chris wong in sync

Strictly speaking, there’s no need for a best bets guide to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival. The festival’s artistic director, Dugg Simpson, programs most of the artists to play a number of times during the weekend. But one still needs to make decisions about which artists to focus on, particularly during the concurrent workshops. So here’s a subjective sampling of artists to seek out during the 24th annual festival.

Lúnasa – Swing isn’t a word I would normally use to describe a Celtic band, but that’s what this group from Ireland does so well on its instrumental recordings, like the new The Merry Sisters of Fate. Live, Lúnasa gets even more exuberantly rhythmic.

Kate Rusby – While I don’t usually get excited about folky singer/songwriters, Rusby has a beautiful voice and knack for composing tunes that suit those gorgeous pipes from Yorkshire, England.

Bayuba Cante – This 10-member group creates the ultimate fusion: music based on Afro-Cuban vocals and percussion from Yoruba, with jazz, funk, flamenco and Indian elements thrown in.

Puentes Brothers – I’ve seen the Puentes make engaging music with just two percussionists backing them up. So expect the brothers’ main stage performance, with their father/mentor Valentin and musicians including a three-piece horn section, to be extra special.

Boubacar Traoré – The singer/guitarist’s recordings–Sa Golo and Maciré–exude affecting Malian blues. Traoré’s live performances, like his last Vancouver gig (at the Yale), are just as soulful.

Ongo Tragode – Any group from Central Africa that plays intricate music on horns, made from material including antelope horns and the trunks of papaw trees, sounds well worth checking out.

Amir Koushkani – When Koushkani performed at the festival in 1999, he was already a master performer of spiritually intense Persian music. It will be interesting to hear how Koushkani, who will play with artists including the Ruh Afza Ensemble from Baluchistan (between Iran and Pakistan), has further evolved.

Ashley MacIsaac – At last year’s festival MacIsaac wore a heavy jacket in warm weather and hid behind an upright piano while playing the keyboard for Beolach. This year he’ll play fiddle and probably make another unique fashion statement.

---

Before the Vancouver International Jazz Festival began I called the 10-day event a “great music festival”. That’s what it essentially turned out to be as the following festival diary reveals.

Day 1 – Hugh Fraser’s quintet performed at a world-class level. The Legends of the Bandstand were less than legendary; only Gary Bartz and Louis Hayes shone. Ex-Centric Sound System was, in a word, horrible.

Day 2 – Márcio Faraco and his crack group won over the audience with their captivating Brazilian music. Faraco, who had a lovable manner between songs, was the festival’s most memorable performer.

Day 3 – For the second year in a row the festival came up with a hot mystery band for Gastown: Soulive. While the band’s organ trio approach is fundamentally retro, the group sustained incredible energy, especially when John Scofield joined in. Later, Paradox Trio explosively fused Balkan music and downtown New York jazz.

Day 4 – The Bloomdaddies, Metalwood and Scofield all played inspired sets.

Day 5 – Barbarito Torres and his band, who filled in for Irakere, were predictable but superbly musical. As for Olodum, it’s hard to believe that the Bahian drummers and other musicians could be boring, but they were exactly that during samba-reggae tunes.

Day 6 – Septuagenarian Ray Brown showed he hasn’t lost his touch. Roy Hargrove and his band offered subtle pleasures, but it’s too bad the prodigiously talented trumpeter doesn’t push the envelope more.

Day 7 – Kenny Werner, Johannes Weidenmueller and Ari Hoenig epitomized the rapport of a truly interactive piano trio. No wonder there was a near riot when people rushed to buy the group’s Form and Fantasy CD. (I got one!)

Day 8 – The Mark Turner/Kurt Rosenwinkel quartet played straight-ahead jazz with striking originality.

Day 9 – Trilok Gurtu and his band combined technology and traditional technique with a finesse and style that most electronica-based groups could only dream of.

Day 10 – Uri Caine adeptly reharmonized standards but his stream of ideas didn’t consistently flow. While Zony Mash sounded mellower than I expected, the group’s reflective moments made for a nice denouement to the festival.

---

Here’s a sour note from the jazz festival: on June 29, just before the Turner/Rosenwinkel Quartet began its first set for a full house at the Cellar, city officials and a fire marshall made a surprise visit to the restaurant. They weren’t there to dig the jazz. As a result of the visit, the Cellar has to apply for a change to its license and upgrade its fire system. There’s no guarantee the venue will get the license change; residents in the area will have a say. As well, co-owner Cory Weeds will have to spend at least $5,000 to make these things happen.

Weeds has worked extremely hard to make the Cellar a respectable establishment that contributes enormously to both the Vancouver jazz scene and local economy. I hope and pray that the authorities and the Cellar’s neighbours recognize those contributions. Check vancouverjazz.com for updates and stay tuned for news of a benefit concert.