News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
LA FABRIQUE LIVES UP TO LOCAL LORE | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Zara Khan After two consecutive years of sold-out shows, La Fabrique St. George Winery returns as a part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Located in the trendy neighbourhood of Mount Pleasant, this stylish, urban winery has become a beloved hotspot for live music lovers and wine enthusiasts alike. La Fabrique St. George Winery
2ND FLOOR GASTOWN SERVES COZY NOSTALGIA | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Zara Khan Born from the vision of a cozy, nostalgic jazz club tucked away behind a secret bookshelf and up the winding stairs of the iconic Water St. Café, 2nd Floor Gastown opened its doors in 2019 – and has been part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival ever since. We’re thrilled to welcome
That “Je Ne Sais Quoi” of Jazz | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Zara Khan From hosting only one show a month in 2023, the contagious energy of live music mixed with authentic French food inspired Brasserie Coquette to expand their venue to now weekly shows over the summer. For their first time as a part of this year’s Vancouver Jazz Festival Club series, Coquette Brasserie is
Jazz Fest Was Here | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Since 1985, Coastal Jazz has hosted thousands of live performances throughout Vancouver and the surrounding area. Our founders knew the best way to build an audience for jazz was to bring the music to the people. That meant from day one they staged shows everywhere - from intimate clubs and legendary theatres, to street corners
In the Pocket at Frankie’s Jazz Club | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Zara Khan As a true cornerstone in the Vancouver jazz scene for well over a decade, Frankie’s Jazz Club is cherished as an intimate, classy and vibrant supper-come-jazz club venue. Returning for the 2025 Vancouver International Jazz Festival Club Series, Frankie’s is the go-to place for timeless straight ahead & swinging jazz. This beloved
BCLC’s Festival Partnership a Win-Win for Community Groups | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Coastal Jazz is thrilled to welcome back BCLC as a major partner of the 2025 Vancouver International Jazz Festival, and the return of the BCLC Community Ticketing Program. This initiative provides complimentary tickets to local not-for-profit societies and/or charities. Organizations can apply for up to four (4) tickets each for a performance at the Vancouver
Prophecy’s Modern Twist on Jazz History | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Tucked underneath the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, the Prophecy Bar has been rapidly establishing its place as one of our favorite jazz and blues venues in the city since opening in 2024. This is Prophecy’s first time participating in the 2025 Vancouver Jazz Festival Club Series, and they’ll be extending their Wednesday night jazz sessions to
The Speakeasy Charm of Guilt & Co. | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
A must-see venue in the heart of Gastown that combines the charm of a New York City speakeasy with serious jazz sets, Guilt & Co. returns for the 2025 Vancouver International Jazz Festival Club Series. From funk to jazz to bluegrass to folk to salsa, Guilt & Co. has been reliably serving up live music
Big Names Big Crowds | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
In 2016, the Vancouver International Jazz Festival defied all expectations with its best list yet of musical heavy hitters, many of whom sat outside the jazz world. “We are very much an international festival. We are looking at artists and bands performing in other countries… [and] putting musicians from different cultures together on stage,” says
FESTIVAL LOOKS BACK ON 30 | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
In 2015 Coastal Jazz embarked on a big year - its 30th as a nonprofit arts organization, and the 30th anniversary of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. By this point there had been many milestones and trips down memory lane along the way - at ten, 20, 25. Still, media recounted the Coastal Jazz origin
JAZZ FEST’S BIG BANG | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The 29th annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival began “with a musical equivalent of the Big Bang” as John Korsrud’s Hard Rubber Orchestra opened Performance Works with 20 musicians, followed by 17 musicians in Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society. It was one of many audible feasts available on the Festival’s opening night - Medeski Scofield Martin
A New Appreciation of Jazz | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
From June 21 – July 1, 2013 the Vancouver International Jazz Festival continued its musical domination of the city with 1,800 musicians and over 300 concerts (half of them 150 free). A 73-year old Herbie Hancock headlined, and over “a two-and-a-half hour set that stunned the senses,” proved by why he is the master. (Vancouver
Share the Love of Jazz | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
April is Jazz Appreciation Month! In celebration, we've created a line of eCards for you to share with fellow music lovers in your life featuring quotes from jazz greats like Thelonius Monk, Wynton Marsalis, George Gershwin, and Miles Davis. Each one supports Coastal Jazz. For as little as a $1 donation, you can share your
THE DEBUT OF DOWNTOWN JAZZ | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
In 2012, after many months of behind-the-scenes work with the City of Vancouver, Coastal Jazz unveiled a new location for the Jazz Festival’s free opening weekend. “Building on the success of the location during the 2010 Olympics, the free event – dubbed Downtown Jazz – will be held outside the Vancouver Art Gallery and at
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The phrase ‘what goes around, comes around’ typically refers to the universal law of karma, as in - what you reap, you sow. It can also refer to the cyclical nature of trends, as in - "those flared jeans Kendrick Lamar wore during the Super Bowl were so 2000." From programming to venues to state
STILL PUSHING MUSICAL BOUNDARIES | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
This week’s Flashback takes us to 2010 and another major milestone of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival - the 25th anniversary. In the opening pages of the program guide, Artistic Director Ken Pickering tried to explain how integral Coastal Jazz had felt to its legacy and connection to Vancouver. “For 25 years, Coastal Jazz has built
WANNA BE STARTING SOMETHING | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
You wouldn’t think Michael Jackson would be the talk of the 24th annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival, but news of his untimely death on June 25, 2009 - the day before the festival opened - was everywhere. Michael Jackson and jazz music may seem like an unlikely connection, but his roots are in Motown. Still,
JAZZ BECOMES LEGEND | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
In June 2008, the global economy was teetering on the edge of its seat amid fears of a U.S. recession, fueled by the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis. But we're still months away from September, when the Lehman Brothers' largest bankruptcy filing in history shook the stock market, so let the music roll! The 2008 Vancouver
Young Headliners Come In Hot | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The resurgence of jazz music in the 2000’s resulted in a new breed of headlining acts for jazz festivals at large. Sure, there were still plenty of living legends around, like the 76-year old Sonny Rollins who kicked off the 2007 Vancouver International Jazz Festival at the Orpheum Theatre. Downbeat called him the “greatest saxophone
THE WONDERFUL CHAOS OF JAZZ | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
As time passed the middle of the “aughts” in 2006, you could say Coastal Jazz and the Jazz Festival had achieved a kind of permanence in Vancouver. The 20th anniversary was now behind them. Thousands of people worked and volunteered their time for it each year. Thousands of artists performed at the event, while hundreds
JAZZ FEST PROVES ITS STRENGTH | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
In 2005 the Jazz Festival celebrated its 20th anniversary, its second year with TD as the title sponsor. There was much to be proud of as Artistic Director, Ken Pickering, noted in the program guide. “Jazz connoisseurs often say this Festival has one of the most adventurous, balanced programs in the world.” As he explained,
JAZZ MUSIC HAS A MAJOR MOMENT | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By 2004 jazz music was having a major crossover moment into the mainstream. Ken Burns’ deep dive documentary Jazz came out in 2001. Norah Jones had cleaned up at the 2003 Grammy Awards with her album Come Away With Me that would go on to sell 27 million copies. UK artist Jamie Cullum’s allbum Twentysomething
The Show Must Go On | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
In the midst of 2003's major news headlines like SARS, the US-led, post-9/11 invasion of Iraq, and the first same-sex marriage in Canada, the Vancouver Jazz Festival began with its own breaking news. On the eve of the festival, the Coastal Jazz offices were broken into and the phone lines cut as 1,700 artists were
WAS 2002 PEAK FESTIVAL? | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By 2002 the Jazz Festival had blossomed into "one of the continent’s finest annual musical events" (The Wire, UK). The Vancouver Sun called it “Ten Days of Heaven.” Welcome to peak jazz fest. The sheer volume of programming seemed to explode from the previous year, which had drawn 415,000 visitors to its shows. Coastal
TO THE BEAT OF – JAZZ? | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The summer of 2001 turned out to be the second hottest year on record, and that may have had something to do with that year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival, which continued to impress. “VIJF reinvents itself with fusion and funk,” wrote The Vancouver Sun, referring to bands like Metalwood: Vancouverites Brad Turner keyboards, trumpet and
A BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The year 2000 - or Y2K, if you’re old enough to recall - saw Coastal Jazz celebrate its 15th festival. It kicked off with a cover story in The Vancouver Sun titled, Sound Festival - The du Maurier International Jazz Festival Vancouver has evolved into a model North American cultural event in just 15 years
AHEAD BY A CENTURY | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
As the 20th Century drew to a close, 1999 opened with a few major events that would leave a lasting mark on the world. The year began with the introduction of the euro currency, easing trade and investment across European countries. The Columbine shooting (and the copycat killings it inspired) brought school safety and gun
JAZZ FEST IS A SMASH | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By 1998, the accolades for Vancouver’s Jazz Festival from around the globe were hard to ignore. It had consistently delivered “the most concentrated week of creative music on the planet.” Each year artists, music fans and artists sought out to experience it themselves. “Your festival is justly considered by everyone to be one of the
A TURNING POINT FOR COASTAL JAZZ | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Karen Dar Woon & Meredith Bates Board Co-Chairs As you may know, Coastal Jazz lost its title corporate sponsor in 2022. The effects of this loss, compounded by the global pandemic and declining national arts and culture funding, have created significant challenges for our organization. Today, on Giving Tuesday, a day where the world
THE DAWN OF DAVID LAM PARK | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The 12th annual du Maurier International Jazz Festival landed June 20 - 29, 1997. That year had a memorable impact on the nineties, giving birth to not one but two massive entertainment icons - the first book in the Harry Potter series and the movie Titanic. Streaming books, movies and music was still quite a
GO BIG AND GO GLOBAL | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Eleven years in, the Vancouver Jazz Festival was in a zone. It had just passed the ten year mark.Audiences were coming out in droves. There had been plenty of accolades and worldwide media attention, but as the year kicked off, the team at Coastal was likely more interested in the music – and for good
The Business of Branding a Festival | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By 1988 the brand of the du Maurier International Jazz Festival was starting to take root. One of the most beloved tools for navigating any festival as an audience member is the printed festival program guide. The guide has everything you need - maps, schedules, calendars of events, artist bios. For the truly faithful, their
A FEST FOR THE CURIOUS LISTENER | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
In 1995 the Vancouver Jazz Festival celebrated a major milestone with its tenth anniversary. In just under a decade, Vancouver had become so synonymous with jazz that Gastown would be referred to as Bourbon Street North, a nod to the Festival’s free opening weekend performances that drew thousands to the neighbourhood's streets. In 1994, total
THE BIG DADDY OF WEST COAST FESTIVALS | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
This week’s flashback takes us to 1994, a year that goes down in the annals of history as a pretty darn eventful one. It was the year NAFTA was established. The year a massive earthquake shook parts of Los Angeles to the ground. Woodstock turned 25 and the World Series was cancelled. In June 1994,
THE JAZZ FEST CIRCLE OF LIFE | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Eight years in, the du Maurier International Jazz Festival was widely regarded as one of the best throughout North America, "an achievement which contributes to the outside perception that this is an exciting musical place with a lot of talented jazz musicians living in a really stimulating environment.” (Where Vancouver) And it was, thanks to year
WHAT IS IT ABOUT JAZZ? | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By 1992, Vancouver’s appetite for jazz music appeared to be insatiable. Perhaps people were still reeling from the loss of Miles Davis, whose death in September 1991 had given the genre a boost in the minds of music lovers. With attendance increasing year over year for seven years, the Festival had proven it could draw
THE FESTIVAL FINDS ITS NICHE | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
In 1991 the onset of a new decade was still looking rough around the edges, proving change can be hard. While the economy was strong and it marked the official end of the Cold War, other conflicts were igniting, as Canada sent troops to support the Gulf War against Iraq. With the release of Nirvana’s
VANCOUVER’S FIRST DANCE PARTY IN THE STREETS | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
It's fitting that the cover of the 1990 jazz festival guidebook featured an image of artists playing instruments atop a cityscape background. In just five years, the annual music fest had exploded to new heights. The previous year's event drew about 100,000 people - a 30 percent jump over 1988 - and the team
VANCOUVER HAS ITS FIRST DANCE PARTY | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
It's fitting that the cover of the 1990 jazz festival guidebook featured an image of artists playing instruments atop a cityscape background. In just five years, the annual music fest had exploded to new heights. The previous year's event drew about 100,000 people - a 30 percent jump over 1988 - and the team
COASTAL CREATES A MUSICAL UNIVERSE | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By 1989, Coastal Jazz had four jazz festivals under their belt - three with du Maurier sponsorship - and had made an indelible mark on Vancouver’s cultural scene. Vancouver Magazine wrote, "In just five years, they have brought the music out from its bohemian shadows and into the big time, with an annual jazz festival