almost Seussical explosion. It was a perfect visual representation of jazz music, particularly its improvisational and adventurous side. The image is one of the staff’s favourites from the archives. (A print even hangs in our office – head to Instagram for a peek.)
The world was still reeling in the wake of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Coastal Jazz paid tribute to the birthplace of jazz with the Festival’s programming featuring Elvis Costello and the Imposters with New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, a collaboration actually sparked by Katrina. The nod to the city also included Preservation Hall Jazz Band brought that traditional New Orleans sound, and the legendary pianist/vocalist, Dr. John, whose fusion of blues and R&B epitomizes New Orleans. Costello headlined with show at the Orpheum alongside master crooner Tony Bennett. Word has it he praised the Orpheum for its pristine sound. Shortly after the festival ended, Costello announced that he and wife, Festival favourite Diana Krall, were expecting.
“The Centre” or the Centre of Vancouver for Performing Arts, as it was formally known, featured a lineup of vastly different sounds – Seu Jorge Brazilian singer-songwriter with “E.S.T.” Esbjorn Svensson Trio, Pink Martini, McCoy Tyner Trio and Neko Case, who launched her music career out of Vancouver in the 90’s.
The Urban Groove Series at the Commodore brought the highly anticipated return of the West African singer/songwriter Baaba Maal as well as Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. Ivan Neville (Aaron’s his father) featured his Dumpstaphunk project. and the Toronto-based MC Kardinal Offishall and everyone’s favourite CBC afternoon host Buck 65 also appeared.
Scandinavian sounds were thread throughout the calendar with artists from Norway, Sweden, Denmark. “The whole Nordic scene is producing some of the strongest, most dynamic music that cuts across stylistic barriers,” said Ken Pickering, Artistic Director. Of the many Scandinavian acts, many anticipated seeing Norwegian band The Thing featuring Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre.
The VECC also featured NOW Orchestra, whose 12-piece lineup was designed especially for the Jazz Fest show (another benefit of being around for 20 years). New collaborations between International and local acts popped up again, like the Mark Helias Sextet. The NY bassist Mark formed an entirely Vancouver-based sextet that included Rod Murray trombone, Brad Turner trumpet, Dave Say alto sax and Dylan van der Schyff drums.
Among the many free education programs offered that year was the Vancouver Creative Music Initiative, now in its second year. The VCMI was the brainchild of Coastal’s Director of Education, Julie Smith, Ph.D, who brought the concept to the head of the VCC music department, Ken Morrison, who helped secure a partnership with the Vancouver Community College School of Music. Julie, Ken, along with François Houle developed a curriculum focused on teaching jazz improvisation. We like to think of it as a precursor to today’s New Improvisers Studio. (Note this article was updated 02.19.25)
Editor’s note – We were so honoured to have Shahzad Ismaily host the inaugural New Improvisers Studio in 2024. The program will be returning with this year’s featured Artist in Residence. Details will be announced soon!
Head to our Instagram or Facebook to view the entire 2006 Festival schedule.
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