Number 5
June 22 , 2001
HEARD SOME LOVELY, laid back improvising Friday, June 15 at the space known as 1067, courtesy vocalist KATE HAMMETT-VAUGHAN, guitarist RON SAMWORTH, bassist CLYDE REED, drummer TOM FOSTER, trumpeter KEVIN ELASCHUK and saxist JIM PINCHIN. All are long-time musical collaborators, particularly on the improvised music front, with Foster and Pinchin holding seats in Hammett-Vaughan’s delectably adventurous musical family (aka her Quintet). Pieces included full-ensemble forays into the unknown as well as duo pairings with individual players with vocalist improvising on the theme of old postcards and short letters Hammett-Vaughan received from relatives in her youth, to delightful effect. The coziness of the room and knowing those who are there, are there to listen, enhances each performance immeasurably, making it a truly shared experience. Check out the calendar page at this site for the two weekends (Thurs-Sat) of gigs happening at 1067 during (but not part of) the jazz festival; and watch for all these folks at all kindsa gigs in the festival, too.
IT’S JAZZ MONTH all over this crazy town, and a check of the calendar
of events for June will attest to that fact. Jazz Quartet, a photo exhibit
featuring the photographs of CHRIS CAMERON, LAURENCE SVIRCHEV, GRAHAM
ORD and PAUL MICHAUD is on at the Sugar and Sugar Studio (420 W. Pender).
It’s a retrospective of jazz photographs taken in Vancouver during
the last 15 years at both jazz festivals and concerts that happen throughout
the year. A great chance to witness a chunk of musical history of the
city, especially for those of us who haven’t been around that long.
The show runs til July 2, by appointment at 604-230-7542.
I’VE HAD MY VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL program since the
May 5 media launch and I still get that little flutter in my stomach when
it falls open naturally to the ‘centrefold’ containing the concert
grid schedule. That flutter is heightened as we head into the fest, and
the circles continue to not-so-mysteriously appear on those colourful
pages where my ambitious schedule nears the realm of the fantastic. See,
I want to go to everything. Don’t you?
The glory of this festival is the wide variety and excellent calibre of the performers appearing from around the globe, as well as from right here under our noses. Jazz is a small word that covers more and more musical turf all the time, and when you consider that jazz music in North America amounts to something like 3 percent of all record sales (or so I’ve heard, correct me if I’m wrong), blending all the off-shoots of jazz into the fold makes sense for all involved. There’s no question that the genre could benefit from a wider audience, and being inclusive of related musics can only increase the interest of more members of the listening public; the old ‘get them interested with this, and inevitably some will be inspired to dig further. The folks at Coastal Jazz & Blues know that, and, while jazz (judging from record sales anyhow), doesn’t seem to be a music for the masses, CJBS’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival (judging from huge attendance records: 380,000 attended 2000’s fest), has found a way to bring more of it to the ears of more and more people every year. They put tons of out there for free, a bounty of wonderful jazz, jazz-related, and some maybe not-so-closely related, musical experiences just waiting to be taken in and digested. Hopefully that, in turn, provides the impetus for further exploration. When you dig deep into this year’s program, you’ll find the Vancouver International Jazz Festival’s trademark smorgasbord of sounds, imported from around the world for 10 days of absolute bliss.
There’s nothing like the exhilaration of racing around from gig to gig, wondering if you’ll make it to catch the act you’ve longed to hear; then you finally hear them and feel that rush of the music through you, transporting you to another, well, world. Sure, there will be stuff that isn’t your cuppa tea, but I’ll be there’s a helluva lot more that is. It’s an incredible opportunity to sample jazz and jazz-related musics as played by the world music community and you don’t even have to go anywhere! It’s all brought right to you - and much of it for free! It’s like life, you just gotta be open to it. So, which way does your bent lean? Mine had been leaning toward the more straight-ahead stuff this year, with many selections from the Vogue Theatre Series; but as I’ve gone on circling, I find quite a mix of straight, groove, improv, free jazz, and a lot of the many types of world influenced-groups all of interest. There is nowhere to be, to my mind, other than Gastown and the Roundhouse, respectively, during the free weekends book-ending the festival, although exceptions being the rule with 1600 artists, 40 venues and nearly 400 gigs there’s going to be lots of running around all over to catch this gig and that, as they happen all about town. What can’t be lived without this festival? That’s what it all comes down to. This year it’s, in order of appearance, Kate Hammett-Vaughan’s "Songs to a Muse", Legends of the Bandstand, Paradox Trio, Diversions, Backseat Betty, Cinematic Orchestra, Barry Guy’s New Orchestra, John Scofield Band/Metalwood/Bloomdaddies, Olodum, AKA Moon, Roy Hargrove Quintet, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Werner, Joshua Redman Quartet/Chris Gestrin Trio, Sclavis/Douglas/Phillips/van der Schyff improv, Broken Soundbarrier, NOW Orchestra, December Thirty Jazz Trio, Dave Douglas New Quintet, Trilok Gurtu Band/Sex Mob/Zony mash, Ellery Eskelin/Andrea Parkins/Jim Black, Uri Caine Trio, Tony Wilson Nonet, Mark Turner/Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet, Briggan Krauss 300, Tim Berne’s Hard Cell… There’s more, I’m sure, but I haven’t finished circling yet it’s a continual process all through the fest, especially as new players become favourites, and, as such, their remaining gigs must-hears. But now, I gotta go refasten my centre spread back into my program (already). See you out there.
jazzie archive:
2002
6 Jazz Fest Diary
Writer/Photographer Josephine Ochej is a regular contributor to The Jazz Review, the Westender and Coda Magazine.