. THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT 25 JUNE 24-JULY I , 1988

JazzLocals
toWatchFor
A bevy of Vancouver players complements imports

I

in all the excitement
over the big names and
rarely seen exotics that
are coming to this year's du

Off Beat
ALEX VARTY
Maurier International
Jazz
Festival, 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-

grammlng 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 ► MICHAEL
BISIO QUARTET 3 pm ► HAL
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
► GOLIA-TCHICAI-SMITH QUINTET 5
pm ► MOIRE MUSIC 6 pm

► Third 1 Annual

du Maurier lnternatiorlal Jazz
Festiva1I
1

170 performances by 350 musicians
from around the world, June 24-July 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 fair, July
1-3, at the Plaza of Nations. Concert
tlx and festival passes on sale at
VTCICBO outlets, Black Swan and
Highlife Records. Info 280·4444.
EXPO THEATRE ► YOUSSOU N'DOUR
ET LE SUPER ETOILE DE DAKAR/THE
ZAWINUL SYNDICATE (N'Dour leads a
,2-piece high•energy dance band trom

Senegal, West Africa. Weather Report
co.founder Zawinul joins his new jazz.
fusion•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 drum•
mer 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
86 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 ► SALIF
KEITAITHEMBA TANA'S AFRICAN
HERITAGE (Salif Kieta is a

sophisticated African pop star from
Mali 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 celtic and calypso music) July
3, 10 pm
VANCOUVER EAST CULTURAL CEN•
TRE ► ANDREW HILL/UNITY (Solo per-

formance by acclaimed pianist Hill.
Saxophonist Graham Ord leads the
spirited quartet Unity) June 25, 8 pm
► STRING TRIO OF NEW YORK WITH
JAY CLA YTONIJOE 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 Winds·is a world-class, allsaxophone ensemble. Chief Feature is
a marriage of traditional and avant
garde elements) June 27, 8 pm
► MASQUALEROIVIDEO BAR-8-QUE
(Masqualero is an internationally ac•
claimed 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,
pm ► CHARLIE HADEN'$ QUARTET
WEST/CLAUDE RANGER QUINTET
(Haden's quartet includes sax great Ernie Watts, pianist Alan Broadbent, and
drummer Paul Motian. 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 trom•
bone 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
6pm
COMEDY CLUB ► CONTREVENT noon
► SILK STOCKINGS 1 pm ► JOHN
RAPSON QUARTET 3 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
► REFLEXIONEN 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
KATZ5 pm
DISCOVERY THEATRE ► KATHY KIDD
TRIO noon ► BILL EMES QUARTET 1

pm

► REFLEXIONEN 3 pm

SANKARAN/VINNY
► V.E.J.I. 7 pm

► TR/CHY

GOLIA 5 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
28 ► LINTON GARNER TRIO June 29
► HAL RUSSELL NRG ENSEMBLE
June 30 ► PHILIPPE LAPOINTE
QUINTET July 1 ► VINNY GOLIA
TRIO July 2 ► 808 BELL BAND July

3
PACIFIC CENTRE (11:30 am-1:30 pm)
► MICROSCOPIC SEXTET June 27
► PERRY WHITE QUARTET June 28
► CREATURES 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
Charlie 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, e~pecially 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
Local sax player Phil Dwyer is one of many participating in the
at this juncture.
jazz fest's free shows. Photo by Oraf.
"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
will be able to sit-and-sip
their late 20s and their 30s
plaza-side at the Unicorn
who are dealing with really
By Ken Eisner
original musical concepts. If
pub.
Vancouver-boosters
will
you had listened to somear be it from us to disturn out for Skywalk. but
body like [Lunar Advencourage anyone paythey should also check out
Ing for the top-level
tures'
tenor saxophonist]
keyboardist
Bob Murphy,
Coat Cook a few years ago, entertainment
at this year's
he would have sounded just
who's joined by three stragdu Maurier International
like the next guy. Now he's
gling Skywalkers, and enJazz Festival, but for music
got his own sound. Same
cyclopaedic pianists Louise·
dabblers, or those who've
with Graham
Ord, Rob
already shot their big-ticket
Rose and Erle Vaughn.
Frayne,
and those guys: , bucks, a week's worth (June
Then there are special visits
they're dealing with some
24 to July 3) of glorious
by high-powered saxers Phil
really Interesting ideas, and
Dwyer, with Portland basfreebies Is available on Granthey don't sound like they've
sist David Friesen
and
ville Island and at the Oakbeen stamped out with that
drummer Claude Ranger,
ridge and Pacific Centre
retro-jazz cookie cutter."
and the ubiquitous
Ryga,
malls.
Pickering says the VanThese lunchtime concerts
with super singers Shannon
couver Jazz scene is distinct
(check Time Out In this
Gunn and June
Katz.
from those elsewhere be- paper for details) feature
Another
young horn-cat,
cause of the high degree of such established local lights
Ross Taggart, moves over
co-operation among players.
as sax-man Campbell Ryga,
to piano to support tenor"That's unique, to a certain
man Michael Blake, who
piano veteran Linton Garndegree.
In other scenes
er (Erroll's brother), and fu- will be showing off his rethere's more of a scattershot
sion guitarists Philippe La- cently acquired New York
approach,
a lack of co- pointe and Daryl Jahnke,
chops.
operation and organization .. but such lesser-known exThe festival-closing VEJI
Here, where there are so few . perlmentalists as Creatures
tribute to John Coltrane, "A
venues that book jazz of any
Love Supreme", will unite
of Habit and the Casasort, let alone creative im- blanca Cowboys shouldn't
many of these fine players,
provisation, musicians work
be Ignored. However, it's the
but other great one-off Jams
in. the face of adversity:
out-of-town talent that's surwill take place when Golia
either you organize and co- prising here: look for specjoins Tchicai for some quinoperate or you die.
tet blowing, as well as pairtacular sets from the all-sax"It's harder to pinpoint a ophone Sl:a: Winds (featuring off with Sri Lankan
specific Vancouver style of ing legendary Coltrane sidemaster
drummer
Trlchy
playing; stylistic differences
man John Tchicai). L.A. sax
Sankaran for some multiare trickier to define. I would
tyro Vinny
Golla,
New
cultural excitement.
say that there's a level of York's wild Microscopic
In fact. the international
• energy here that's unusual,
Septet, and the swinging
element in the event's title
perhaps because of the inHal Russell NRG Ensem- . has never been more domfluence of Ornette Coleman
i_nant. Along with increased
ble from Chicago.
and Cecil Taylor. There's a
But the ultimate bash is at
African presence, the threeconcern with high-energy
the Expo site's Plaza of Na- day send-off is heavy with
projection. And some of the
European adventurers: Swetions. From noon to 7 p.m.
playing has been very much
den's Panta Rel, Holland's
on Friday. Saturday
and
influenced by Celtic music,
Sunday (July 1 to 3). acts
Loek Dlkker.
and the
which is unusual, and by
from all over the world will French-Swiss-American
Revarious
strains
of world
revolve
democratically
fle:a:lonen all combine tradimusic as well. There's a lot
around
three overlapping
tional jazz influences with
of diversity, but those are the
free-wheeling improvisation.
stages at the Comedy Club,
main streams of influence."
Britain's Moire Music and
Discovery Theatre and the
the very Australian (all right.
Vancouver jazz may still
covered Plaza amphitheatre
be hard to pin down, but at
itself (although we should be so that's the other side of the
least it's out of the basein for sunshine
this time : world) Wizards of Oz take
ments and bedrooms and onthe Shuffle
Demons/Art
around, unlike last year).
to the streets, where its
Ensemble
approa,ch even
There will also be a conevolutionary processes will
further
into ethno-jazzcerted effort to create a real
be much easier to trace.
(whew!).
festival atmosphere, with a theatrical-futurism
Given this increased visibiliAnd, when you're ready to
wide array of international
ty, and the determination of food booths, displays by In- touch Earth again, don't
players and concert promiss the pure Jazz roots of
strument makers and other
ducers alike to make VanJeni Legon and Jazz Clnq.
craftspeople,
record sales,
couver a real "Jazz city",
exhibits of art relating to The pioneering Ms. • Legon
1988 may come to be seen as
jazz. festival memorabilia,
was dancing
with Fred
a watershed year. one in
and other entertainments.
Astaire and singing with
which a previously overlookThe weekend, will be family
Fats Waller before most of us
ed aspect of our cultural conoriented-there's
no beer
were around to play records
glomerate emerged to claim
or go to blood-pumping, allgarden planned this yearits rightful place as one of the
but those wishing to quench
out concerts like these. ■
most dynamic of the arts. ■ ' that particular kind of thirst

l>Qn't
Ignore
the
Festival
Freebies
F

THE GEORGIASTRAIGHT26 JUNE24-JUL
Y I, 1988

LHERN'S
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