The end of June is both an overwhelming and exciting time for local concertgoers, with over 1,800 musicians converging on our concert halls and clubs as part of the annual TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival (June 22-July2). And while there will be plenty of homegrown, Canadian talent being showcased (the Boom Booms, Buckman Coe, etc.), they call this an international event for a reason. Take Brazilian folk sensation Seu Jorge, for instance, who kicks off the two-week event on June 22 with a David Bowie-tributing performance at the Orpheum.
The globe-spanning schedule runs the gamut, whether it's putting the spotlight on Milanese sax prodigies, expressionist future jazz combos from the UK, or Scandinavia's finest experimental percussion masters. There's going to be 300 sets taking place around town, so picking a show can be a little tricky. Here are Westender's top picks for the absolutely talent-packed 32nd instalment of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Laura Jurd Dinosaur
July 1 at the Roundhouse Performance Centre
While the annual Made in the UK series of concerts (spread throughout the course of the festival) brings back favourites like Phronesis, part of the fun of the event is discovering up and comers. English trumpeter Laura Jurd has been issuing albums since the beginning of the decade, but boldly fired off the experimental Together, As One full-length with new quartet Dinosaur last fall. Don't let the fossilized name fool you, the foursome's mélange of brassy scale runs, wild rimshots, and dream-casting electric piano lines are fully fleshed out, fresh, and fun.
Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity
July 2 at the Roundhouse Performance Centre
Whether swinging through the classics, rumbling through Sonny Sharrock numbers with his Bushman's Revenge project, or exploring his kit with a free-form tom-tom assault as part of Scandinavian combo Puma, Norwegian drummer Gard Nilssen is one of today's percussive titans. For anyone looking for a lightning bolt jolt of rhythm, Nilssen's sure to put on an experimental, tap-happy clinic in Vancouver.
Omar Souleyman
June 25 at the Imperial
With a catalogue of over 500 albums to his name, Syria's dabke dance master Omar Souleyman may be one of the most prolific artists to ever hit the jazz fest. His genre-crossing approach mixes elements of Levantine folk music with a blitz of house beats, with eastern reed instruments like the mijwiz being supported by squelching synths and slammed-down drum machine patterns. The former wedding singer's latest collection, To Syria, With Love, is as fist-pumping as it is passionate.
An Evening with Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox
June 30 at the Orpheum
New York scene vet Scott Bradlee has broken the internet multiple times over with viral videos reinterpreting contemporary pop with a jazzy slant (see this week's cover story). His Postmodern Jukebox has transformed the Sunset Strip glam of Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" into a smoky New Orleans bar swing, morphed Miley Cyrus bangers into vintage doo-wop, and rolled off ragtime interpretations of the Spongebob Squarepants theme song.
Tony Foster Quartet ft. Pasquale Grasso
June 30, July 1 at Frankie's Jazz Club
As part of the fest's "Spotlight on Italy" series of shows, North Vancouver-born pianist Tony Foster is inviting Campania six-stringer Pasquale Grasso on stage to play some cinematic classics. Riffing off of Foster's 2016 collection, Project Paradiso, the international partnership will be celebrating the work of Italian film score master Ennio Morricone and Italian-American movie maestro Henry Mancini. A playful, rosy-cheeked romp through the Pink Panther theme is a given.
Tickets and info at coastaljazz.ca
