Event surpassed expectations: organizers
As strains of the Dixieland AllStars rolled out over the final afternoon Sunday of the 2017 TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival, organizers reported the 10-day event found success on several new fronts.
It will be weeks before final figures are in, but festival producer Kent Sangster confirmed some new ventures had surpassed expectations.
“I think the festival was a real success. I saw a lot of people having fun, especially going to our new venue, The Needle Vinyl Tavern, and having a really good social time. The Yardbird Suite is still crucial for that actual concert experience, but Bellamy’s Lounge at the (host Chateau Lacombe) hotel was another highlight for the way it brought out players and listeners for after-show jams.”
It also helped that the festival’s online presence was revamped this year.
“Of course, some shows sold better than others, but overall advance ticket sales were much better than last year, probably because of the app we set up through our website. And from the artistic point of view, I couldn’t be happier.”
This year’s festival allowed a chance to take in a wide range of world-class acts under the “jazz” umbrella. For instance, the final Friday packed terrific sets from Igor Butman’s more traditional hard-swinging 17-piece Moscow Jazz Orchestra, from New York’s cerebral, textured Claudia Quintet, and from Toronto saxophonist Jane Bunnett’s infectious, grooving, all-female Afro-Cuban jazzsong sextet Maqueque, just three of seven shows that evening.
The festival’s single Winspear concert was a co-bill with singer Dianne Reeves’ quartet and pianist Billy Childs’ quintet on the first Sunday, June 25. I missed most of Childs’ set, but favourable reports attested to the depth and intensity of their music.
Reeves’ great voice and her incredibly tight band satisfied the roughly 1,000-strong crowd that showed up. I enjoyed a few tunes, her scat singing and a re-working of Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne that turned the ballad into something much bigger than the original. But the set also reminded me that vocalists and the repertoire they choose to sing can come down to very personal tastes for the listener.
Downtown at the Needle, two packed crowds showed up to catch British YouTube sensation Jacob Collier in his Canadian debut June 26, and New York’s Donny McCaslin the following night.
At 22, multi-instrumentalists in ger Collier had great appeal for younger patrons, covering the likes of Stevie Wonder and Burt Bacharach, and throwing in searching originals. He’s able to clone himself by creating short, synchronized rhythmic loops on bass, drums and keyboards in real-time, which allow him to solo over top on keys or guitar. At the same time, he’s got a tiny camera grabbing the action to spin a makeshift band of himself on video. Along with this technical wizardry, he can actually play, and I couldn’t help wondering if I was watching the future of solo musical performance.
Fired-up reedman McCaslin was simply sensational, entertaining young and mature fans alike with the same band that backed his ex-boss David Bowie in a long loud, raucous show that mixed original tunes in a fusion of jazz, rock and electronic elements including several Bowie covers. At one point, he took time to address the racist, misogynist messages of “our new president” before ripping into a heavy number called The Beast. Jason Lindner’s layered synths, Mark Guiliana’s incredible drums and Nate Wood’s bass helped make it a memorable show aided by an excellent sound mix that brought across all the detail. Good news: McCaslin is already booked to play the Yardbird again next spring.
Then there was Claudia Quintet. You’ve got to love a front line featuring vibes, accordion and sax, but it was their superb team effort and the imagination of New York drummer-composer John Hollenbeck that made the show so memorable and every piece like a journey into adventure. Bring them back soon. Likewise for the special, expansive sound of Christine and Ingrid Jensen’s quintet with Ben Monder dubbed Infinitude, conjuring dreamy images of the Canadian landscape in their magnificent harmonic language.
New York’s BassDrumBone showed themselves as masters of jazz’s outside edge, exhibiting unorthodox techniques, sometimes getting tuneful, but often seeking thrilling, spontaneous musical conversations with the sort of telepathic communication level that only comes after 40 years together.
I think the festival was a real success. I saw a lot of people having fun, especially going to our new venue, The Needle Vinyl Tavern, and having a really good social time.