Five Alarm Funk
STATE-OF-THE-ART CELEBRATION OF MUSIC BOASTS THE BEST
If you ever get a chance to talk with John Orysik, the co-founder of the Vancouver Jazz Festival, you will get a boost of enthusiasm and eagerness for new music. Orysik is a true music lover, people person, and thankfully for the city of Vancouver, an organizer. Since co-founding the festival in 1985, the Vancouver Jazz Fest has grown leaps and bounds into an international spectacle.
Orysik shares: “It’s been a great ride so far. We’ll be celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2015. It’s amazing where it’s come, from a small regional festival to a major international festival that has international acclaim. We have critics and writers, as well as audience members, coming here to check out the festival from around the world because it’s a state of the art festival. If you want to know what’s going on in jazz and music in general then you come to Vancouver and you’ll find out.”
There is something for everyone whether you are looking for heavy weights Herbie Hancock and Dr. John or local upstarts Robots on Fire.
The Innovations Series is always a highlight of the festival and this year boasts a special collaboration between the visceral Colin Stetson and Gord Grdina Trio. It’s also nice to see that V. Vecker Ensemble is playing the festival again showing that Vancouver’s underground is ripe for the picking.
“Not only do we present the established legendary artists but we’re also putting a focus on emerging musicians, from our own city, from across Canada and around the world. It’s a real mix, the audience is multi-cultural and multi-generational as well as the music and we’re very, very proud of what we’re representing.”
Orysik stays true to his word even after all these years and proves it with over 150 shows around the city that are either free or $5. There is no excuse to open your mind to some great new music this month.
For more information about the Vancouver Jazz Festival visit http://www.coastaljazz.ca/
By Joe Smiglicki
Photo: Chris Cameron
