By Tim Reinert
This year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival looks a little different than previous iterations but the festival’s commitment to free music hasn’t wavered. There are over 50 free shows this year. Here are the ones I’m most excited about that are taking place in the first half of the festival.
See You Now
Ocean Artworks
June 23, 4PM
Sometimes when you know who is in a band, you can guess what it’s going to sound like. That’s not really the case with this group, which features two sets of long-time musical partners: Tony Wilson/Russell Sholberg and Feven Kidane/Gordy Li, with Kai Basanta tying the two duos together. I suspect that fans of the more spiritual side of jazz (Phaorah Sanders, Sonny Sharrock) may find a lot to connect with at this one.
Jesse James Bonanza
Downtown Jazz Georgia Stage
June 24, 12:30PM
Latin-Influenced groove jazz by six of the most respected cats on the contemporary local scene? Sign me up please. This band is co-led by James Danderfer (reeds) and Jesse Cahill (drums), and features Jodi Proznick (bass), Tilden Webb (percussion) and Tilden Webb (piano). Each of these musicians sells out local jazz clubs regularly on their own, and this is a rare opportunity to see a band of this caliber for free.
Dean Thiessen’s Stranger Friends Orchestra
Downtown Jazz Georgia Stage
June 25, 12:30PM
I’ve never seen a bigger smile than the one on the face of Vancouver-based composer and pianist Dean Thiessen when he told me about this performance. Dean brings his heart and soul into every show he does, but there’s nothing quite like the Stranger Friends Orchestra, a 15-piece big band featuring some of the best young talent in the city. If you want to hear what the future of the Vancouver jazz scene is going to sound like, this one is a can’t miss.
Robin Layne & The Rhythm Makers
Downtown Jazz Georgia Stage
June 25, 2:15PM
Marimbist Robin Layne is a musician that could have easily fit into my earlier article on crowd pleasers, and I would put money on you enjoying yourself at pretty much any show he’s involved with. This group ticks all the boxes: Latin, Afro-Beat, jazz, and many more, with the goal of having a great time being the common denominator between all of those competing traditions.
Le Kors
Ocean Artworks
June 25, 4PM
Jillian Lebeck & John Korsrud have been collaborating in various groups for as long as I can remember, and it’s completely understandable that they would be co-leading Le Kors, a group full of the most genre-defying and adventurous players in Vancouver. This group features Shruti Ramani, Aram Bajakian, Andre Lachance, and Todd Stewart, musicians that have played with everybody from Joe Lovano to Lou Reed, and from Norma Winstone to John Zorn.
Sona Jobarteh (Workshop)
Western Front Workshop
June 27, 3PM
Jobarteh’s stunning 2019 David Lam Park show is still being talked about today…not a surprise considering that she’s arguably the most important Kora virtuoso in the world right now. In addition to her big Performance Works show this year, she’ll be giving a free workshop at the Western Front. Opportunities to hear a true master explain her process on this instrument don’t come to town very often.
Listen to more on this topic from The Infidels Jazz Show on Mixcloud.
