. THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 25 JUNE 24-JUL Y I , 1988

A bevy of Vancouver players complements imports
in all the excitement
over the big names and
rarely seen exotics that
e coming to this year's du

ff Beat
aurier International Jazz
estival, it might be easy to
overlook the scores of festival performances by Vancouver-based musicians.

Jazz Festival organizers
feel that part of their mandate includes introducing
local performers to audiences that have so far shown
a reluctance to venture into
the often obscure venues
where Vancouver's creative
music is being made yearround. And so they've tapped local groups to open for
most of the more visible bigname concerts on this year's
schedule, in addition to pro-

gramming several open-air
venues where the idly
curious can sample local
talent for free.
Actually, the festival's
parent organization, the
Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, is almost unique
among festival programmers
in the depth of its commitment to original, creative
music in its home territory.
Working with the New Orchestra Workshop (a local

LERICHE TRIO 2 pm
OJC:-11"'1 r)IIA DT,:::T?

r"-,....

► MICHAEL
~J.11\L

RUSSELL NRG ENSEMBLE 5 pm

DISCOVERY THEATRE ► JEFF
JOHNSTON QUARTET noon ► ROB
FRAYNE-JEFF JOHNSTON QUARTET
1 pm ► JENI LEGON & JAZZ CINQ 2
pm ► SILK STOCKINGS 3 pm
► CLAUDE RANGER QUINTET 4 pm
► GOL/A-TCHICAI-SMITH QUINTET 5
pm ► MOIRE MUSIC 6 pm

► Third 1 Annual

du Maurier International Jazz
Festiva1I
1

170 performances by 350 musicians
from around the world, June 24.Ju/y 3
at venues below, plus the Landmark
Jazz Bar, the Hot Jazz Club, Isadora's,
the Classical Joint, Hogan's Alley, the
Granville Island Public Market, Pacific
Centre TD Plaza, and Oakridge Centre.
In addition, Jazz at the Plaza offers
free admmission to hear 40 bands and
enjoy an International food lair, July
1-3, at the Plaza of Nations. Concert
tlx and festival passes on sale at
VTCICBO outlets, Black Swan and
Highli/e Records. Info 280-4444.
EXPO THEATRE ► YOUSSOU N'DOUR
ET LE SUPER ETOILE DE DAKAR/THE
ZAWINUL SYNDICATE (N'Dour leads a
12-plece high-energy dance band from

Senegal, West Africa. Weather Report
co-founder Zawlnul joins his new Jazz•
fuslon-R&B-funk band) June 24, 8:30
pm
VANCOUVER PLAYHOUSE ► J.J.
JOHNSON QUINTET (Jazz trombone
Innovator) June 26, 8 pm
WESTERN FRONT ► HORACE
TAPSCOTT (Solo concert by one of

the most fluent voices In post-bop
piano) June 26, 5:30 pm ► GEORGE
LEWIS (Chicago composer performs
Interactive computer music) June 27,
5:30 pm ► JOHN OSWALD & ALEX
VARTY (Radical saxophonist-composer
Oswald Is joined by alternative guitar
stylist Varty) June 28, 5:30 pm ► HAL
RUSSELL'S NRG ENSEMBLE (Chicago
ensemble reflects strains of Ellington,
Ornette, European folk melodies, and
free Improvisation) June 29, 5:30 pm
► TOM CORA (Solo concert by New
York-based "mega-technician" of the
cello) June 30, 5:30 pm ► ROBERT
LERICHE TRIO (One of Canada's
finest saxophonists, joined by drummer Claude Ranger and bassist Clyde
Reed) July 1, 9 pm ► CONTREVENT
(Jazz, folk, classical, and fusion
elements, showcasing an unusual
cello-vibraphone frontline) July 2, 9 pm
88 STREET MUSIC HALL ► MANTECA
(Award-winning jazz-funk-fusion band
from Toronto) June 25, 10 pm
► RANDY BRECKER QUARTET/OUT
OF THE BLUE (Veteran trumpet great,
plus Blue Note recording artists that
perform In the hard-bop tradition) June
28, 10 pm
COMMODORE BALLROOM ► SAL/F
KEITAITHEMBA TANA'S AFRICAN
HERITAGE (Sall! Kiele is a

sophisticated African pop star from
Mall with strong Arabic influence.
Themba Tana draws on musical experiences In Zimbabwe, Botswana,
and Mozambique) July 1, 10 pm
► BILL BRUFORD'S EARTHWORKS
(Influential British drummer from Yes
is joined by remarkable lineup of
English modern jazz musicians) July 2,
10 pm ► ORNETTE COLEMAN &
PRIME TIME/LUNAR ADVENTURES
(Coleman is recognized as one of the
most Influential saxophonists, composers, and bandleaders In jazz
history. Lunar Adventures perform
everything from jazz and harmolodic
funk to celtlc and calypso music) July
3, 10 pm
VANCOUVER EAST CULTURAL CEN•
TRE ► ANDREW HILL/UNITY (Solo per•

formance by acclaimed pianist HIii.
Saxophonist Graham Ord leads the
spirited quartet Unity) June 25, 8 pm
► STRING TRIO OF NEW YORK WITH
JAY CLAYTON/JOE BJORNSON
QUARTET (String Trio's music ranges
from swinging Hot Club of Francestyle string-band jazz, to echoes of
Western Swing, ballads, blues and
modernist compositions. Trombonist
Joe Bjornson and his quartet perform.
creative, experimental jazz) June 26, 8

pm ► SIX WINDS/CHIEF FEATURE
(Six Wlnds·ls a world-class, allsaxophone ensemble. Chief Feature Is
a marriage of traditional and avant
garde elements) June 27, 8 pm
► MASQUALEROIVIDEO BAR•B-QUE
(Masqualero is an Internationally acclaimed quintet from Norway with a
highly developed group sound and
original compositions. Video Bar-BQue Is a seven-member Vancouver
ensemble that creates a post-modern
electro-acoustic brew of Improvisation
within a framework of original compositions and arrangements) June 28,
8 pm ► CHARLIE HADEN'S QUARTET
WEST/CLAUDE RANGER QUINTET
(Haden's quartet Includes sax great Er•
nle Watts, pianist Alan Broadbent, and
drummer Paul Motlan. Ranger Is one
of the premiere drumming talents In
Canada) June 29, 8 pm ► MICHELE
ROSEWOMAN QUINTET/TURNAROUND (Rosewoman Is a pianist
whose solos are Inventive, rhapsodic,
and fastidiously constructed. Turnaround Is a local, Interpretive Jazz
quintet featuring vocalist Kate
Hammett-Vaughan) June 30, 8 pm
► SEMANTICS/RENE LUSSIER, JEAN
DEROME & TOM CORA (Semantics is
a long-running collaborative group
from New York featuring Elliot Sharp
(guitar, bass clarinet), Ned Rothenberg
(reeds, flutes), and Samm Bennett
(drums). Lussier and Derome create a
unique blend of jazz, Quebecois folk
reels and rhythms, free Improvisation,
and post-Hendrix sonics. They appear
In trio form with cellist Cora) July 1, 8
pm ► GARY BURTON QUINTET/JOHN
RAPSON QUARTET (Burton Is a
Grammy-award winning vibraphonist
several times over. Rapson Is a trombone virtuoso and Inspired composer)
July 2, 8 pm ► ARCHIE SHEPP &
HORACE PARLANICELSO MACHADO
(Shepp and Parlan are veteran tenor
sax and piano players. Machado Is an
acclaimed Brazilian guitarist from
Bahia) July 3, 8 pm

► Jazz at the Plaza
FRIDAY, JULY 1
PLAZA STAGE ► LOEK DIKKER
QUINTET noon ► JIM CHIVERS
QUARTET 2 pm ► PANTA REI '3 pm
► JOHN RAPSON QUARTET 5 ~m
► SKYWALK 6 pm
COMEDY CLUB ► THIN MEN noon
► SIX WINDS 1 pm ► ROBERT

SATURDAY, JULY 2
PLAZA STAGE ► PANTA REI noon
► WIZARDS OF OZ 2 pm ► LOEK DIKKER QUINTET 4 pm ► MOIRE MUSIC

8pm
COMEDY CLUB ► CONTREVENT noon
► SILK STOCKINGS 1 pm ► JOHN
RAPSON QUARTET3 pm ► ROBERT
LERICHE SEXTET 4 pm ► LUSSIER­
DEROME-CORA 5 pm
DISCOVERY THEATRE ► JEFF
JOHNSTON QUARTET noon
► MICHAEL BLAKE QUARTET 1 pm
► DAVID FRIESEN TRIO 2 pm
► REFLEXION EN 3 pm ► THIN MEN 5
pm ► LORRAINE DESMARAIS TRIO 6
pm

SUNDAY, JULY 3
PLAZA OF NATIONS ► SHANNON
GUNN noon ► BOB MURPHY
QUARTET 1 pm ► BRASS ROOTS 2
pm ► ERIC VAUGHN QUARTET 3 pm
► HUGH FRASER QUINTET 4 pm
► LOUISE ROSE 5 pm ► RICH
HALLEY & LIZARD BROTHERS 6 pm
COMEDY CLUB ► JOHN RAPSON
QUARTET noon ► ROBERT LERICHE
TRIO 1 pm ► CONTREVENT 2 pm
► SILK STOCKINGS 3 pm ► JUNE
KATZ 5 pm
DISCOVERY THEATRE ► KATHY KIDD
TRIO noon ► BILL EMES QUARTET 1
pm ► REFLEXIONEN 3 pm ► TR/CHY
SANKARAN/VINNY GOLIA 5 pm
► V.E.J.I. 7 pm

► Free Concerts
GRANVILLE ISLAND MARKET STAGE
(12 noon-2 pm) ► CAMPBELL RYGA
QUARTET June 24 ► ROBIN SHIER
QUINTET June 25 ► SAUL BERSON
QUINTET June 26 ► BUDGE SHAKTE
QUINTET June 27 ► SIX WINDS June
21! ► LINTON GARNER TRIO June 29
► HAL RUSSELL NRG ENSEMBLE
June 30 ► PHILIPPE LAPOINTE
QUINTET July 1 ► VINNY GOLIA
TRIO July 2 ► BOB BELL BAND July
3
PACIFIC CENTRE (11:30 am-1:30 pm)
► MICROSCOPIC SEXTET June 27
► PERRY WHITE QUARTET June 28
► CREA TURES OF HABIT June 29
► SIX WINDS June 30 ► COAST
QUARTET July 1
OAKRl;>GE (1:30-3:30 pm)
► CASABLANCA COWBOYS June 25
► DARYL JAHNKE TRIO June 26

If you see only one concert at
this year's du Maurier International Jazz Festival, you should
see the opening show at the Expo Theatre this Friday Qune 24).
European jazz pioneer Joe
Zawinul, best-known for his
work with Weather Report, will
open with his new band the
Zawlnul Syndicate, while
African pop superstar Youssou
Ch~lie Haden
N'Dour will close the show.
Other shows worth catching during the festival's first week include the Latin-jazz-funk of Toronto's Manteca at 86 Street on
Saturday Qune 25) and the straight-ahead jazz of trombone innovator J.J. Johnson on Sunday at the Vancouver Playhouse.
Monday's pick is the Vancouver East Cultural Centre show by
saxophone sextet Six Winds. Tuesday's pick is also at the
Cultch, where Norwegian jazzers Masqualero will be playing.
Wednesday offers a tough choice between the sweet, beautiful
and laid-back sounds of Charlie Haden's Quartet West at the
Cultch and the funk and rock-tinged sounds of Randy Brecker,
appearing with Blue Note recording artists Out of the Blue at
86 Street. Pick up next week's edition of the Georgia Straight on
Thursday for the city's most complete festival coverage and
highlights of the event's closing weekend .

musican's co-operative), the
now sadly defunct Cafe
Transit, and with the Western Front and grunt gallery
arts centres, the society has
actively campaigned to raise
the profile of Vancouver's
modern jazz musicians, and
more plans are in the works
for year-round events outside the scope of the
festival's 10-day stretch.
Ken Pickering, a founding
member of the society and
the jazz festival's artistic
director, says the time is
right for his organization to
more actively promote Vancouver talent. "The level of
playing, especially of those
players involved in the New
Orchestra Workshop, is on a
par with the best improvising or jazz playing happening in this country. Or in
America," he says. "I don't
think these musicians have
to take a back seat to anyone
at this juncture.
"It's the maturity factor.
These players have all been
working on their music for a
number of years, and that
work is now paying dividends. There are also young
players coming up, who are
also sounding good, but it's
the players that are now in
their late 20s and their 30s
who are dealing with really
original musical concepts. If
you had listened to somebody like [Lunar Adventures' tenor saxophonist]
Coat Cook a few years .ago,
he would have sounded just
like the next uy. Now he's
got his own sound. Same
with Graham Ord, Rob
Frayne, and those guys:
they're dealing with some
really interesting ideas, and
they don't sound like they've
been stamped out with that
retro-jazz cookie cutter."
Pickering says the Vancouver jazz scene is distinct
from those elsewhere because of the high degree of
co-operation among players.
"That's unique, to a certain
degree. In other scenes
there's more of a scattershot
approach, a lack of cooperation and organization.
Here, where there are so few
venues that book jazz of any
sort, let alone creative improvisation, musicians work
in the face of adversity:
either you organize and cooperate or you die.
"It's harder to pinpoint a
specific Vancouver style of
playing; stylistic differences
are trickier to define. I would
say that there's a level of
energy here that's unusual,
perhaps because of the influence of Ornette Coleman
and Cecil Taylor. There's a
concern with high-energy
projection. And some of the
playing has been very much
influenced by Celtic music,
which is unusual, and by
various strains of world
music as well. There's a lot
of diversity, but those are the
main streams of influence."
Vancouver jazz may still
be hard to pin down, but at
least it's out of the basements and bedrooms and onto the streets, where its
evolutionary processes will
be much easier to trace.
Given this increased visibility, and the determination of
players and concert producers alike to make Vancouver a real "jazz city",
1988 may come to be seen as
a watershed year, one in
which a previously overlooked aspect of our cultural conglomerate emerged to claim
its rightful place as one of the
most dynamic of the arts. ■

THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 26 JUNE 24-JULY I, 1988

PRESENTS

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