Among the performers at this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival are Ard n’ Saul (Ardeshir and Saul Berson), at Tyrant Studios on June 21. (photo by Joshua Berson)
The 40th anniversary edition of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs June 20 to July 1. It offers more than 180 events, with 50 free shows at 14 locations around the city.
The festival took its maiden voyage Aug. 19-25, 1985. Billed as the first annual Pacific Jazz and Blues Festival, the event featured 100 musicians from British Columbia, Oregon and Washington state at clubs and venues around the city. It was created – and mostly financed – by John Orysik, Robert Kerr and Ken Pickering, along with Deborah Roitberg, who would become a founding board member. Together, they founded the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, which was born with the intent of providing a 10-day music festival along with a year-long jazz presence.
In this year’s festival, there will be open jazz jams June 20-29, presented at and with Tyrant Studios. Come for the 9:30 p.m. sets ($18 in advance, $20 at door), then stay as the headliners become hosts, sharing the stage with visiting artists and local players alike starting at 11 p.m. (pay-what-you-can). Among the headliners are, on June 21, Ard n’ Saul, who pay homage to the classic two horns and rhythm section tradition – the group is led by alto saxophonist Saul Berson and tenor saxophonist Ardeshir.
On June 22, 6 p.m., at Zameen Art House, Infidel Jazz presents Asef ($20 in advance, $25 at door). Members of the group – Berson (saxophones), Itamar Erez (guitar), Sam Shoichet (bass) and Liam Macdonald (drums/percussion) – bring to the stage many years of experience playing a variety of music from around the world, including Balkan folk, tango, klezmer, flamenco and bebop.
Also on June 22, at the Georgia Street Stage at 6:30 p.m., Dawn Pemberton and her band – which includes Max Zipursky on keys – play a free concert of music from gospel and R&B, to jazz, funk and soul. Zipursky also plays with Confiture on June 29, 8:30 p.m., at Ocean Artworks ($15 at door). Led by vocalist Tim Fuller, Confiture celebrates 30 years of house music, blending classics with original tracks.
On June 26, Juno-nominee Andrea Superstein plays at Frankie’s Jazz Club, at 8 p.m. ($20-$25), and the Evan Arntzen Quartet, with special guest Lloyd Arntzen, perform a free show on July 1, noon, at Ocean Artworks.
Vancouver-born, New York City-based saxophonist, clarinetist and vocalist Evan Arntzen blends modern jazz influences with deep roots in the genre’s history. The quartet will be joined by Arntzen’s grandfather, Lloyd Arntzen, a legendary clarinetist, saxophonist and vocalist who’s been a pillar of Vancouver’s traditional jazz scene since the 1940s.
For the full festival lineup and tickets, visit coastaljazz.ca.
– Courtesy Coastal Jazz