Balkan Beat Box plus special guests Geoff Berner
Wednesday, June 27 @ 9pm Vogue Theatre

The Cookers with George Cables, Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Eddie Henderson, Craig Handy and David Weiss
Friday, June 22 – Two Shows @ 7:30 & 10pm Performance Works – Granville Island

Eliane Elias Brasileira Quartet
Sunday, June 24 – Two Shows @ 7:30 & 10pm Performance Works – Granville Island

Eivør / Yggdrasil
Monday, June 25 @ 7:30pm Performance Works – Granville Island

Terje Rypdal “Crime Scene” featuring Palle Mikkelborg, Ståle Storløkken, Paolo Vinaccia & Bergen Big Band
Tuesday, June 26 @ 7:30pm Performance Works – Granville Island

Terrell Stafford Quintet – This Side of Billy Strayhorn
Friday, June 29 @ 7:30pm Performance Works – Granville Island

Jill Barber
Saturday, June 30 – Two Shows @ 7:30 & 10pm Performance Works – Granville Island

Ndidi O plus special guests Copilots
Monday, June 25 @ 9pm Venue

Kyprios and The Chaperones plus special guest SonReal
Tuesday, June 26 @ 9pm Venue

The Sway Machinery plus special guests BADBADNOTGOOD
Wednesday, June 27 @ 9pm Venue

Get The Blessing plus special guests The SSRIs
Thursday, June 28 @ 9pm Venue

More info at http://www.coastaljazz.ca

George Benson
Saturday, June 23 @ 8pm Orpheum Theatre
Tickets Advance $75/70/65 + SC
10-time Grammy award winning superstar George Benson is both a matchless jazz guitar legend and an extraordinary vocalist with a lush soulful tenor that draws comparisons to Nat King Cole. During his early days he played with the likes of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Frank Sinatra while leading his own bands. In the 70s he surged to cross-over stardom with the triple-platinum album Breezin.’ A track from the album, “This Masquerade,” was the first song in history to reach #1 on the jazz, R&B, and pop charts. The decade also brought chart busters “Nature Boy,” “Give Me The Night,” and “Turn Your Love Around.” Since then Benson has consolidated his global reputation as one of the giants of music—no matter what the genre. http://georgebenson.com

The Avett Brothers
plus special guests The David Mayfield Parade
Tuesday, June 26 @ 8pm Orpheum Theatre
Tickets Advance $40/35/30 + SC
The Avett Brothers have found that sweet spot where Americana meets the pop savvy of Nick Lowe. – Chicago Tribune.
Exquisitely blending fraternal harmonies and a sense of songcraft that’s a brighter shade of Townes van Zandt, the Avett Brothers have fully embraced their shared birthright of melody and passionate performance. Their latest album, produced by Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, RUN DMC), is a propulsive, foot stomping “punkgrass” folk master- piece that filters CSNY countrified boogie through the Brothers’ early neo-punk roots. Like their contemporaries in Mumford and Sons, these rowdy but sensitive brothers are hitting their stride with their stunning folk-pop songwriting and rousing live shows. http://www.theavettbrothers.com

Bill Frisell plays John Lennon “ALL WE ARE SAYING”
plus special guests The Pugs & Crows Band featuring Tony Wilson
Friday, June 22 @ 9pm Vogue Theatre
Tickets Advance $45 + SC
The most innovative and influential jazz guitarist of the past 25 years. – Wall Street Journal. Reflective and lyrical, Grammy Award winning guitarist Bill Frisell (Jack DeJohnette, Elvis Costello, Norah Jones) selects notes and textures with the same care and unparalleled taste he uses in selecting his high-calibre collaborators. For this project, Frisell applies his soulful arcs and rootsy undertones to an exploration of the music of John Lennon, alongside some of the most broadminded and expressive musicians on the planet including longtime John Zorn accomplice Kenny Wollesen drums, Lounge Lizard and Willie Nelson sideman Tony Scherr bass, and string-master Greg Leisz steel guitar. http://www.billfrisell.com

An Evening with Dianne Reeves
Saturday, June 23 @ 9pm Vogue Theatre
Tickets Advance $45 + SC
You may have seen Diane Reeves in George Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck”, performing recently with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra or singing at the 120th Anniversary Gala of Carnegie Hall. The four-time Grammy winner seems to be everywhere. Recognized as one of the world’s pre-eminent jazz vocalists, Dianne belongs to the pantheon of great jazz singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. She engages audiences with her strong, multi-octave voice, rhythmic virtuosity and powerful storytelling style. Reeves combines all her influences to create a jazz-world-pop-bop synthesis that the Boston Globe calls “breathtaking.” http://www.diannereeves.com

Spectrum Road featuring Jack Bruce, Cindy Blackman-Santana, John Medeski & Vernon Reid
Monday, June 25 @ 9pm Vogue Theatre
Tickets Advance $45 + SC
A sensational jazz-fusion supergroup, Spectrum Road features Jack Bruce (Cream) bass, Vernon Reid (Living Color) guitar, keyboardist John Medeski (Medeski, Martin, and Wood), and Tony Williams protégé Cindy Blackman-Santana (Lenny Kravitz, Santana), channeling Tony on the drums. Originally conceived as a tribute band to the late great jazz drummer Tony Williams’ Lifetime project, Spectrum Road has evolved into a cohesive group incorporating original tunes into their fiery reworking of pieces from the famed fusion group. The ridiculously talented musicians who make up this group are now guided more by using the musical spirit of Tony Williams as a starting point for new explorations in sound. www.ny1.com

Wayne Shorter Quartet
featuring Brian Blade, John Patitucci and Danilo Perez plus special guests Brad Turner Quartet
Tuesday, June 26 @ 9pm Vogue Theatre
Tickets Advance $55 + SC
Legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter is widely acknowledged to be jazz’s greatest living composer, possessed of a rare combination of technical mastery and boundless creative energy. His output as a leader for Blue Note records, as well as his work with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the second classic Miles Davis Quintet of the 1960s, may arguably be the finest and most productive ten-year stretch in the history of music. In the ’70s he co-led Weather Report, a unit that helped define the fusion movement of the era. He then went on to collaborate with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Santana, Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan. Today, with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade he leads an acoustic powerhouse band that critics and fans are calling “the best small group in jazz.” http://www.wayneshortermusic.com

Destroyer
plus special guests Inhabitants
Friday, June 29 @ 9pm Vogue Theatre
Tickets Advance $25 + SC
Indie rock’s idiosyncratic and sometimes inscrutable crown prince, Dan Bejar, has transformed his critically- acclaimed Destroyer project once again, this time letting his trademark lyricism take a back seat to extended smooth grooves, reverb-drenched horn solos and yacht-invoking synth pads. The Polaris Music Prize nominated album Kaputt sees Bejar, the unorthodox singer/songwriter, standing back and letting the musical interplay have a far more significant role than on any previous releases. Bejar’s relationship to the confident soft rock sonics of his band evokes a wise and winking outsider poet, wandering the neon streets of a vibrant cosmopolitan city, bemused, a bit detached, but enthralled by the pulse of the night. http://www.destroyersongs.com

Robert Randolph & The Family Band
plus special guests Rich Hope & His Evil Doers
Saturday, June 30 @ 9pm Vogue Theatre
Tickets Advance $40 + SC
Randolph’s latest album—the T Bone Burnett-produced “We Walk this Road”—is a celebration of African-American music of the past one hundred years, from gospel to early blues, to good old rock and roll. Named one of Rolling Stone’s Top 100 Guitarists of All Time, Robert Randolph learned to play the pedal steel (aka “Sacred Steel”) in Church, and this upbringing is reflected in his musical mission to bridge generations and uplift audiences. Flying without a set list, an onstage dance party always on the verge of outbreak, Robert Randolph and the Family Band deliver their message of hope with virtuosic playing and a wickedly funky beat. http://www.robertrandolph.net

Los Amigos Invisibles
Sunday, July 1 @ 9pm Vogue Theatre
Tickets Advance $25 + SC
Be it Brazilian techno, Afro-jazz flavored pop, soul-samba or tropical disco, it’s all about hip-shaking beats. Imagine a world music party with a Latin flavor; (LAI) is the band filling the dance floor. — San Antonio Express. Latin Grammy award winners Los Amigos Invisibles have been spreading their fiery dance band grooves around the world ever since they roared out of Venezuela in 1995. The band actually got its first break when David Byrne discovered one of their albums in a record shop and shortly after signed them to his label, Luaka Bop. Years later, these Latin alternative kingpins continue to electrify audiences with their explosive live shows. http://beta.amigosinvisibles.com

Visit http://www.coastaljazz.ca

The Phil Dwyer Septet featuring Laila Biali videos are now online.

Look for 5 new videos of the Nightcrawlers with the Big Band Sound coming soon.

All CBC music videos here:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/videos/

No matter how much you deny it, this day always comes. I always wake up on Day 10 with a heavy, sad heart. Heavy both with its fullness from the extravaganza of the previous nine days’ packed full with music and great hangs, and, of course, sadness that all the rest of the days of the year can’t be the same. Thank the universe for the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. And thank the universe for the pretty wicked Vanky music scene, which includes a great variety of music including so much blessed jazz and improv/creative sounds.

André Lachance Quatuor @ Roundhouse – Festival Stage

Funky, fun group of four of Van’s best that clearly resonated with the audience at this free stage. Great to hear Brad Turner on the Rhodes, Chris Gestrin holding down the bottom-end, playing bass lines on the Moog, the near-ubiquitous (that’s a good thing) and sensitive drummer Joe Poole, and of course, Lachance leading the quartet with some fine guitar. Album please!

Kjaergaard/Street/Cyrille @ Roundhouse – Performance Centre

Popped in to hear some of this, and see what bassist Ben Street was up to since I last heard him some years ago. In another frame of mind/mood, I’d have loved this mellow, spacious, piano-led trio, but not on this day.

Kevin Elaschuk Quartet @ Roundhouse – Exhibition Hall

Kevin Elaschuk, man of many hats and a soaring horn sound

When a gig like this is on the schedule, it can be easy to think, ‘Oh, they’re local. I can see them anytime.’ I’m certainly not immune to it (though I usually have crazy work hours to blame… ;o). But that line of thinking can backfire, and if you missed this gig, you missed an absolutely joyously swinging couple of sets by four great Vancouver musicians who were clearly in the zone. Elaschuk sounded fantastic, with a strong, soaring clarity combined with the heart and soul he can’t help but put into it and that’s a magical musical happening. Hearing tenor saxist Ross Taggart for the first time in years reminded me of what a swinging, joyful player he is – he brings such spirit to the proceedings, and roused the crowd with some fantastic solos. Add the graciously solid and lively swing of bassist André Lachance and fast-becoming-a-fave Joe Poole on drums, and you’ve got a gig that no one seemed to want to leave after set one, including me – and Swedish fave Atomic was starting next door before Elaschuk’s awesome Quartet would be finished. An extremely enjoyable and memorable, high-energy late afternoon gig. Didn’t even miss the adult beverage area gone from the room – too busy being high on music instead, seduced by the swing. Thanks boys!

André Lachance, Joe Poole and Kevin Elaschuk in the zone

Atomic

Fredrik Ljunkvist and Magnus Broo cooking up something hot

Hot, tight and hyper. Just how we love our cool-climate Scandinavian jazz. Nevermind that my heart was still next door with the glow of the Kevin Elaschuk Quartet vibe still swelling it, Atomic was only after the body, and it took it: feet tapping away, trying desperately not to make noise on the floor when those sudden silences in the form of dead stops on a dime (like I said, tight) occurred. Such skilled players, such intense connectivity with each other and in that intimate space of the Performance Centre with the audience literally starting two feet away. Not for the faint of heart. Or body, for that matter. Yet another fine onslaught, as expected, and yet even beyond. A welcome and beautiful pummeling with which to end the fest.

Now what?

Want more music year round? Go out! Easy as that. Go to http://www.coastaljazz.ca/ and  http://vancouverjazz.com/ and http://vancouverjazz.com/webcalendar/index.php. Check your local listings. It’s out there, it’s happening, dig it. (See ya there!)

Need MORE music, as in Vancouver’s own Music Centre? (We’ve got film, we’ve got dance – next logical step….) Go here: http://www.vancouvermusiccentre.ca/. Check out what this group is looking to do; voice your opinion, get involved. Let’s make a beautiful music centre together, shall we?

Thanks, Coastal Jazz, for the soul-filling. And yes, thanks everyone from the army of volunteers to the amazing sound technicians to the money, in the form of sponsors, for making it happen. It is appreciated.

Magnus Broo & Paal Nilssen-Love @ Roundhouse – Performance Centre

Paal Nilssen-Love listens awfully closely to Magnus Broo

Bummed bummed bummed to have missed this. Came into Performance Centre during last piece; very quiet, very spare, very not what I expected, but with no idea what came before. Saving it for later…? Merely winding down from earlier high? Maybe, The Thing was still to come… and it’s, well, some Thing.

Beer Garden

Party in the park

Or the Cider Garden, as I prefer to recall it. Bigger and more well-placed than the last time I saw it, the expanded Cider Garden offered a primo, if sorta distant, view of the stage, and of the goings-on of the audience in front of it. Awesome! I’m not sure if the sole person taking money and making change for ticket purchases was working alone because slower consumption was in order, given some of the city’s behavior a few weeks back, or simply what was deemed ample staffing, but I can tell you that once or twice, it didn’t feel ample. Cause then you had to go and line up again to have someone pour your drink from a spout attached to the side of a truck. Which was pretty cool. And even made you kinda forget you had to line up twice. I’d like one of those in my driveway.

The Thing @ Roundhouse – Performance Centre

There is nothing like sitting in a darkened theatre-style room that is clearly designed for maximum listening experience, with a few hundred of your closets friends (and they must be, if you’re all there to hear something like The Thing – there’s a certain bond amongst this crowd). Black curtains all around, theatre-style seating, and the stage is mere feet from the front row, literally at their feet, on the floor, and (of course!) amazing sound. If the gods are willing, this music is transporting, free and flowing wherever you will let it take you. Just let it. And, really, you shouldn’t even bother trying when it’s Scandinavian powerhouse trio The Thing. Norwegian Paal Nilssen-Love is an absolute shit-kicking, fierce drummer –fierce like I-wouldn’t-want-to-meet-him-in-a-dark-alley-fierce; from a distance, standing away from the drum kit, sure, he looks like a nice, normal guy, but put him behind that kit and this focused ferocity comes across his face, channeling through his body into a royal ass-kicking of his kit that is truly awesome to behold (not to mention to feel the vibrations from across the floor). Fellow Osloite Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten, who has the best, boldest name (even more fun to say once you know how to pronounce it correctly), so can get away with being so low-key by seemingly trying to hide himself while literally draped over his bass, even when causing sheer thunder to rumble out of it. Blown away that Swedish saxist Mats Gustafsson uses the floor as a horn stand; literally just lies the instruments down. (I suppose it’s only fair to mention that he does take care to swivel the neck up so the mouthpiece doesn’t touch the floor.) It’s fitting, somehow, especially in this group, because he is kind of a brute with his bari and tenor saxes; creating strange and beautiful noises through what one would call traditional playing, but also smacking, honking, probably chomping, and definitely scream-yelling into his instrument. I usually sit in the back row, off to the side (easy escape), but sat in the second row for this: I wanted to be closer to The Thing, to have my head blown back and my brains blown out, like I knew they could. It worked. In fact, I wanted to see how it felt to be in that front row, centre; I was actually jealous of the people down there being bombarded at close range with way-out free jazz, Euro style, and turned up to 12. It’s usually preferable (to me, anyway) to have the heart engaged and the rest simply has no choice but to follow. The Thing hits lower, somewhere in the gut, pinning you back against your chair, senses heightened, highly attuned to the four-spirited machine (theirs, yours) that has you where they want you. And you can’t look away, either. Those heads down, eyes closed tight, frowns of extreme concentration involved in intense active listening that’s as much a part of the proceedings as the sounds they’re making. A full-body musical happening that I highly recommend if ever you get the chance. I sure hope to again.

Wilson/Lee/Bentley @ Ironworks

Whoever thought of putting these three together is a genius to whom fans of something real exhibited through passionate, honestly emotional music owe a debt of gratitude. Tony Wilson is revered for being a guitar player of extraordinarily creative skill who brings a rare spirit to his music, completely at one with his instrument as a very extension of himself, and a songwriter of achingly beautiful pieces. Coaxing a veritable orchestra of sounds out of her cello, Peggy Lee’s skill and sensitivity on the instrument and in her songwriting, are consistently astonishing. And there’s a cocooning magic in the gentle, warm tone of saxist Jon Bentley’s tenor sound – it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. Any one of these musicians is capable of conjuring up musical magic, but put these three incredible musicians together just wait for the magic to start hovering above before it floats down to envelop you. Heart heavy, deep shallow breathing – ah, there you are – hadn’t felt you since Day 1’s infamously fantastic Tonbruket gig. This is soul music, pure and simple. And of course not so simple – complex, emotional storytelling weaving you in and out of a state of active consciousness, tripping along on edgy textures of scratching, striking bow on strings below cello bridge, sharp cello string pluckings, foreign objects inserted into guitar stings to warp and redefine its sound, smooth waves of tenor (or sorprano) melody sometimes shocked away briefly by the insertion of choppy, quick hits or smacks. There is no bullshit with these three; there’s no show, no on and off, seemingly no separation of music and musician. They all are the music they play. (Oh how I wish (for all of us) they had more opportunity to play together, and we can hope, but we can also see/hear these three in many settings because they are Vancouver’s very own (well, more or less around these parts, but we’re still claiming them). And you can get their gorgeous album ‘Escondido Dreams’ at Drip Audio, http://www.dripaudio.com/releases.php) A rare and beautiful experience, and easily a Top 3 highlight of the fest.

There is absolutely nothing that could get me to leave the mainland and take a boat to a small island so overcrowded it felt like half the country was on it and it might actually sink, with virtually no means of escaping quickly when one needed to. Except jazz. And the birthday of our dear Nation. No, not that one. Brian Nation.

Mats Gustafsson & Colin Stetson @ Performance Works, Granville Island

Missed most of this sax summit in two men, but heard last piece and encore and grabbed a few shots. So glad Gustafsson’s still a monster, attacking bari and tenor with a ferocity and physicality unmatched as far as I can see. Want to check out Stetson more when the chance arises (missed him rest of fest, too, as it’s Day 10 as I write this…, and I’m not sure how he escaped my attention while in Toronto off and on these last six years). So, will sum this short musical interlude up with this…

Mats Gustafsson blasts off

Peggy Lee Band @ Performance Works, Granville Island

I love Peggy Lee’s music. It’s rare that I am not psyched for (and extremely excited in anticipation of) it, but this day I was just not in the zone. A good reminder that if we don’t ‘get’ or enjoy something at a certain time, it doesn’t mean we won’t in another frame of mind/mood. I’ve fallen in love with so much music from giving it a try another time. Tough on this day, with this wonderful band, but there it was. Part of it, I think, was that I hadn’t heard tenor saxist Jon Bentley in about five years (maybe more?), and the anticipation of hearing him in what was certain to be an incredibly beautifully intimate trio setting with gifted cellist Lee and extraordinary guitarist Tony Wilson the next night at Ironworks (the gorgeous room where listening is paramount), simply negated any listening pleasure I would normally enjoy from this large ensemble.

Gord Grdina’s Nordic Sextet: The Listening @ Roundhouse – Performance Centre

Wow. A veritable Canadian-Scandinavian super group. There was a lot of excitement in the room for this gig. Grdina’s star continues to rise, and he’s got the goods, man. A very talented guitarist with the full package – technical abilities that amaze the eyes and ears, and the passion and emotion to engage the heart. Beautiful tunes that often blend Middle Eastern sounds with jazz and rock elements into pressure-cooker stunning musical expeditions. Throw in seriously heavy bassists x 2 in the forms of Vancouver’s Tommy Babin and Norway’s Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten (so much fun to say), kick-ass Vancouver drummer and longtime Grdina bandmate Kenton Loewen, and top it off with Swedish sax sensations Mats Gustafsson (very busy today with some hardcore playing) and Fredrik Ljungkvist (of beloved, brash Atomic, set for two gigs tonight, Sunday, July 3 at the Roundhouse – Performance Centre) and you are guaranteed to be blown away. Having just arrived that day from a gig the previous night in Ottawa, they played in that furious, insane way that only sheer exhaustion can fuel – and it was truly awesome to behold with the ears and eyes: vivid images remain of Haker-Flaten slung over his bass, eyes squeezed tight; stoic Loewen sitting deceptively still; Canadian hairy beast #1 Babin paused, left hand holding bass beside him, right hand on hip; Ljungkvist with tenor out front, boyish face scrunched up; Gustafsson gyrating back and forth, swinging a tenor or a bari, depending on his mood that moment; and Canadian Hairy Beast #2 Grdina standing, sending out gorgeous sonic waves, guitar slung over shoulder, yelling out the changes cause they’ll never see him with their eyes closed and it’s that loud… An aural and visual assault that occasionally soothed the audience – probably so it could then pummel them some more with this insane beauty. Absolutely mind-blowing fantastic gig. There would be no leaving. Set two was a must-stay to watch more closely the players’ circle: intense listening among them, admiring glances, too; this was a rare and special cross-cultural meeting of raw passion and intense expression from some of the best from the creative music that they so obviously enjoyed and that their audience was incredibly lucky to bear witness to.

Jazz Fest Fact(ish)

If you weren’t here for it, you might be able to tell it’s been a long, cold winter that isn’t giving up very easily, perhaps by looking at the length of hair and beards of some of the local musicians.  #1 (although I believe he sports this year-round, so may be off on a technicality) and #2 as above, and #3 is JP Carter, witnessed yesterday with that fiery red beard that his trumpet tucks into. Stark contrasts to the very shorn northern Europeans, who must’ve had an early Summer. So unfair.

Jonas Kulhammar Quartet @ Roundhouse – Performance Works (7pm)

I’m really gonna hafta lay some of the blame for this Euro fixation on the programming of this Festival. I go to a show by an amazing Euro group like Sweden’s Jonas Kulhammer Quartet and I immediately want to get on a plane to Stockholm, or Copenhagen or Amsterdam… But, of course, they’re here now, so here I’ll stay. For the moment. This set was an unusual blend of music and stand-up comedy, with Kulhammar exhibiting the powerhouse style he’s famous for during 10-minute + pieces, and then blowing off even more steam with 5-10 minute comedy routines between songs. The guy’s pretty damn funny, and it’s not a cross-cultural lost-in-translation kinda thing – his genuinely funny stories and delivery had the crowd laughing pretty uproariously with his jokes about each of the members of his band, therapy (apparently experienced after not being invited to the Vancouver Int’l Jazz Festival for the last six years), rats in pianist Torbjörn Gulz’s walls, Torbjörn Zetterberg’s year-long stay in a monastery (he was not kidding), his song about a British hooligan who wished death upon him at a gig in Bristol (the result of which is the awesome tune ‘Bristol Scream’), and describing a former teacher whose class he failed in music school as mean, and then pointing a finger at his pianist, who is that very teacher. Highly entertaining, to say the least. Musically, the foursome came out hot, amped up and ready, like somehow overcharged batteries that had to release some serious energy or explode. I know the feeling. It was a much-needed burst of intensity that got the heart racing after two days of semi-musical disconnect. We were promised a big tenor sound, and Jonas Kulhammar delivered. Big, warm, cocooning, room-filling, room-commanding sound, and other than the between-song routine, Kulhammar emits a very laidback vibe. (Hmmm, perhaps if we all let off so much steam, we’d be more relaxed, too.) Every time he stepped away to allow the others a solo (and they’re all fantastic players, so this makes no sense), I actually missed his horn in the mix. And yet it was a delight to hear more piano (somewhat buried in the mix, under the horn) and bass. I didn’t know he’d been awol from music, but boy was I glad to hear Torbjörn Zetterberg (one of the best names in music) was back playing bass! Apparently he’d been awol from life, really; he really did spend a year in a monastery, abandoning music altogether. Whether it was his prior absence or just his preferred playing stance (and I actually know it’s the latter, but I can’t help but imagine it’s the former), it’s such an interesting and subtly powerful thing to watch Zetterberg literally hang over his upright bass in a big body hug. He looked rather like he wanted to crawl inside, but more likely was simply listening very closely. (Watching the intermittent tap of his bare left foot was also highly entertaining.)

Kulhammar’s best between-piece bit had to be the alleged call he made to Zetterberg at the monastery, inquiring if he would ever return to the band or play music again, to no avail; a morose Zetterberg declined repeated pleas to rejoin the group until an email from Artistic Director Ken Pickering announcing the band’s invitation to return to the Vancouver Int’l Jazz Festival was the key to unlocking the bassist from his self-imposed exile. (Perhaps Kulhammar and I should exchange fixations. I think it’s time to book that flight. I’m going to take the tenor saxist up on that invitation to coffee at his place (he invited all of us) and a crash pad (apparently it’s a big house) at Mr. Gulz’s now apparently rat-free home. Two Jonases and two Torbjörns walk onto a stage – sounds like the makings of a comedy to me. This sixty-minute set was ninety minutes of pure pleasure.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue @ The Vogue

Bringing down the house:

Trombone Shorty with drummer Joey Peebles

The ear-splitting volume of the MC introducing the band was a painful clue to just how loud this show was going to be, and the fact that the band (minus Mr. Shorty, who had not yet appeared) was noodling away behind him as he introduced them was yet another clue, this one to just how on fire they were to get their party started. At first it was easy to feel an amazed kind of giddy delight at the body-vibrating bass and drums literally pounding in my chest. Then Trombone Shorty bounded out wearing shades and packing some serious firepower soul. I’ve never been to New Orleans, but if this is what they’re growing down there (and I could convince them to turn down the volume just a wee bit), I’m game. Major rock star attitude and style, with a N’awlins vibe, but with the substance to back it up. These guys are solid, kick-ass players, and they very clearly love to play, and live to perform for an appreciative audience like the one this night – they were barely into the first piece when TS told the crowd they didn’t have to sit through the whole gig and then waved them on down to the edge of the stage. The energy was already in the room –they clearly had a lot of fans in the house- but the vibe just went whoosh as a couple hundred or more people headed down to stand at the feet of TS & Co. You kinda had to stay and watch that for a bit, to see what would happen. Further impressed when TS picked up a trumpet and brassed the hell out of it; then moreso when he took the mic and sang a tune. By the fourth or fifth tune, I could literally feel my eardrums being perforated and my body reverberating, and as much as I loved the brassiest brash brass I might’ve ever heard, I like my cells intact, so with some regret, had to split before they did.

Kate Hammett-Vaughan Trio @ O’Doul’s

Kate Hammett-Vaughan sings us a tale

It’s just not Vancouver Jazz Fest if I don’t hear Kate Hammett-Vaughan at O’Doul’s. It’s tradition. As I sat listening to vocalist Hammett-Vaughan and her intimate trio (Chris Gestrin, piano and André Lachance, bass), I wondered on just how many occasions (and it’s a lot) I had been on pretty much that exact spot before, watching at a beaming Hammett-Vaughan singing her heart out with pure utter joy – making eye contact with people in the crowd, and loving the audience that so clearly adores her. What a lovely circle to not only observe, but to feel a part of. A major déjà (dejà déjà déjà…) vu that brought a big smile to my face. Thrilled to hear favourites (such as ‘Show Me’ and ‘On the Street Where You Live’ from Lerner & Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady’, classic tunes that showcase the storyteller in the singer. Dreamy way to slip into the midnight hour, on out into the darkness.

If the Festival ended now, I would be hungrily satisfied with that. Hungrily, of course because when you find musical bliss, you can’t help but want more more more… all the time, more. Satisfied because, the amazing music that filled these ears, mind and soul (unexpectedly, though there was hope, great hope even, given the delightful agenda and stellar musical credentials involved,) but one can never quite plan 100% on reaching nirvana. More on that in a bit…

There is nothing but clichés running through my head, and I’m really (exhaustedly) sorry, but déjà vu on boomeranging repeat is happening all around lately. The night that was Day 1 of my Vancouver International Jazz Festival 2011 experience was no exception, at least in generalities: Vancouver in June-July. Check. Unpredictable weather in Vancouver in June (sigh). Check. Jazz festival. Check. Lots of familiar faces at gigs, aka The Usual Suspects. Big check. Me – hey, check! (Almost kinda can’t believe I’m here, but here I am.) It’s been a few years since I’ve attended this Fest, though, and changes, large and small, abound. Change or die, that famous ‘they’ says, and it’s kind of hard to fight anyway, so why bother. More on that as we go along 10 glorious days of my favourite anytime anywhere anyhow anywho Festival.

Peter Brötzmann – Full Blast @ Roundhouse Performance Centre

This is where it happens…

First-gig-of-the-festival excitement (hell, more like nerves!) hits as I approach the Roundhouse. I take it as a good omen for the coming days that I run into the Festival’s Artistic Director Ken Pickering on the way there and we commune over how awesome iPhone photos are (along with the Stage Manager) at the venue.

I walk in and see Festival photog Chris Cameron; anytime he’s in the house, I just want to pack up my camera and go cause I know he’s got it well covered. Looking around it’s not a bad house, size-wise. I look over at the gently lit floor-level stage, butterflies in stomach, excited anticipation for the music that will take place there over the next 10 days. Then the players take to the stage of this, the most-revered listening room of the Fest, as far as creative/improvised music goes, and the Reed man Brötzmann immediately blows the incessant chatter out of my mind with his (sorry, but it fits all too well) aptly-named trio. I mean, he kind of has to live up to that name, really. Or is the name really living up to him? Hmmm… he is rather a force of a nature… Whichever, he/they did. Him first. During the first few pieces, over steadily rumbling electric bass (Marino Pliakis) and rolling drums (Michael Wertmüller) with delightful, unpredictable and often beautifully beastly skronks and flutterings and scale-climbing moans in the first two pieces. The third saw Brötzmann take his gorgeous silver clarinet from snake-charmer into rhinoceros; the man’s a veritable zoo unto himself, exhibiting something we call mastery with amazing technique of quick tongue flutters and rising and falling animalistic cries emanating from the shining silver bell that is reflecting, causing light itself to dance across the floor in front of him and onto first rows of the audience as he lifts and lowers the instrument as if trying to tame the apparently uncontrollable beast…. Phew. As if one needed more, and even if one didn’t, electric bassist Marino Pliakas took his blasting turn with some serious string-attacking rock god distortion, pulverizing what was left of the cobwebs Brötzmann cleared out previously. I wondered if maybe he was testing the audience. I think we passed – as quiet a house as ever at the Performance Centre. I’ll admit it, my heart was racing. Off to a helluva start and I wasn’t entirely expecting that – at least not so soon. Hoping, but not expecting. A seriously intense hour, of which about 45 minutes was just right for me, especially for the first gig of the Fest. (And the rest sounded great from the outer room.)

Peter Brötzmann – Full Blast (indeed)

Day 1, Concert 1 and I am Home again. Musically, spiritually. Ahhhh. I exit the gig and decide I need a peek at the familiar courtyard (back) entrance by the train roundabout in order to complete the excited anticipation for the Fest’s second weekend, the eagerly anticipated Roundhouse Weekend of three stages, no waiting. It’s a construction zone. Not a change I can be pleased about, but there it is. I wonder where will people congregate in order to watch people congregate? One of my fave parts of the Roundhouse weekend (Sat July 2 – Sun Jul 3) is the social aspect between sets, during sets, hanging out in the (sun? please?) in that courtyard. Maybe that other courtyard between the building and David Lam Park will do, and that may make it easier to find those Usual Suspects, too. Ok, so maybe it’s a change I can live with.

Dan Berglund’s Tonbruket @ Performance Works, Granville Island

On their debut CD, Sweden’s Dan Berglund’s Tonbruket (group and debut album name one and the same), the inside photo shows four guys looking artfully off in different directions. But if you look even slightly closely, you’ll see what appears to be a huge scarf entwined around all of their necks, linking them somewhat inextricably. An apt metaphor for the music of this almost unbelievably (sorry) super-awesomely-tight-knit band. A true band that hammer-over-the-head-obviously plays so very much together and has a stunningly rare palpable indelible connection as if the very blood running through their veins were all the same, that is the launching pad for a unified take-off into the musical stratosphere. It’s like they weren’t even aware they had an audience until they finished and took their eyes off each other and broke the connection. Fascinating to watch. Thrilling to ride along. And this was a rocket ride I did not want to get off – two sets were not enough. I could’ve gone three and four and again the next day… they looked like they were wanting to as well on their magical Canadian debut concert this night. Ah, but to begin at the beginning…

Dan Berglund of Tonbruket

Swedish group e.s.t. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio) was a festival favourite in previous years (and, no big secret, a high-on-the-list personal fave), and, as fans know, leader Svensson died in a tragic diving accident just over three years ago. Even though that trio was named after Svensson, it contained three very talented players. This is further evidenced in bassist Dan Berglund’s current Swedish group Tonbruket, a word that means ‘sound workshop’ in Swedish. (Not to mention it’s fun to say.) In spite of writing pages and pages of notes during last night’s two sets at Performance Works, I almost don’t even know where to begin. There are not enough adjectives or superlatives to describe such a capturing and carrying-away of heart and soul by a sometimes subtle, sometimes overt blending of sounds and tones and textures. How do you describe magic? Isn’t it by its very essence indescribable? A subjective feeling or experience unique to each individual? Perhaps all-encompassing covers it? I’m willing to go just about that far… I heard bits of surf guitar, blues, country, jazz, sounds that transported me to the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s with maybe even echoes of where Bowie might’ve taken something like ‘Warszawa’ had he been amongst jazzers and did I hear Beach Boys or some echo of California surf sound? Maybe even some Doors…?? Where WAS my mind during that transportation? Altogether gone, in a mind-blowing and unabashedly enticing, exciting Other World. I think (and I know I’m gonna be thinking about this for some time to come, it’s that lingering…) the genre-defying magic’s in the mix of all these varying influences, and the delivery is on a wave of pure, unbridled emotion. Berglund’s quartet of fantastic players – Berglund on bass; Martin Hederos keyboards/violin; Johan Lindström on guitars, including lap steel; and drummer Andreas Werliin – is clearly carrying on the tradition of no-fear feelings expression that he, Svensson and drummer Magnus Öström (as e.s.t.) did so mesmerizingly. And yet there’s more: where there was a distinct current of sorrow (having never been to Sweden -yet-  I can’t say for sure, but I suspect it’s partly that Northern Europe dark, brooding, long winter moody thing that, unfortunately, Canadians can so easily relate to) apparent through much of e.s.t.’s music, Tonbruket weaves and displays much joy through their music, such as on one lightly floating piece that chugged along like a wee toy train called ‘Lilo’ that Berglund wrote for his daughter. But it was really all about the grooves. Easy-to-fall-into grooves that had seemingly the entire packed house tapping toes, swaying, head-weaving… completely rapt. What a thrill to be a part of that, but then to also close your eyes, and be alone with the music, watching images on the screens on the blacks of your eyelids, inspired by the waves of ease-in mellow lulling, leading seduction that busts out into mad, weaving, looping transporting grooves, building, climbing into a swirling, enveloping cocoon of luscious before gently setting you back down on Earth with a mellow afterglow. Astonishingly, almost every piece had that experience – if you were only willing to jump off the edge with them… the faith was in the catch, and catch they did, and carry right away off into the ether. I mean, really, is there anywhere better one can be?

The awesome blur that is Martin Hederos, with Dan Berglund of Tonbruket

And yes, I bought the CDs. Both of them. (Debut “Dan Berglund’s Tonbruket” and most recent, “Dig it to the end”). Unusual for that to happen at a gig, but they made me do it. What was that thing I said about more more more…? http://actmusic.com

Now what?

What to do after that experience? How to face the inevitable regaining of footing on Earth without crashing down into the depths of despair? Of course… wrap one’s self in the warm, inviting environs of The Ironworks where the Rich Halley Quartet featuring Clyde Reed was already on stage. I hit mid-mellower piece, and it was just the perfect end to the night to just let Halley’s tenor (still my fave instrument, bar none) and Reed’s warm bass wash over me for a short while.

I couldn’t help but notice the room seemed somehow bigger. A lot bigger. I do believe they’ve knocked the wall back, way back, allowing for much more audience space aka roominess as opposed to the very (sometimes too) cozy previous incarnation. One of the very welcome changes to discover and enjoy.

Last Call…

Popped by O’Doul’s for last call (and loving that that came just before 2:00am, a rarity in this town brought to you this time of year by the Jazz Festival) to see what was happening. A decent crowd, if not the packed bar I was expecting, but was told by a staffer that traditionally, the Saturday nights are the big nights (aka crazy jammed with people, players and scenesters) for the late-night jam (which is happening 12 midnight – 2am EVERY SINGLE NIGHT OF THE FEST…. The TRUE jazz time, folks.) Let the back wall hold me up for a bit, but then realized that there were (undoubtedly) gorgeously comfy beds upstairs and I really needed to crawl into one.

Good Night.

To have had that experience on Day 1, at first left me a little worried for the remaining nine days of this 2011 edition of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. What could possibly be better than that? Why even try? Were the questions running through my head as it hit the pillow. Ultimately, though, to have reached Musical Nirvana on that level, even just once during these 10 days of musical plentitude is a massively huge gift to fill the heart and fuel the soul (for a little while, anyway…)

––––

AMANDA TOSOFF (Pianist)

of AMANDA TOSOFF QUARTET FEATURING BRAD TURNER

At what age did you start playing an instrument and what was it?

I started piano lessons when I was seven years old. My mom often played classical pieces at home, so I was inspired by her to start playing and immediately knew that music was something I wanted to do forever!

Do you still play the first instrument you started on? What others do you play?

I do still play piano. While I was in high school I dabbled with the flute, sax and trumpet, but I never practiced them enough to get to a high level. Piano seemed to stick!

What has been the biggest surprise you’ve experienced about playing music as a career?

My biggest surprise was that music could even be a career. I had no idea that I could support myself doing something that brings so much joy and meaning to my life. So many people complain about how hard it is to make a living playing jazz and that it isn’t possible, and I won’t argue that it is an easy career path. It takes a lot of work and dedication, and I have to remind myself of this everyday in order to keep moving forward and not get discouraged. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to support myself doing something I am so passionate about.

(photo by Angela Fama)

If you could travel back 5, 10 (20?) years, what’s something you wish you knew about music or even the business that must happen for music to be heard?

If I could travel back 20 years, which was exactly when I started taking piano lessons, I would tell myself not to waste time and to practice more! I’ve only been in the business of music for six years and I have been very lucky to surround myself with people willing to share their knowledge about music and the business. I suppose that I do wish I had learned more business skills in school, including as grant writing, tour planning, preparing one’s taxes etc. That would have sped up the learning process!

What are your thoughts, in general, on Vancouver’s jazz scene?

I moved to Toronto almost two years ago, so I have been out of the Vancouver scene for that time. I miss everyone there and adore so many of the city’s artists. I really feel that the scene is special and that there are great people making amazing things happen; Cory Weeds of The Cellar Jazz Club is one example. There is no club like The Cellar here in Toronto (although I love the clubs and scene happening here, too!). My only criticism about Vancouver if that it is so isolated from other larger centres. This makes touring and getting your name out there more difficult, from what I can tell. I am always surprised that more musicians here in Toronto haven’t heard of Vancouver’s gems, and I think there needs to be more cross-pollination. If only our country wasn’t so huge!

What musician(s) or genre might your audience be surprised to find you a fan of? And why are they worth checking out?

Well, I am guilty of mainly listening to jazz, so that’s no surprise to my audience. I have been trying to check out other genres, since I realize there is so much to learn from every style of music. I have been checking out musical theatre and movie versions of show tunes, since that is how I research the tunes I play. That’s also no surprise, though. I love to see where these tunes came from, I think it is important to know the context of a tune and learn it from its original source.

What’s happening in your musical life, currently, and what are you working toward in the relatively near future?

Well, I released my third record last fall featuring my longtime band from Vancouver: Evan Arntzen on sax, Sean Cronin on bass and Morgan Childs on drums. I also had the privilege to hire some special guests on the recording including BC-born, NY-based trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, and Toronto’s Kelly Jefferson on sax and William Carn on trombone. The music ranges in style and influence, but is definitely modern jazz. I was excited to have Ingrid play effects on a few tunes and add some larger horn sections to a few compositions.

Since that, I have been performing in various contexts, both with my own groups and as a side man here in the east, in addition to a long cross-Canada tour we undertook in the Fall.

I also had the opportunity to spend almost three months in NY, thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. I studied with renowned pianist and composer Phil Markowitz and took the time to absorb as much of that magical city as I could. Now, I’m working on ideas I gathered while in NY and am hoping to write a bunch of new music and record another record sometime in the next year or so.

Tell me about a memorable gig you had at a previous Vancouver International Jazz Festival?

The most memorable gig we did was opening for Bobby Hutcherson and Renee Rosnes at the Centre for Performing Arts in 2006. I remember being incredibly nervous since that was the biggest gig I had ever been asked to do. I remember that my bandmates played amazingly and that it was a really fun experience. Plus, it was exciting to meet Renee Rosnes for the first time, as she has always been one of my heroes.

Tell me about a favourite gig you heard at a previous Vancouver International Jazz Festival?

I heard Oscar Peterson when he came through the last time – not sure what year it was. He was my first love and is the reason I fell in love with jazz, so, that was a special concert. Even in his later years, he played wonderful, mind-blowing, swinging stuff!

What gig(s) (other than your own) are you looking forward to at this year’s festival and why?

Well, I am afraid that I’ll be in and out of Vancouver during the festival this year, so I may miss most of it. I may try to catch some of my local favorites while I’m there: Peggy Lee’s band on July 1 and Brad Turner Quartet at the Roundhouse on July 2nd. I’d love to see Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society, too!

THE 411

WHO: Amanda Tosoff Quartet featuring Brad Turner – Amanda Tosoff  (piano); Brad Turner (trumpet); Evan Arntzen (sax); Sean Cronin (bass); Morgan Childs (drums)

ON THE RECORD (most recent recording): “Looking North” – Amanda Tosoff, 2010. Available on CD baby and http://www.amandatosoff.com

ON THE WEB: http://www.amandatosoff.com

WHEN & WHERE: Thursday June 30 @ 2pm–4pm. Performance Works, Granville Island. ** FREE GIG ALERT **

—-

For more on the players mentioned here, many of whom have multiple gigs (and even multiples upon multiples, in some cases)  at the 2011 Vancouver International Jazz Festival, go to the official festival site (http://www.coastaljazz.ca/), type the artist’s name into the search bar, and all of their gigs, including all personnel, will magically appear.

MICHAEL BLAKE (Saxophonist – Tenor, Soprano and Alto)

of “MICHAEL BLAKE’S CANADIAN CLUB”

At what age did you start playing an instrument and what was it?

I was about nine when I took some violin lessons but I didn’t do very well. Switched to piano when I was 11 and played that for a few years.

Do you still play the first instrument you started on? What others do you play?

Yes I compose, transpose and arrange all of my music at the piano. My main instruments are the tenor and soprano sax and now I’m playing more alto, too. I double on clarinet and play a little flute and melodica, as well.

What has been the biggest surprise you’ve experienced about playing music as a career?

I never thought I’d be traveling so much. I am most surprised by the positive response to some music that I think is often really strange and challenging to understand. Jazz/creative music whatever you want to call it, when the audience is hip, the musicians really dig that.

If you could travel back 5, 10 (20?) years, what’s something you wish you knew about music or even the business that must happen for music to be heard?

Well, because of the Internet we can hear almost anything whenever we want. Even 5 years ago the situation wasn’t the same. In a perfect world some regulations on mp3 sales and distribution would have been nice. I am pretty frustrated that the value of my work is so random.  In ‘jazz’ the magic is in the moment, so every moment is an opportunity to discover something special. It’s both exhilarating and daunting.

What are your thoughts, in general, on Vancouver’s jazz scene?

What I like about the scene is the closing of the divide. It used to seem like: bop blasters over here, free jazzers over there. And those in between were kind of stuck. Now I think we – and if I may so bold to say that my generation did a lot to bring this about – we showed a new way to play jazz, which embraces all ideas and approaches to improvisation.

What musician(s) or genre might your audience be surprised to find you a fan of? And why are they worth checking out?

Old reggae and ska. Le Studio One and all that. I just love the grooves and the heart and soul those guys put into it…

(photo by Andrea Boccalini)

What’s happening in your musical life, currently, and what are you working toward in the relatively near future?

I have a trio with Hamid Drake and Ben Allison, which is wonderful new group. We hope to record this fall. I’m playing and teaching a lot in Italy. The band I have playing at the festival is really special and so far playing with them – earlier this year at 1067 – was a highlight. I’m determined to sing and play keys so my next project will be about my love for soul music.

Tell me about a memorable gig you had at a previous Vancouver International Jazz Festival?

I’m fortunate to say they’ve all been really special in one way or another. My first ever performance was at the first festival with vocalist Kate Hammett-Vaughan. There was a nice review (my first) and I really appreciated being apart of that. I was pretty bummed in the mid 90’s when I had MMW backing me up at Performance Works and there wasn’t a B3 provided. I felt out of control about everything that day. Of course it probably still sounded ok. In the last few years I’ve had a few exceptional concerts: There was a fun Slow Poke gig in the Park. I played a with John Korsrud’s Hard Rubber Orchestra at the Cultch. I played with Blake Tartare at the Roundhouse. And it was just a few years ago I returned with Tartare and performed with my Canadian brothers in a collaborative double bill.

Tell me about a favourite gig you heard at a previous Vancouver International Jazz Festival?

Oh, that would have to be going to see Miles in 1986. My brother and I ate some mushrooms beforehand and though nauseated through The Yellowjackets; things really came alive when Miles came out.  Ha! We were so blown away by his presence. Then after some time Wynton walked out and things got weird for a minute. But then Miles just kicked him off the bandstand and hit another groove. At that moment I said to my brother, “I think we just witnessed jazz history.”

What gig(s) (other than your own) are you looking forward to at this year’s festival and why?

I’m sorry to say, with only 2 days in town and my 2-year-old daughter to visit, I won’t see anything!

THE 411

WHO:

Michael Blake’s Canadian Club – Michael Blake (saxophones); Dylan VanderSchyff (drums); Chris Gestrin (Rhodes and moog); and Brad Turner (trumpet)

ON THE RECORD (most recent recording): “Hellbent” – Michael Blake (saxophones); Calvin Weston (drums); Steven Bernstein (trumpet); Marcus Rojas (tuba); and Charlie Burnham (violin). Available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/MichaelBlake1

ON THE WEB:

http://www.michaelblake.net/

WHEN & WHERE:

Tuesday, June 28 @ 2:00pm. Performance Works, Granville Island. ** FREE GIG ALERT **

—-

For more on the players mentioned here, many of whom have multiple gigs (and even multiples upon multiples, in some cases)  at the 2011 Vancouver International Jazz Festival, go to the official festival site (http://www.coastaljazz.ca/), type the artist’s name into the search bar, and all of their gigs, including all personnel, will magically appear.