Vancouver’s jazz festival certainly attracts some big names. From Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis in the mid 80s during this jazz festival’s inception, to names like The Roots, and Tower of Power playing now. The VJF has been a powerhouse for over 30 years! There are a few more days left in the festival, with lots of good music to get in on. If you’re not in Vancouver, check out some of the recordings online!
Co-founder John Orysik with the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society says it all started as a small regional event back in 1985, “featuring musicians from Vancouver, Seattle, [and] Portland, primarily, and now it’s grown into a major international showcase which draws hundreds of thousands of people from here and around the world.”
Orysik says that is quite the achievement. “Both for us as an organization but also for the City of Vancouver because it’s a real economic stimulus, it elevates the artistic scene here and fosters, really, positive social development.”
As for highlights? He says there’s been more than a few. “Those opening concerts in 1986 with Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis. The late great Ornette Coleman who performed here in 1986. Watching Diana Krall’s career explode from being a local artist to a major international star.”
With so many acts to check out, Orysik has this advice for those new to the Jazz Fest: “Well, I just recommend that people take in as many concerts as they can. There’s a huge free program but obviously we want them to go and experience the ticketed shows at the Vogue Theatre and Performance Works on Granville Island and the Orpheum Theatre and all that.
Take lots of vitamins, get lots of sleep and get ready for a 14 day spectacular, filled with all kinds of sights and sounds.”
This year’s line-up includes The Roots, Erykah Badu, Stanley Clarke, and Tower of Power, among many others.
The festival runs through July 1st. Via news1130.com
