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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
PROGRAMMING THE FESTIVAL WITH PURPOSE | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
As we tread slowly towards the festival’s 40th anniversary, we’re revisiting each one in a flashback. (Click here if you missed our first few.) Let’s fast forward to June 1988. Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics in February. The Soviet Union had just collapsed. The movie Die Hard was not yet considered a Christmas movie.
GETTING THE KEYS TO THE CITY | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By 1987, Coastal Jazz and Blues Society had set the standard for the presentation of jazz and blues music in the Pacific Northwest. They had made global headlines with the first du Maurier International Jazz Festival during Expo 86. The City of Vancouver officially commemorated the week of June 26, 1987 "du Maurier International Jazz
FESTIVAL TALES: INSIDER INFO with NOU DADOUN | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Originally posted June 6, 2020 As we begin to share the many hilarious, touching, profound, and silly stories you shared with us about the Festival, we thought we'd start with some of our insiders: our board members. Nou Dadoun has been around since Day 1, and here he shares how he first got involved. This
VANCOUVER LANDS ON THE WORLD STAGE | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Last week we initiated the first in a series of jazz festival flashbacks, highlighting the inaugural event in 1985. Let’s roll forward to 1986, shall we? Top Gun was the summer’s hottest movie. The band Boney M released The Best of 10 Years album, while a boy group called New Kids on the Block were
A Trip Down Memory Lane | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Imagine it’s August 1985. It’s the summer of Live Aid. SkyTrain’s Expo Line is still months away from opening. You can buy a home in the West End for around $200,000. The Canucks have recently lost in the Division Semi-Finals (3-0) to the Edmonton Oilers. Corey Hart and Platinum Blonde dominate the Canadian music charts,
Join the Coastal Jazz Board of Directors | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Are you interested in stewarding the future of Coastal Jazz? We are currently recruiting expressions of interest to join the Coastal Jazz Board of Directors for the 2024-25 anniversary season and beyond. Board members have the opportunity to lend their expertise to stewarding the mission and vision of the organization as we enter our 40th
More Must-See Free Shows | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert There’s an old adage that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. This might be true, but thanks to our friends at Coastal Jazz, there is such a thing as a free Jazz concert. In fact, at this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival, there are literally dozens of them. Artist Talks
Tim’s Picks – Must-See Free Shows | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert The term “Free Jazz” has a specific meaning in Jazz lore, and it usually describes Jazz that is more adventurous, and less beholden to some of the rules that guide traditional Jazz forms. But today’s article deals with Free Jazz of another kind, and that’s the kind that is actually free. That’s
Festival Artists Who Defy Boundaries | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert For decades, Downbeat Magazine has had the tagline “Jazz, Blues & Beyond” underneath their logo. Essentially, it’s a catch-all term to describe the music that doesn’t comfortably fit into existing or pre-approved categories. And that’s what we’re talking about today: the music that is at this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival that
Festival Artists Reinventing the Jazz Genre | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert Jazz evolves and it changes. That’s not a bug, it’s a feature. It’s one of the things this music is most known for, and it’s why there is endless debate as to what, exactly, Jazz is. This year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival lineup doesn’t pretend to know how to answer that question,
Improvisation is the Backbone to Jazz | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Vanessa Tam While improvisation exists in every genre of music to a degree, with Jazz, it goes much deeper. Usually featuring a lead singer or instrumentalist, the ensembles compose melodies on the spot over a chord progression played by the rhythm section instruments. Built on their relationships as well as the countless hours they’ve
International Harmonies at The Festival | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert Music is known as the universal language, but there are an unending amount of dialects, with every area of the world providing a plethora of different musical sub genres for us to disseminate. And as our world has gotten smaller over the last century through technology, our access to music has expanded
Sounds that Swing at the Jazz Festival | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert It’s time to talk about Jazz. Now, it might feel a little reductive to call out the fact that I’m going to talk about Jazz in my first article about this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival. I mean…it’s an article about a Jazz festival…it’s a given that I’m going to talk about
Hip Hop as a Headliner | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Vanessa Tam At first glance, it may seem odd to have the headliners for the 39th Annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival Grammy be award winning rapper Killer Mike, jazz futurist Kassa Overall, and hip-hop artist Odario. Possibly because the first impressions of a Hip Hop show usually bring up visions of sneaker culture, sweaty
Instruments that Built the Foundations of Jazz | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Vanessa Tam Jazz as an artform is so much more than a bunch of talented musicians playing a piece of music together, it’s a demonstration of rhythmic energy, improvisation, and the mastering of an instrument. It’s what makes Jazz stand out from every other genre of music; the ability to highlight the masterful stylings
BCLC Community Ticketing Program Returns | Coastal Jazz | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Coastal Jazz is proud to welcome BCLC back as a major Festival partner for 2024, including the return of the BCLC Community Ticketing Program! With the help of partners like BCLC we’re able to fulfill our mission of making live music accessible to all communities, and we want you and your organization to have a
Happy Jazz Appreciation Month | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Mary Acheta Dear Fellow Jazz Enthusiasts, Happy JAM! Or Jazz Appreciation Month! Since 2001, April has been the official “Jazz Appreciation Month” to recognize the extraordinary heritage and history of jazz. As April unfolds and Spring blossoms, I write to you to celebrate the incredible jazz scene we have created and cultivated in our beautiful city
New Educational Initiative Explores Musical Improvisation | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Acclaimed Multi-Instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily Leads the New Improvisers Studio Coastal Jazz and Western Front are pleased to present the inaugural year of The New Improvisers Studio, a week-long educational initiative for 12 young musicians ages 17 to 24 from any musical background who are interested in building their improvisation skills. The New Improvisers Studio supports
The Enduring Connections of Artists in Residence | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
The Coastal Jazz Artist in Residence program was created to spotlight the individual work of select artists while at the same time, offer them the ability to connect with our local talent and dedicated Jazz Festival audiences. Each year, Coastal Jazz invites artists to experience the Festival and Vancouver through talks, collaborations, workshops, and a
Dominique Fils-Aimé: Beyond the Trilogy | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Nou Dadoun Dominique Fils-Aimé first came across my radar when she unexpectedly won the Vocal Jazz Album of the Year JUNO Award in 2020 for her album Stay Tuned over better known nominees like Bria Skonberg and Elizabeth Shepherd. In digging into her background, I was intrigued to discover that the winning album was
An Artist’s Journey Through Coastal Jazz | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Dominic Malleus's journey with live jazz began as it does for many kids growing up in Vancouver - as a child attending the International Jazz Festival with his parents. Over the years, he immersed himself in the festival's free shows and even became a volunteer. These volunteer experiences allowed him to access shows that would
Help Us Preserve Vancouver’s Cultural Jazz Legacy | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Nina Horvath Today is Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving and unity. It's a day where we come together to support causes we believe in. I've been with Coastal Jazz for just over two years now as the Executive Director and I’m still just as excited about what we do as when I
How to Foster a Vibrant Music Scene | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Last week Taylor Swift announced her Eras Tour is coming to Vancouver for three shows in December 2024. While dedicated Swifties strategize how to snag a ticket (we heard hotels are already fully booked for the dates!), it has also prompted a lively discussion about the need to support our own local artists. What if
The Future of Live Performance | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Nina Horvath As I take a moment away from writing grants today, it’s a valuable touchpoint to revisit memories like the one above. I can remember the warmth of the sun, the smiles of the crowd, the power of the performers and the shared joy and energy of everyone. It’s these moments that validate
Thank You for an Amazing Festival | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Luke Resoun On behalf of the Coastal Jazz board, staff, and numerous volunteers of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your ongoing support. Our organization has devoted countless hours to curating an unforgettable experience for the people of Vancouver and beyond, showcasing an exceptional lineup of
Tim’s Picks from our Free Show Lineup – Part Two | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert This year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival looks a little different than previous iterations but the festival’s commitment to free music hasn’t wavered. There’s over 50 free shows this year. Here are some of the ones I’m most excited about that are taking place in the second half of the festival. William
Tim’s Top Picks from our Free Show Lineup – Part One | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert This year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival looks a little different than previous iterations but the festival’s commitment to free music hasn’t wavered. There are over 50 free shows this year. Here are the ones I’m most excited about that are taking place in the first half of the festival. See You
Serving up Trumpets and Keys | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert The Vancouver International Jazz Festival has been associated with the trumpet since Miles Davis played the very first festival back in 1986. The piano was also well represented at that festival by incredible performances from legends like Cedar Walton and Mal Waldron. The festival’s relationship with both instruments continues to this day,
Where to Start with Sun Ra | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Jeff Brocklebank Intimidated by Sun Ra’s immense, diverse and confusing discography? You are not alone. I don’t think there’s a definitive count of his albums, but there are well over 100 releases on all kinds of labels, big and small, as well as private presses. It’s also confusing how many different styles of
Tim’s Picks on Sax & Guitar | Coastal Jazz & Blues Society | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
By Tim Reinert In theory, all instruments are created equal. But in jazz, there are instruments that get more attention than others, for better or worse. Two that get the lion’s share of interest from both die-hard and casual fans, are the saxophone and guitar. Today we’ll discuss some of the great practitioners of both