chris wong in sync
Jazz Fest highlights
Cellar Buy a Key campaign
Experiencing the outrageous English poet Attila the Stockbroker and then interviewing him, along with his relatively proper mum, on a patch of grass at Jericho Beach Park; doing the early morning run to secure prime blanket space in front of the main stage; listening to Tuvan throat singing for the first time; seeing Celso Machado and musicians from different parts of the world take part in a wild percussion jam; and hearing countless Celtic bands create vigorous grooves.
It's hard to predict which artists at the 25th folk festival, July 19-21, will provide transcendent moments. But here are some potential candidates:
Filippo Gambetta: The young Italian diatonic accordionist was spellbinding when he performed with Sandra Wong at A Really Big Night on the Drive. Gambetta's playing on his latest CD, Pria Goaea, is just as mesmerizing. He will be at the festival with Wong, who plays the 16-string Swedish nyckelharpa, and acclaimed acoustic guitarist Claude de Angeli.
Rokia Traoré: The Malian vocalist has a rare voice that, in the context of her traditional acoustic music, leaves a lasting impression.
Jane Bunnett/Habana Sax: Bunnett and her group Alma de Santiago were uninspiring at the Commodore in the jazz festival, but I think they'll come across more effectively in Jericho Beach Park, especially when playing with Habana Sax, an inventive Cuban saxophone quartet.
Amir Koushkani: Since moving here in 1991, Koushkani has established himself as a world music treasure. His performances of traditional Persian music at the folk festival have always been absorbing, so expect more affecting sounds on the tar and setar (Persian lutes).
Oliver Schroer: The violinist provided stellar accompaniment to Teresa Doyle at last year's Westcoast Sacred Music Festival and he'll do the same with James Keelaghan at the folk fest. Schroer is also a compelling artist in his own right.
De Dannan: Led by fiddler Frankie Gavin and bouzouki player Alec Finn, De Dannan is an institution in traditional Irish music. They'll supply those vigorous Celtic grooves I like so much.
B'net Marrakech: I haven't heard B'net Marrakech, but a group of five women that performs traditional Berber repertoire, which incorporates elements such as Gnawan music and Algerian rai, is definitely worth checking out.
The Collaboratory: The workshops where performers improvise together, after meeting just moments before, have long been among the festival's most appealing aspects. This year the festival will introduce The Collaboratory: workshops involving artists such as Schroer, Zubot and Dawson, Koushkani, Eugene Chadbourne and Tanya Tagaq Gillis, who will get together before the festival. I'm guessing the Collaboratory workshops will still be spontaneous and also offer musical depth.
After going to 12 straight days of performances at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, I was completely exhausted. But overall, I was also immensely satisfied with the quality of music. The 2002 festival presented an outstanding array of musicians. That said, here are some thoughts about a few shows I attended:
In the festival program, the entry for Bugge Wesseltoft was subtitled New Conception in Jazz. But the Norwegian keyboardist and his group didn't express anything particularly new or propose a profound conception.
Dianne Reeves' opening night concert held up as one of the best shows I heard in the entire festival; the vocalist clearly projected her heartfelt and soulful style.
The concert that featured bassist Charlie Haden, with musicians including Gonzalo Rubalcaba and David Sanchez, was sleep-inducing. While the group played beautiful music, the songs rarely varied from a subdued mood and didn't go anywhere interesting.
In my best bets column that ran before the festival, I talked about pianist Ahmad Jamal's "understated" approach. Wrong! Jamal's trio was explosive. This was the festival's highpoint.
It took awhile for guitarist Bill Frisell and his Intercontinental Quartet to jell, but when they did, the results were sublime. Later in the week, quartet member Vinicius Cantuária with his own band delivered a captivating take on Brazilian music.
Brad Mehldau sounded as intense as ever, but most importantly, the pianist showed he's anything but complacent. Mehldau creatively extended his style. Hearing him interpret Radiohead's "Everything in its Right Place" was a bonus.
Lappelectro's gig at Performance Works reconfirmed that the band's leader, Victoria-based multi-instrumentalist Daniel Lapp, should be star. Lappelectro's sets outside the Vancouver Art Gallery weren't as successful, but Lapp still shone.
Through the Buy a Key campaign, the Cellar has been fundraising to purchase a grand piano that was loaned to the jazz joint. While that campaign continues, the Cellar is also presenting a solo piano benefit series. During the Monday night series, 14 pianists will perform and donate door proceeds to the Cellar's piano fund. Upcoming performers include Miles Black (July 15), Mike Allen (July 22) and Ross Taggart (July 29).