Jazz Festival News Vancouver
By Vancouver and Beyond | Filed in Vancouver and Area Information
Jazz Fest Preview I: The Bassists
posted by Nou Dadoun
As a continuing mark of quality programming, this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival presents an incredible array of bass-players. In fact, one could easily argue that over the next couple of weeks, over a half-dozen of the world’s top ten bass players will be participating in performances at this year’s festival.
Dave Holland
Growing up in England, Dave Holland was inspired by Ray Brown, Charles Mingus, Jimmy Garrison and Scott Lafaro while collaborating in a musical community that included John McLaughlin, John Surman and Chris McGregor. Getting the call to work with Miles Davis kickstarted a career that has included working almost every major jazz artist in the last 40 years. Today, Dave Holland is one of the most versatile musicians around, leading his big band, quintet, trio and performing solo on both bass and cello. Any ensemble he joins becomes, by definition, an all-star group. Holland performs with the Herbie Hancock All-Star Ensemble also featuring saxophonist Chris Potter, and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta.
Miroslav Vitous
Like Holland, Vitous was another alumnus of Miles Davis’ electric ensembles, and subsequently, was a founding member of Weather Report with Zawinul and Wayne Shorter. His collaborations and recordings with the like of Chick Corea and fellow Czech Jan Hammer are the stuff of legend. In recent years, he has specialized in duo and solo performances with the occasional foray into larger collaborations like the Universal Syncopations projects for ECM. For this year’s festival, Miroslav Vitous resurrects a duo collaboration with Quebecois vibes player Jean Vanasse with whom he recorded the Nouvelle Cuisine album for Justin Time in the late 80s.
Steve Swallow
Steve Swallow has been musically linked with Gary Burton, Jimmy Giuffre, Bill Evans, Paul Motian and both Paul Bley & Carla Bley. As a poll-winner, educator, improviser, composer, he’s made a singular mark in contemporary jazz. Also reknowned as one of the instantly recognizable voices on the five-string electric bass, Steve Swallow performs at this year’s festival as part of the John Scofield Trio, another recurring collaboration which goes back almost 30 years.
Barry Guy
Barry Guy is an outstanding composer, improviser, educator and group leader. With his formidable technique, he’s equally at home with Bach, Stockhausen, Michael Nyman or Evan Parker. He has a predilection for leading and composing for large ensembles including collaborations with Vancouver’s NOW Orchestra and his own London Jazz Composer’s Orchestra. At this year’s festival, Barry Guy presents his ensemble The Barry Guy New Orchestra as well as a number of spin-off performances including a duo with Maya Homburger on baroque violin.
Charlie Haden
Like Holland, Charlie Haden is another collaborative genius who adds immediate prestige to any ensemble. At home in any setting from duets, to solo, to the Ornette Coleman quartet, to his own Liberation Music Orchestra. At the Centre this year, Haden brings back his long-standing and award-winning group Quartet West. Quartet West is inspired by the music, literature and ambient culture of post-war Los Angeles which was the scene of his early musical development and collaborations with Ornette Coleman, Paul Bley and Don Cherry. The quartet features veterans Ernie Watts, Alan Broadbent and relative newcomer Rodney Green.
Michel Donato
A uniquely Canadian treasure, Donato played one of the first Vancouver International Jazz Festivals in his acclaimed collaboration with vocalist Karen Young and returned a few years ago leading a quintet of young European players. Donato brings his new trio featuring accordionist Marin Nasturica and guitarist Jon Gearey to the festival to celebrate a swingin’ Canada Day down at Granville Island.
Renaud Garcia-Fons
A performer who may be relatively unknown in Vancouver, he is well-known and admired in Europe and his native France. He plays a modified 5-string bass which, together with his accomplished arco technique, presents a string palette which ranges from a sonorous bass up to the warm sound of a viola. French with a Spanish/Catalan heritage, his trio draws on elements of jazz, flamenco, musette and Mediterranean/Arabic flavours for an intriguing mix. Catch him the first of his two nights at Performance Works before the word gets out.
And that’s not even including bassists Michael Formanek (with Tim Berne), Michael Moore (with Dave Brubeck), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Wilbert de Joode and more!
For more information, concert schedules, and occasional sound samples, see http://www.coastaljazz.com/ .
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On a sad note, the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society issued the following press release today:
Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, producers of the TD Canada Trust Vancouver International Jazz Festival, wishes to express its profound sadness at the news of Esbjorn Svensson’s death on the weekend. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.
The acclaimed Swedish pianist and leader of the group e.s.t. died Saturday while scuba diving near his home in Stockholm. e.s.t. was scheduled to perform June 24 at The Centre on a double bill with the John Scofield Trio during the TD Canada Trust Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
The John Scofield Trio will now perform two sets for a total of 100 to 120 minutes starting at 7:30 PM during the B.C. Honda Dealers Classic Sounds at The Centre Series. Billed as “An Evening with the John Scofield Trio” the Festival wishes to thank guitarist John Scofield for graciously extending his performance.
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