MUSIC
Summer music fests return with a recharged vengeance by Mike Usinger
C
Mother Mother is one of the headliners for the inaugural edition of Ambleside Music Festival.
ongratulations, you made it— through a past couple of years that were unprecedented in our times, and during which you were never more aware of the power of live music. Having come through it all, you’re understandably beyond thrilled about the idea of gorging yourself. Not on takeout and Netflix—you did enough of that in 2020 and 2021 to last nine lifetimes. Instead you’re all about getting out and seeing as much live music as possible. And there’s no better place to do that than festivals, which are not only back, but back with a recharged vengeance. In the coming summer months you can look forward to not only hanging out with friends and fellow music fans again, but doing so at outdoor concerts that have become as much a part of the city as the beaches of Kitsilano, the cobblestone streets of Gastown, and the majestic North Shore mountains. See you in the front row. TD VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
From Dave Brubeck’s hypnotic “Take Five” to Thelonious Monk’s smoky “Round Midnight” to Miles Davis’s groundbreaking “So What”, sometimes music says more than words ever will. To that end, we could spend a good couple of thousand words trying to sum up the sprawl of this year’s TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Purists and adventurists will be thrilling to the likes of the Tord Gustavsen Trio, Brad Turner Quartet, and Immanuel Wilkins. Those for whom jazz will always mean the 30
THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT
JUNE 16 – 23 / 2022
Americana great Lucinda Williams plays the Vancouver jazz fest. Photo by Danny Clinch.
glory days of Blue Note and rainy nights in New York City are already looking forward to Jocelyn Gould and the Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio. And those for whom jazz is a state of mind rather than a strict label are stoked at the inclusion this year of Americana-oriented Lucinda Williams and Old Soul Rebel. If you really want a one-stop primer on the range of talent and styles on offer at the 2022 edition of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, programmers Cole Schmidt and Jeremy Page have created a digital cheat sheet. Working with fellow jazz fans and associates, the duo has come up with a series of Spotify playlists that spotlight the over 700 artists and 200 shows that are part of this year’s festival. (Simply punch in “coastaljazzprog” on the streaming service). Music does indeed sometimes say more than words ever will. Important details: June 24 to July 3 at various locations; visit coastaljazz.ca for the full schedule and ticket info. see next page
