2004 Vancouver International Jazz Festival Diary
As I write this it's the morning of Day 10. I'm in shock. Despite the annual and inevitable crash/overload of a couple of days ago, I'm not ready for it to be over. Quel surprise. So, the plan is to make the most of today by getting this written and heading off to the good old Roundhouse for some more. Day 9 was a GREAT day, filled with some amazing music and good hangs. I love that about the Roundhouse - that we're all in one small area for two whole days. Not spread all over the city and running into people sometimes, but bumping into them all day long and having so much music in such close quarters. It's a dream, really.
Michael Blake Workshop -The Studio @ The Roundhouse
Popped my head in to see what saxist (tenor, soprano) and former-Vancouverite
Blake was up to and found an attentive audience asking questions about
being a musician in NYC and about technique and Blake providing his usual
thorough answers. It took me back to the first time I came across this
great musician, six years ago I think, in town with his wickedly sultry
quartet Slow Poke, and attended the workshop he gave then. I recall writing
something like when asked a question - something like, I dunno, what colour
socks are you wearing - Blake had a 20-minute answer that covered everything
from evolution to present day. Of course I'm being facetious and it's
wonderful that he's so forthcoming in sharing information. The man can
still talk. And can he play… wait for it…
NOW Orchestra: Exotique - Festival Hall @ The Roundhouse
One of the many things I love about this festival is the bringing of creative
music out from the more arty rooms or concert halls to the main stage
at a free event, allowing access for everyone to music they might not
have checked out otherwise. It's bloody brilliant and I don't understand
why every other festival in the world adopts this scheme. Anyway, as a
member of NOW Society's Board of Directors, my pride at being connected
to this organization increased yet again with this performance. The NOW
is always on a mission to shake things up and present new music and try
new things, and this programme was a definite winner. The addition of
rawly intense percussionist Joseph Pepe Danza, elegant pipa player Qiu
Xia He, and commanding vocalist DB Boyko and the set list of new pieces
by Artistic Director Coat Cooke and guitarist Ron Samworth incorporating
these players provided the exotic part. The NOW, as usual, provided the
solidity of a long-working, highly creative ensemble of Vancouver's finest
musicians for a spicy version of the NOW's usually heady and highly potent
output.
Mike Allen Quartet feat. George McFetridge - Festival Hall @ The Roundhouse
Everyone knows Mike Allen is a great tenor player. After today's show
a whole lot more outside the scene know it, and that he's a great composer
and knows how to put together a group. This was a hard-hitting set of
powerful original jazz with major balls and huge swing that, amazingly,
improved as each moment passed and the band fuelled the audience, and
was in turn fuelled by the crowd's approval. This is the way it should
be and what I've spent the last 9 days (oh, and my entire life) looking
for: music that moves you, makes you feel, transports you and takes you
to that place that is so magical you drift in it and trip around in it
and don't even know you're in it until the spell is broken and you're
back in reality, blissed-out and looking for another hit. I believe they
call this type of show a 'cooker'. Excellent musicianship from all, and
great fun to watch their chemistry with each other scoop us up into the
circle and especially to listen to. Allen's new album is due later this
month. Can't wait! (with more and more impressive Adam Thomas-bass; and
ass-kicking drummer Julian MacDonough).
Evan Parker with Strings - Performance Centre @ The Roundhouse
Wow. A whole lotta strings and a whole lotta sax. Six string players.
One sax. That's Evan Parker. That's why we love him. And them. What a
knockout line-up: Peggy Lee/cello; Ron Samworth/guitar; Torsten Müller/bass;
Stefan Smulovitz/violin and the one and only Mark Feldman/violin. Stunning,
heavy (isn't it funny how many inferences that word can have in the context
of jazz?) and man can that Parker rip it up! If it was a race - and I
think there's an element of something like that in these situations -
he outpaced the strings with his circular breathing and eyes-closed supreme
focusing abilities. It's always a joy to watch Lee, whether she's playing
at the moment or listening with those giant ears (no, not physically -
I mean musician's ears) - her emotion, understanding and pleasure
in the music she or others are making is all over her face. It's that
openness to connect stuff that's so rewarding for the listener. And Feldman.
Bursting with intensity Feldman, literally bouncing in place as he stood
during his brief pauses between spurts of furious playing of that body-shivering,
head-shaking disbelieving air-piercing incredible bowing. Oh yeah.
Chris Gestrin's Stillpoint - Performance Centre @ The Roundhouse
I love all of these players. They're all individually so great; collectively
they're even more amazing and they're ours. I love that it stays that
way. This is still a relatively new project of pianist Gestrin's, maybe
two years old, but these guys, of course, play together often in many
other situations. The best part of Stillpoint (besides the musicians)
is the dreamy quality that permeates the music, and how each player is
really a piece of the whole that is the music. It's as though no
one is an individual here - it's the collective that matters in lifting
this off the ground. (Collectively then, the musicians are: Dylan van
der Schyff/drums; André Lachance/bass; Jon Bentley/tenor sax; Brad
Turner/trumpet; and Joseph Pepe Danza on percussion.) It's such beautiful
and at points, very mellow music, that I think it was difficult to really
grasp parts of it in a setting like this, with the distraction of people
coming and going. Once again, it's great that lots of people who almost
certainly wouldn't head to a theatre or hall to hear this got to hear
it in a big, beautiful theatre-style space for free, but for those who
really want to hear and connect, it wasn't the ideal. I know I know, life's
about compromise. I just want what I want. So what.
Blake Tartare - The Cultch
This show was much less 'out' than I anticipated based on the one tune
I'd heard and that there were Europeans involved (stereotyper! stereotyper!),
and I think, honestly, no matter who was involved, it was gonna be worth
listening to based solely on the leadership of saxophonist Michael Blake,
whose work has never yet failed to resonate with these ears and soul.
Blake's sounding great, putting out great energy, always fired-up and
peppering his husky, confident tone with crazed skronks and goosebump-inspiring,
gut-deep trills and choppy flutters that are his signature. He's well-matched
and supported here by his Danish cohorts: Kresten Osgood on drums who
I figured for a punker maybe in a past life/phase (though I now see in
the programme write-up he's got a hip-hop thing going, among other things);
subtly simmering in sound and presence bassist Jonas Westergaard and edgy
pianist (and beer bottle player) Soren Kjaergaard. In ways it was reminiscent
of the great quartet Slow Poke (see above), but exchange Kjaergaard's
piano and cool in sound and look Wurlitzer electric piano for SP's guitar
and crank it up with some manic Euro energy and some rock vibes (that
drummer!) and even '60s psychedelic keyboard sounds and you're ready to
rock. Their very obvious joy at playing made it very easy to hear it with
the same feeling. Thank god I got almost the last CD. I highly recommend
picking it up if you haven't already. Info: www.michaelblake.net
Herb Robertson's Downtown All Stars - The Cultch
A stellar line-up. An in-your-face, majorly intense whammo of creative
music and improvisation, and I was still tripping on my fullness from
my evening's main course of tartare. Several opinions I trust LOVED this
set. One threatened me with bodily harm (even worse than the Lovano-files!)
if I gave it a bad review. I got no review. I had no room at the inn.
Momentary overload.
Ron Samworth's 1067 Band - Studio 16
Ok, maybe more than momentary. Some of my favourite Vancouverites at this
late-night improv session and my ears were refusing to participate. Heard
better part of two pieces before set break and I knew it was over. There
was no forcing it. Had to get home and write before the rest of the body
followed and I fell behind again.
Jam Session w/ Mike Allen Trio - O'Doul's
Was too far gone to even hit the hang for the jam session! However, I
hear Robertson and crew showed but didn't play. I guess I can understand
that after a onslaught show like that they're exhausted and just want
to let it hang in the air a bit and relax after their work is done. But
I also thought that musicians live to play… I guess it's all about
where you're at in the moment. Here's hoping some of them are dying to
play in some moments between 11 and 1:30 (or perhaps later? :o) tonight…).
I don't know how it was for you (not many of you are talking in the forum…),
but today was a great day to be me. Until I hit the wall, I seemed to
make all the right choices, and hit my groove. Day 9. Hmmm. Better get
out there. Music's going on.
Got your own opinion on what went down? Visit the Jazz Forum.
Day 9
Saturday, July 3, 2004
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Writer/Photographer Josephine Ochej is a regular contributor to The Jazz Review, the Westender, Planet Jazz, and Coda Magazine.