Hockey and Jazz

Hockey and Jazz – June 1st, 2011 (by Ken Pickering)

Above all, one thing that’s been on everyone’s mind out here on the rainy west coast is hockey (sorry fellow Canadians) and that’s because our beloved Canucks (Canuckleheads) have made it to the Stanley Cup final and they’ll be facing off against the dreaded Boston Bruins (an original six team) for game one tonight in Vancouver. Our boys had an amazing year, a season to be remembered for Vancouver’s fans (and there’s a lot of them in Vancouver, throughout BC and across Canada). Our fans have entered a special zone that we’ve had very little experience with – that’s winning and getting to the NHL final (for the 2^nd time in 40 years with the last time being 1994 against the Rangers only to lose by a goal in game 7). Many observers regard the Stanley Cup to be the toughest championship to win in sports.  To get there you’ve got to win 16 games over 4 best of 7 rounds. The playoffs are 2 months long! We beat the dreaded Chicago Black Hawks (home to Ken Vandermark), Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks.

The Canucks were amazing this year (#1 overall out of 30 teams) with great mgt, coaching, leadership in the room – creative and exciting hockey being played out at the highest level – in short the best Canucks team of all time.

So what’s this got to do with jazz? Good question. Well we’ve worked hard to make those connections over the past couple of years – with our Canada vs. Sweden “Ice Hockey” multi – media project in 2009, with commissions for Mats Gustafsson and Francois Houle to develop compositions that deal with the culture and rules of ice hockey in a musical context. That was one of the most fun events we’ve ever been involved with.

Maybe it’s a stretch, but many of our Nordic brethren in music are serious hockey fans. The cool thing about the Vancouver team is the international flavour of the team – with Swedes such as the unbelievably talented Sedin brothers (Daniel and Henrik winning back to back scoring championships in 2010 and 2011), D-man Alex Edler, the injured forward Mikael Samuelsson, the intense Danish forward Jannik Hansen, German D-man Christian Erhoff, Finland’s Sami Salo along with Canadians Roberto Luongo, Dan Hamhuis and American dragon slayer, Ryan Kesler.

So the deal is – our Nordic musician friends in particular follow NHL hockey! I’ve received more emails from Mats Gustafsson (The Thing) about the Canucks playoff run than I care to count. Check this out -

After the Canucks lose – Mats: “so, what the heck is goin on there.... luongo? sedins ?

wow...... don’t do this to me....tell em to shape up..... listen to some old recordings of brötzmann and just PLAY!!!!!!”

After the Canucks win - “sedins.... wow!!! I think I have to write a new piece dedicated to em.....twin music... hockey......  fast and w finesse.......man, oh man... this can be something.... ha ha.......”

Mats performs with: The Thing, Gordon Grdina and in duo with Colin Stetson – dates from July 1^st to 3^rd.

The Thing 

Gordon Grdina 

 

By the way, it was just announced that Mats won the very prestigious Nordic Council Music Prize (350K NOK). This year’s theme was "Individual musicians (instrumentalists or vocalists), who have achieved innovation in music with improvisation as a bearing element, and whose efforts are co-creative and important for the form, sound and context of the musical expression. The nominees must have been worthy of attention on the Nordic or international stage within the last year (2010)”. Congratulations on the win!

Nordisk Råds Musikpris

www.musikpris.org

Raymond Strid (percussionist extraordinaire) a long time colleague of Mats (“Last Seen Headed” with Joelle Leandre and Francois Houle ) used to be a goaltender and never runs out of things to say when hockey is concerned (in fact Francois was also a goaltender – what are the chances of finding an int’l improvising trio with 2 ex- hockey goalies?). (catch LSH at the Western Front – next week June 9^th). We’ll definitely be watching a couple of games together. Luckily their concert isn’t on a game night.

francoishoule.ca » LSH Trio Canadian Tour

www.francoishoule.ca

The Norwegian / Swedish juggernaut know as “Atomic” also includes a couple of Swedish hockey fans – saxophonist Fredrik Ljunkgvist and especially trumpeter Magnus Broo – in fact Broo is one of the most intense hockey fans I’ve ever come across – plays the video games, he’s a stats master, follows the entire league and knows his history as well as any Canadian hockey freak around.

Magnus – “Yes!! It's very cool Amazing season! Heard they've had many injuries also....I think Edler is about to come back though:) And the sedins....wow!

Well, hope they win the Stanley cup now also! Fire!”

Atomic closes out the festival on July 3^rd and members of the quintet will be performing in duo’s etc over the final 3 days. (ie. Havard Wik / Francois Houle, Magnus Broo / Paal Nilssen-Love)

Atomic

Atomic "Two Boxes Left" @ nu things JAJOUKA Osaka

www.youtube.com

Even Danish pianist, Soren Kjaergaard (at the Roundhouse July 3 with Ben Street and Andrew Cyrille) was following the series because of the gritty work of Danish forward Jannik Hansen.

Kjaergaard/Street/Cyrille

So yes it’s a stretch, but there is a connection between jazz and hockey, just ask Mats Gustafsson and Francois Houle. On to game one of the Stanley Cup final!

Jazz History of Vancouver - Famous Venues

The Cave (1937—1981)

"That was the gig in the city." - Oliver Gannon

The Cave was considered to be one of the most upscale clubs in Vancouver and it was particularly important during the 1950s, when it became the first Vancouver club to be granted a liquor license.
At the same time, the Golden Age of Striptease was established which included Broadway-inspired production numbers.
The club was also able to bring in high-quality touring productions. For example Las Vegas shows were tested at the Cave to find out if they were successful in Hollywood, as the Canadian audiences were known as hard to please.
The Cave also had its own house band, led by Chris Gage and Fraser MacPherson, which performed with artists like Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Anthony Newly or Mitzi Gaynor.
As time passed, also the type of music evolved from Jazz to rock’n roll and the Cave became a popular venue for Tina Turner, Tower of Power and the Police.

The Commodore Ballroom (1930—now)

The Commodore Ballroom opened in 1930, ready to embrace the advent of the swing era. It was considered as one of the biggest dance floors in Canada.
Most of the time local artists performed at the Commodore Ballroom like Bob Lyon, Ole Olson and Fraser MacPherson.
After the Second World War, the Bebop developed and other progressive genres encouraged jazz to move into smaller venues. However, jazz returned to the Commodore in a big way with the establishment of the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, started in 1985. As a Festival venue, the Commodore was and continues to be an important site for jazz fusion, funk, world, and electronica music.

The Penthouse (1947—now)

The Penthouse building was created in 1938 by Giuseppe Filippone and became one of the most famous family businesses in Vancouver. First the building was used for amateur boxing, and later was transformed in a restaurant and nightclub by Giuseppe’s son, Joe. This transformation took place because the Penthouse was known as a location for lavish parties.
After some problems with getting the liquor license until 1968 because of rumors linking the Philliponis and the Mob, the Penthouse got famous in the Vancouver entertainment scene for after-hours activities. During the Golden Age of Striptease, the club joined other Vancouver venues in presenting Vegas-style entertainment. It got so bad that the reputation of the Penthouse suffered due to high-class prostitution. Today, the Penthouse continues to operate as a strip club under the ownership of Joe's nephew Danny.

The Hopper Pass!

The Hopper Pass!
What a cool idea!
60 concerts for $75 bucks!

This is one sweet way to really maximize the Jazz Festival adventure without hitting up the bank manager for a major loan. I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone say they’re going to some shows but would go to even more concerts if only they had the cash. That shouldn’t be a problem now.

 

The Lost Fingers

But, besides the incredible value here, the outstanding feature of the Hopper Pass is the flexibility it allows to check out artists and bands not yet on the personal radar. Discovering new bands is a big reason to take in the Festival in the first place and with five venues—many within walking distance– it’s super easy to ‘hop around’ and catch all kinds of local, national, and international jazz, funk, improv, world music, and alt/indie groups layin’ down their thing.

 

Trombone Shorty

Ever since the Jazz Festival started back in 1986 musical diversity and a hip vibe have been the main staples of the experience. The Hopper Pass is only going to make the experience even more exciting and memorable than it’s ever been. So Hoppers unite—get ready for some major music mashing!

The Bad Plus

Jazz History of Vancouver - Famous Artists

Vancouver has always been connected to Jazz music. Therefore, this article is all about the Jazz history of Vancouver divided into four parts. Today, we are going to present to you some of the most Vancouverite artists.


Harrison Lance (June 23, 1920- November 26, 2000)

Harrison Lance was a multi-instrumentalist Jazzman playing alto saxophone, banjo, clarinet and he was even a singer. He devoted his life to this art, playing within bands such as the Royal Canadian Air Force band during World War II, Dixieland Jazz or Red Beans and Rice band.
Harrison Lance was a real Vancouverite, performing for the most part of his life in Vancouver; that is possibly the reason why he is so special here in Vancouver.


Eleanor Collins (November 21, 1919— present)

"It's all music, really. Life is."
-Eleanor Collins

Eleanor Collins, born in 1919, was Vancouver’s first lady of Jazz. In 1939 she decided to move to Vancouver, where she sang in various vocal groups including The Three E’s or The Swing Low Quartet.
Eleanor Collins became famous with her own national music TV show called The Eleanor Show in 1955. Various well-known Vancouver musicians, for instance, Ray Norris Quintet, Fraser MacPherson, Dave Robbins or pianist Chris Gage performed at The Eleanor Show together with Eleanor Collins herself.
In 1975 she headlined the Dominion Day Ceremonies on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.


Chris Gage ( December 12, 1927 – December 27, 1964)

Chris Gage is known for his piano talent, he is considered Vancouver’s greatest pianist in the 1950s.
He was also a pianist at Vancouver’s first jazz club, The Cellar in the 1950s.
Additionally, he performed at The Eleonor show accompanying Eleonor Collins herself but also in other CBC TV programs.
His death by suicide was a real shock to the Vancouver Jazz scene as he was everybody’s favourite piano player.

Join the Jazz Education Program

"Hey kid, do you think you could lead a band?"

When you think of your musical heroes, it can be easy to feel that they were always destined for glory and a bit out of reach…But every star has a brave and uncertain start.

Vancouver Swing Legend, Dal Richards, recalls forming his first little band in high school after hearing Benny Goodman on the radio. In the early 1930s, he played clarinet in the Kitsilano Boys Band. After graduating from Magee Secondary, Dal went straight into the clubs as a working musician. He was a sideman at the Palomar Ballroom, when they asked him:

"Hey kid, do you think you could lead a band?" His response was… "Sure," and the rest is history.

Now Dal is opening the door for aspiring young talents through the Dal Richards Scholarship Fund.

2010 Dal Richards Scholarship Winner, Chelsea McBride, first caught our eye in the TD High School Jazz Intensive Program. Chelsea was thrilled to play live at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival, with her hero Dal, and is now starting her post-secondary music studies with a head start on tuition.

Another legendary musician and Scholarship Founder, Fraser MacPherson recalls a tentative start,

“I used to drive my father crazy I think…It really never occurred to me that one could make a living at this….I found myself in the Commerce Department. It seemed like a practical thing to do…I was in my 5th year…had a chance to play at the Palomar so I grabbed it!”

Visit Jazz Street Vancouver for more Jazz legends.

Aspiring ‘jazzers’ Audition Now! Catch your break at TD High School Jazz Intensive 2011.

TD High School Jazz Intensive AUDITIONS ARE NOW ON through April 15, 2011. A whole new round of jazz talents will ‘cut their teeth’ at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Students (Grades 10, 11 and 12) are selected from across the Lower Mainland to form a Big Band of exciting young musicians. This is an amazing opportunity.

FREE Top Training & a Pro Gig… Band members get to learn from world-class jazz masters, rehearse with talented friends and enjoy workshops and concerts. Their residency culminates in a free, live performance at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Music Composition…Aspiring songwriters in the band, can enter our composition contest. The winning tune will be arranged by Artist-in-Residence/Conductor, Nicole Mitchell, and featured in the final TD High School Jazz Intensive Big Band Show.

Scholarships…Participants are also eligible for music scholarships –including the Dal Richards Scholarship, Fraser MacPherson Scholarship Fund and special Awards from our TD Sponsors.

Want to learn more and prepare your application? Visit us here:

STUDENTS! AUDITION NOW! High School Jazz Intensive (June 24-July 3, 2011)!

Follow us on Facebook!

Watch TD High School Jazz Intensive 2008 on SHAW TV

Questions? Please contact Zaena Campbell: zaena@coastaljazz.ca
Education, Outreach & Community Programs

Artistic Director speaks!

By Ken Pickering – February 28, 2011

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One question that I’m frequently asked seems to go something like, “so how did you get to be an artistic director for such an important jazz festival”. It’s a strange but interesting question and admittedly one that I find a little difficult to give a short and succinct answer to, although that’s my proclivity as most of my friends and colleagues well know. Openness to new ideas, natural curiosity, generosity, deep knowledge, a lifelong passion coupled with a profound love of the music (not just jazz and improvised music but all kinds of music) are just some of the prerequisites that I’ve always believed necessary to do this gig well.

That brings me to some initial thoughts and reminiscences on how this life came to be. In some of my future blog postings I hope to occasionally talk about some of the memorable characters, occurrences and watershed moments that have populated my life along the way. At the risk of incoherence what we have here are some flashbacks capped off with present day reality.

Maybe because I’m reaching a milestone in my own life I now find myself looking backwards and forwards simultaneously. Approaching 60 years of age is by definition uncharted territory for this man; and I finding that it’s time for reflection and well, maybe these are even acceptable moments to indulge in a little nostalgia for the 60’s – a decade that represents my youth and my first encounters with jazz in particular (and also lots of other music) and the counter culture that shaped much of our generation’s world view in those days and what it all meant to a young lad trying to break out of a isolated situation as defined by a working class family on the east side of Vancouver.

Looking back over the years always seems a bit of a blur, but one thing is clearly evident – and that’s how my own journey parallels the stories of so many creative people; yet in fact it’s a story about a guy that was lucky enough to identify his calling at an early age. For that blessing I’m incredibly thankful. Not to say that I decided at 4 years of age – damn, I think I want to program a jazz festival when I grow up! Still, it must be said that getting to this place has been a lifelong journey. The stage was set in early childhood by memories of my late father (in the 50’s) playing his beloved Jimmy Rogers “The Singing Brakeman” Bluebird 78’s and then singing them (while playing his Guild guitar – inherited by Ray Piper when my father passed in 1991) back to my mother and I and any friends that had happened to drop by our kitchen table. This was the music of my youth and these songs and much of the best country and bluegrass music still resonate in a way that feels like home to me. These are the memories that represent the beginnings of my journey and my love of music.

It wasn’t long after our move to Renfrew Street that I met my lifelong friend and colleague, John Orysik (just in time for grade two) – so many adventures to recall. From the late 60’s onward it’s been all about jazz and creative music in all genres for John and myself. My love of classical music can be attributed to John’s influence and I believe his love of jazz to mine. There are so many other great friends and colleagues that have played an important role in my development as an aficionado of “the music” along the way. Although it’s impossible to recognize them all in this space – a short list might include Bob Smith, Fraser Nicholson, Rod Heinz, Brian Nation, Tim Keenliside, Jack Schuller, Bob Bell, Bill Hook, Gavin Walker, Bill Smith, Eric Metcalfe, Herb Levy, Paul Plimley / Lisle Ellis and everyone in the New Orchestra Workshop scene, all the Black Swan alumni and we haven’t even exited the 70’s yet. It wasn’t until the 80’s that (co-founder of the festival) Robert Kerr came on the scene at CJAZZ where he first met John and not too long afterwards John made the fortuitous introduction that brought us together. The rest is history and that’s another story for another time.

So let’s wrap the flashback portion of this rambling story right about here – otherwise there won’t be any room to fast forward to the present day! How many stories have we got in this Terminal City? Plenty and over time I hope to share some of them with you.

So let’s jump to recent times. The year 2010 marked the 25th anniversary of the jazz festival and an important milestone to be celebrated. Many special projects came and went – projects that had been years in the making – Anthony Braxton’s Sonic Genome, Barry Guy / Michel Gagne “Fixed Fragmented Fluid”, Globe Unity Orchestra, Han Bennink, a multitude of collaborations and so much more.

It was an absolutely amazing year, yet not without it’s challenges (budget cuts, less than anticipated ticket sales, staff changes etc). We’re not exempt from the many economic pressures that arts groups are collectively facing in BC and specifically in Vancouver. In fact I’m hearing similar stories from colleagues in various locales around the world, but here in BC the pressures remain acute with decreasing government support at every level (lowest per capita provincial support of arts and culture in Canada) and serious issues with BC Lotteries funding (as in disappearing).

But then again it’s not all doom and gloom; we’re moving forward with a fantastic group of great people that share a positive attitude and mutual respect for each other, a team that shares a belief in the core artistic vision and the powerful force that this music represents and above all a team that exhibits a strong commitment to the hard work necessary that will ultimately sustain us as we move through this transitional period that marks the beginning of our next 25 years!
The upcoming 2011 festival will look a little different from previous editions (and will continue to showcase the creative music scene – a focus that has become a large part our tradition), more streamlined for sure, but our heart and soul remain intact. Any changes to the festival model are being executed with thoughtfulness and sensitivity; a reverence for the music remains uppermost in our decision making process. In fact, these are exciting times of renewal at Coastal Jazz. As we begin to roll out the various series from now through the spring, it will become clear that the festival is more accessible to more people at an incredible price point. It’s going to be amazing and we think you’ll like it!

More to come!

A Little Momento of the Summer and the Jazz Fest

by Hanne Lene Dalgleish, Communications Coordinator

It looks be a wet wintery December in Vancouver so we thought we'd provide a few audio-visual aids to remind you about the summer and the 2010 TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Our rock 'em sock 'em (that means we really think she's great) intern, Casey Chan, has cruised through the B-roll that was filmed during the Jazz Festival and picked out a few themes, then grafted them together and created some great vignettes.

I watched over Casey's shoulder as she played them for me, and seeing and hearing the clips really makes you appreciate what a fun and exciting 10 days of music the Jazz Festival is. I always have a blast! Things are starting to gear up for festival in 2011, so perhaps a little bit of last year's vibe will take you smiling into the new year.

Dancing in the Streets
[video]

On the Street Shout Outs

[video]

Artist Shout Outs
[video]

We've transcribed what some of the artists had to say about us:

Mike Stern
Yo I’m here in Vancouver at the Jazz Festival and as usual it’s really a cool festival, it’s like such a great city, such a great festival, it’s a pleasure to be here. I’ve been here about five or 6 times over the years, its not enough I always want to come back, always the best vibe.

Sojourners
Hi I’m Marcus Mosely, [Carl McLelland] and Will Sanders and we are the Sojourners, we are here at beginning of the Vancouver Jazz Festival, one of the great things about this city is the summer time, great parts of the summer is the Jazz Festival. It’s an opportunity for people to come from around world to see how beautiful the Vancouver is and to experience the best music around.

John Scofield
Hi, I’m John Scofield, I started playing the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival wow, many years ago. I can’t count the times I’ve been here; it’s at least 10 times. It’s a wonderful festival because the people are great, and the program is always really good here. It’s so much fun getting to see the other artists for a second and just be in Vancouver because it’s such a special city. You know that if you’re here. We always appreciate the vibe and the feeling in this city. Seems to be very artistic and its good just for music. Its great to be here, great to be involved. I love this festival.

Nils Langren Funk Unit
We are the Nils Langren Funk Unit and we love the TD Vancouver International Jazz festival. So help me FUNKin’ God.

Ola Onabulé
Hello and good evening folks my name is Ola Onabulé, I’m here from London with my 6-piece band. We’ve been here a couple of days, and we’ve just had a shed load of fun. We were part of the Canada Day celebrations yesterday, got involved in all the partying, all happiness, all the fun. And today we are gonna play of couple of sets for you at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. It seems like We’ve had fun and there’s even more to be had. Come and join us if you can, see you later.