Up next: The 2010 Vancouver International Jazz Festival

Posted on | February 16, 2010 | No Comments

by Nou Dadoun

The Cultural Olympiad is over (but not forgotten!) and it’s time to start turning to the city’s next major jazz event, the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival celebrating its 25th anniversary (how did that happen?). Let’s unravel the shows that have been announced so far ..

Friday June 25 – Classic Sounds at The Centre Series

JAMES FARM
featuring Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman, and Eric Harland

This collaborative project brings together four young jazz dynamos at the vanguard of contemporary music. Leading the charge is pre-eminent saxophonist Joshua Redman whose creative imagination has sparked many collaborations with the likes of Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Yo Yo Ma, Dave Matthews Band, Chick Corea, and others. His muscular swing and earthy ballads may evoke Sonny Rollins, but Redman has proven himself a wide-ranging musician and a fearless voice in any given format. His most recent recording, Compass (Nonesuch), features original music that’s vigorous and passionate

A masterful percussionist who is also a great composer, Eric Harland has performed with legends Betty Carter, Joe Henderson, Charles Lloyd, and Dave Holland. He’s visited Vancouver a couple of times in the last year or so with both the SFJAZZ Collective and the Monterey Quartet.

Twenty something pianist Aaron Parks started tongues wagging shortly after he joined Terence Blanchard’s band as a teenager seven years ago. He’s gone on to work with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mike Moreno, Gretchen Parlato, and Christian Scott. All About Jazz calls his recent Blue Note recording Invisible Cinema “refreshingly full-formed—amongst the year’s best releases.”

Bassist Matt Penman originally from New Zealand is an established member of the SFJAZZ Collective and a gifted leader in his own right. His collaborators include John Scofield, Seamus Blake, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Brad Mehldau, and Madeleine Peyroux.

Bill Charlap & Renee Rosnes Duo Piano

Pianists Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes have each made significant contributions to the jazz scene as solo artists. Now, partners in music and life, the recent newlyweds have set the stage for a highly anticipated duo debut at the Festival. New York-born Charlap is one of the greatest interpreters of standards in the jazz world. He’s been described by critics variously as hard swinging, romantic, spellbinding, and a master of musical eloquence. An endlessly inventive, lyrical player, he’s performed with luminaries like Jim Hall, Gerry Mulligan, Phil Woods, Tony Bennett, and Carol Sloane. Bill has appeared on over 50 CDs as a sideman while releasing over a dozen discs as a leader for both Criss Cross and Blue Note.

North Vancouver native Renee Rosnes is a rock-solid, two-fisted keyboard dynamo. The Independent proclaims her “the Muhammad Ali of modern jazz piano—floating, stinging and floating again, with a touch that’s tender as a kiss and just as dangerous.” Renee has performed with many jazz legends including Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, James Moody, and Jon Faddis. She is also a founding member of and was here most recently with SFJAZZ Collective and has many recordings as a leader on Blue Note and Video Arts.

Saturday June 26 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre Marquee Series

George Benson

10-time Grammy Award winning superstar George Benson is both a jazz guitar legend and an extraordinary vocalist with great emotional range and sophistication. “Nobody can play [guitar] like George Benson and I know because I’m among the many who have tried,” confides guitarist John Scofield. Yet, Benson also sings magnificently with a lush soulful tenor that draws comparisons to Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, and Donny Hathaway.

Kellylee Evans

Juno-nominated singer/songwriter Kellylee Evans is a unique voice in the urban jazz world, and many of today’s top musicians have taken notice. Renowned bassist Christian McBride calls Kellylee a “star” and “looks forward to watching her become a force.”

Saturday June 26 – Classic Sounds at The Centre Series

Martha Wainwright sings ‘Piaf’

Martha Wainwright was talking about this one last week at her solo Cultural Olympiad performance at the Commodore. Produced by Hal Willner, there’s an upcoming release of Edith Piaf’s “lesser known songs” – as she put it.

Jose James/Jef Neve

After first performing together on a radio show, American-born, London-based vocalist Jose James and Belgian pianist Jef Neve were so inspired by their instant musical rapport that they decided to go into the studio to document their budding chemistry. The duo’s new CD For All We Know (Impulse) features 10 exquisite standards, each showcasing James’ warm, rich baritone and the riveting piano of Neve.

Sunday June 27 – Classic Sounds at The Centre Series

Chick Corea Solo Piano

14-time Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Chick Corea is a giant of modern music. From post-bop jazz to the avant-garde, from children’s songs to Latin excursions, from hard-hitting fusion to heady classical music forays, Corea has covered an astonishing number of musical bases during his illustrious career while maintaining a high standard of excellence. He ranks with Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett as one of the most influential pianists of the modern era. Since his acclaimed debut recording Tones for Joan’s Bones back in 1966, Chick has been at the forefront of jazz, both as a renowned pianist forging new ground with his acoustic jazz bands and as an electric keyboardist deepening and expanding the sound of fusion with pioneering groups like Return to Forever. His enviable career resumé includes work with Stan Getz, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Sarah Vaughan, Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, Al DiMeola, Herbie Hancock, and Bela Fleck among many others.

Terry Clarke

The only drummer to receive the prestigious Order of Canada, Vancouver-born Terry Clarke is a jazz legend in this country. After plying his trade locally during the ’50s, he moved to San Francisco in 1965 to tour and record with saxophonist John Handy and the internationally renowned pop vocal group, The Fifth Dimension. By 1970, he re-located to Toronto where he worked with piano great Oscar Peterson and the world acclaimed Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass. Since then, he’s performed on over 400 recordings with luminaries and bands like Jim Hall, Freddie Hubbard, Lew Tabackin, Helen Merrill, Jay McShann, and the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. During all this time Clarke never released a recording under his leadership—until now. The aptly titled It’s About Time (Blue Music Group) contains music recorded live almost a decade ago featuring heavyweights like Joe Lovano, Greg Osby, and Jim Hall and was nominated for a Juno this year. The session also boasts his current trio—long-time colleagues Phil Dwyer on saxophones and Don Thompson on bass—both of whom have made their own enduring contributions to the Canadian jazz legacy.

Monday June 28 – Classic Sounds at The Centre Series

Bill Frisell Trio FEATURING Eyvind Kang & Rudy Royston

Bill Frisell is one of the most revered and sought-after guitarists in contemporary music. In 1986 Bill performed the first solo concert of his career at the VIJF. The Grammy Award-winner’s signature sound has found voice in collaborations with artists as diverse as Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Elvis Costello, Renee Fleming, Jim Hall, Norah Jones, Russell Malone, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His multifaceted compositions mix rock and country with jazz and blues in a way that defies categorization. Bill’s current recording Disfarmer (Nonesuch) is a set of 26 hauntingly evocative miniatures. The Houston Chronicle calls it “a gorgeous, spacious epic,” while Billboard refers to its “provocative soundscape.” Frisell continues to provoke and explore musical possibilities with an ever-evolving constellation of extraordinary musicians.

Nils Petter Molvaer

Norwegian trumpeter/composer Nils Petter Molvaer connects multiple musical styles—jazz, ambient, house, electronic, and breakbeats, as well as elements from hip hop, rock, and pop music—and melts them into soundscapes of deep intensity. Citing eclectic musical influences like Miles Davis, Brian Eno, and Billie Holiday, Molvaer’s ability to handle the conventions of pop, rock, and funk, alongside those of jazz, made him a much sought-after musician in Oslo. After a brief but successful period with the acclaimed Norwegian jazz group Masquelero, Nils Petter made his debut as a leader with the ECM release Khmer in 1997. The recording, which focuses on a previously unheard blend of improvisation and hypnotically spinning beats, received extraordinary public and media response and won a Norwegian ‘Grammy.’ In a review of Molvaer’s ninth and latest release Hamada (Sula), All About Jazz notes “Molvaer’s distinctive tone and innate melodicism remain unmistakable…one of Molvaer’s most moving and challenging records to date.”

Tuesday June 29 – Classic Sounds at The Centre Series

John Scofield Piety Street Band

John Scofield is one of the most accomplished guitarists on the planet. A master jazz player, soul purveyor, and funkmeister, he never fails to generate excitement. Over the course of his 30-plus-year career, Sco has moved seamlessly from the blues-edged jazz of Charles Mingus to the trailblazing fusion of Miles Davis to the jam band funk of Medeski, Martin and Wood. In between, he’s recorded over 30 albums as a leader and performed with the likes of Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Joe Lovano, Chick Corea, and Mavis Staples. Now with the release of Piety Street (Emarcy), John takes his music to a new place. The disc, named after the famed Piety Street Studios in New Orleans, is a collection of gospel tunes ranging from standards to classics to originals and features some of the funkiest players New Orleans has to offer. “It’s really powerful stuff,” says Sco. “It’s Gospel done my way—all the arrangements are mine.” Joining the guitarist for this gig are some of the Crescent City’s finest musicians. Jon Cleary (Bonnie Raitt) handles the keyboards and vocals, George Porter Jr. (the Meters) lays down the thick and chunky bass, and drummer Terence Higgins adds spice to the gumbo.

Mike Stern

Guitarist Mike Stern lights it up every time he plays the Jazz Festival. That’s hardly surprising as Stern is one of the great axemen of his generation. Guitar World calls him “a beautiful guitarist in the true jazz tradition, combining natural lyricism, fluency in diverse musical languages and seamless burning technique.” Guitar Magazine goes further, declaring that “Stern in not only a magician of the fretboard but a heartfelt and mature composer of great depth.” A major player since his breakthrough days with Miles Davis’ celebrated comeback band of the early ’80s, Stern has also worked with greats like Joe Henderson, Michael Brecker, Jaco Pastorius, and Jack DeJohnette. While his seamless phrasing and his love of bebop repertoire place him firmly in the jazz camp, Mike’s urgent attack and his occasional use of such devices as distortion, sustain, and delay also indelibly tie him to a more crunching rock aesthetic. He’s recorded 14 albums as a leader including his latest called Big Neighbourhood (Heads Up), which features guest appearances by Medeski, Martin and Wood, Esperanza Spalding, Richard Bona, Randy Brecker, and others.

Wednesday June 30th – Classic Sounds at The Centre Series

Tomasz Stanko

Poland’s greatest jazz musician Tomasz Stanko may just be the most important trumpet player you’ve never heard of. A leading figure on the European jazz scene for some 40 years, this award-winning maestro has developed a personal sound sometimes referred to as “smoldering Slavic soul,” which conveys a sense of romanticism, drama, and melancholy. Stanko was born in the ’40s during a time when Stalin banned all jazz activity, citing the music as “decadent” and “bourgeois,” and thereby forced it underground until things eased somewhat after the dictator’s death. In the interim, jazz musicians—along with other artists—became an informal opposition group, finding subtle ways to express their resistance to communism. By the time Stanko started playing jazz in the early ’60s, it was a pretty cool and politically charged thing to do. Initially influenced by Ornette Coleman, Stanko formed his first group—the Jazz Darlings—in 1961, which included stellar pianist Adam Makowicz. Later he joined Krzysztof Komeda’s group—a band that revolutionized European jazz as it cast American influences aside for a more genuine European sensibility. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Tomasz continued to work as a leader while collaborating with such influential figures and bands as Cecil Taylor, Gary Peacock, Edward Vesala, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, and Globe Unity Orchestra. During the ’90s, Stanko’s work reached a new level of recognition through his many acclaimed ECM recordings, including his latest called Dark Eyes.

Tord Gustavsen

Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen’s intriguing way of assimilating the jazz tradition with Nordic reflective moods and lyrical beauty has brought him a huge and enthusiastic worldwide following. Since 2003, he’s released three strikingly beautiful piano-trio recordings for ECM—Changing Places, The Ground, and Being There—which showcase his original compositions: melodic and romantic music that sings, simultaneously gentle and robust. Now, Gustavsen has reconfigured his band by recruiting two dynamic Norwegian improvisers familiar to Scandinavian jazz devotees, bassist Mats Eilertsen and Jan Garbarek-inspired saxophonist Tore Brunborg. With holdover drummer Jarle Vesperstad, the ensemble explores more deeply the leader’s gospel-inflected hymns, lullabies, and ballads, and his pulsing, almost minimalistic grooves. In a review of the group’s new CD, Restored, Returned (ECM), The Times of London notes this is “music that smoulders brightly.”

Thursday July 1st – Classic Sounds at The Centre Series

Stanley Clarke Band Featuring Hiromi

Grammy Award-winner Stanley Clarke is one of the most celebrated bass players in the world. Known for his ferocious dexterity and consummate musicality, he was the first bassist in history to headline tours, generate sold-out shows, and have his recordings certified gold. He was also the first bassist to double on acoustic and electric bass with equal virtuosity, power, and fire. Driven by a need to state melody and propel the bass to the front of the concert stage, he formed the seminal electric-jazz/fusion band Return to Forever with Chick Corea in the early ’70s. Along the way, he teamed with George Duke to form the Clarke/Duke Project and forged collaborations with Jeff Beck, Keith Richards, Stewart Copeland (Animal Logic), Jean-Luc Ponty, Al DiMeola (Rite of Strings), and Bela Fleck while also turning his energy to film and television scoring. Stanley’s current project, an acoustic/electric quartet, features Japanese pianist Hiromi Uehara—an artist that shook last year’s Jazz Festival with her staggering technique, larger-than-life energy, and riveting pan-stylistic vocabulary. She’s been omni-present on the scene since then with a solo recording, a duet with Chick Corea and this Jazz in the Garden with Clarke.

Andy Milne & Dapp Theory

“Dapp Theory stands at the meeting point of lyrical jazz piano, funkified polyrhythmic exploration, and spoken word poeticism. In other words, fasten your seatbelts—you’re in for a memorable trip.”—Keyboard

Toronto native pianist Andy Milne got his grounding with adventurous M-Base artists like saxophonists Greg Osby and Steve Coleman, so it’s no surprise his projects stand out from the rest of the pack. The idea behind Dapp Theory, according to Milne, “is to create complete musical compositions that groove as hard as they express melodic and poetic lyricism.” Formed in 1998, the band’s style is indefinable yet highly recognizable, blending influences ranging from Joni Mitchell and KRS One to Thelonious Monk and Van Halen. Their debut, major-label CD Y’all Just Don’t Know (Concord), released in 2003, included an ambitious collaboration with folk-rock icon Bruce Cockburn. Dapp Theory’s current release Layers of Chance (Contrology) features material that blends colliding instrumental textures and infectious grooves layered with lush harmonies and poignant lyrics.

Friday July 2nd – Classic Sounds at The Centre Series

Strunz & Farah

Incendiary performances by Strunz & Farah at past Jazz Festivals have been marked by sold-out houses and repeated standing ovations. Now, the twosome is back to pick up where they left off. Costa Rican-born Jorge Strunz and Iranian-born Ardeshir Farah are a unique acoustic guitar duo with a global vision that extends from South America and the Caribbean to Spain and the Middle East. Their music has sometimes been compared to the Gipsy Kings except that Strunz & Farah’s compositions are more challenging, the arrangements more daring, and the musicianship positively astonishing. Their fiery performances have been known to level club, concert, and dance crowds. Guitar Player magazine warns, “The experience can be downright apocalyptic.”

Joyce Moreno

“One of the greatest singers of all time.”—Antonio Carlos Jobim

“Joyce is a lady who can only be described as a genius.”—Claus Ogerman

A huge star at last year’s Festival, Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Joyce (a.k.a. Joyce Moreno) is often compared to Billie Holiday for her ability to convey a range of deeply felt emotions. She premiered in the late ’60s with a brilliant self-titled recording and since then has released over 25 solo albums and appeared on myriad sessions with such luminaries as Elis Regina, Nana Vasconcelos, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento, and Dori Caymmi. Her artistry has also attracted the devotion of many jazz musicians such as Joe Lovano, Jon Hendricks, Bugge Wesseltoft, and Kenny Werner, among others who’ve recorded and performed with the Rio-born songstress. Melodic grace, Brazilian rhythms, and buoyant humour are gorgeously interwoven in the music of Joyce. She is the most complete vocalist of her generation.

Saturday July 3 – Queen Elizabeth Theatre Marquee Series

Nikki Yanofsky

Montreal singer Nikki Yanofsky is on a roll! The diminutive teenager with the Olympic-sized voice wowed a worldwide audience with her jazzy rendition of O Canada at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. That was Nikki too, singing the official Winter Olympics’ theme song I Believe—which eventually reached the No. 1 position on the Billboard Canada Top 100 and on the iTunes Canada Pop Chart. At the same time, Nikki’s debut album, Ella…Of Thee I Swing, scored No. 1 album on the iTunes Canada Jazz Chart. This cross-genre popularity is unprecedented in the history of iTunes. To date, Nikki has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the National Arts Centre, and she has collaborated with the likes of Oliver Jones, Wyclef Jean, and Colin James. She was the youngest singer ever on a Verve Records release when she recorded Airmail Special for the Ella Fitzgerald tribute album We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song. She has also recorded the swing-era classic Stompin’ at the Savoy with Grammy Award-winning artists Herbie Hancock and Will.i.am (from the Black Eyed Peas) for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s audio book On the Shoulders of Giants. Her new album features a killer song that Feist wrote for her and six other songs co-written with Jesse Harris and Ron Sexsmith. Nikki’s Vancouver Jazz Festival debut last year was a jaw-dropping affair. Now, she returns to pick up where she left off.

John Pizzarelli

John Pizzarelli (son of renowned jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli) has built a career on classic standards, late-night ballads, and highly regarded guitar work, creating a sound and atmosphere that have won over a new audience ready to swing and swoon. Using greats like Nat “King” Cole and Frank Sinatra and the songs of writers like Sammy Cahn, George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, and Jimmy van Heusen as touchstones, Pizzarelli is among the prime interpreters of the popular American songbook. His new CD Rockin’ in Rhythm (Telarc) celebrates the enduring music of Duke Ellington with all the natural swing, grace, and sophistication we’ve come to expect from this gifted performer.

Tickets for George Benson are on sale now, tickets for everything else go on sale March 25th. (Good time to mention that if you’re a CJBS Jazz Friend, you not only get massive discounts on ticket service charges, you also get first crack at purchasing tickets!)

More information at the Coastal Jazz website.