MAVIS STAPLES TOPS BILL AT JAZZ FESTIVAL
Many people struggle as they leave their 20s, based on the assumption that their best, most exciting days are behind them. Darryl Mar doesn’t subscribe to such a theory, especially where his TD Victoria International Jazz Festival is concerned.
The founder and executive producer of Jazzfest — which turns 34 tomorrow — is proud that his 10-day event remains, after more than three decades, in tip-top shape.
Few festivals find a groove for this length of time, often dropping out after their initial splash. But Jazzfest has booked several top-tier headliners this year, and tickets have been selling well for weeks, Mar said.
So what’s his secret to keeping Jazzfest energetic after all these years?
“It’s the ability to keep your ears open, your eyes open and being aware of what’s going on around you,” he said. “And that’s not just in Victoria, but throughout the world, music-wise.”
Mar’s vision for the festival has shifted over time to accommodate changing musical tastes. No longer are jazz artists the only acts suitable for booking. This year, Jazzfest welcomes soul legend Mavis Staples, reggae singer Ziggy Marley, irreverent pop-jazz artist Scott Bradlee’s PostModern Jukebox and funk-fusion dynamo Nik West to some of its nine stages.
Audiences have come to expect change, Mar said, which makes his job easier. He’s able to bring in artists from outside the jazz spectrum, knowing they will be given a warm reception.
“One year, it will be heavy on singers, but another year, it will be mostly instrumentalists,” Mar said.
Mar also has plenty of room to explore traditional jazz acts, of course. Cyril Chestnut (June 26, McPherson Playhouse) of the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band does double-duty in the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall jazz orchestras, while sisters Christine and Ingrid Jensen (June 27, Dave Dunnet Theatre) have become favourites at jazz festivals across the country.
On occasion, shows take on a life of their own at Jazzfest, Mar admitted. Tickets to the Scott Hamilton Trio’s July 1 performance at Hermann’s Jazz Club, for example, have been sold out for two weeks.
Mar said he has learned to adapt his programming to be all things to all audiences, and to never lean too hard in one particular direction.
“We always have at least 50 per cent of the programming be mainstream jazz programming,” Mar said. “It may not be reflected in the [blues, rock and pop] shows at the Royal Theatre, but certainly you see that in Hermann’s Jazz Club.”
He’s not playing down the role of his mainstream performers in helping the festival succeed.
Without some of the crossover artists he has booked this year — such as the phenomenon Jacob Collier — Mar simply wouldn’t be given the opportunity to bring in scores of traditional jazz artists.
“This guy is a story unto himself,” Mar said of Collier, who makes his Victoria debut June 28.
“He’s 22 years old, but has won two Grammy Awards out of nowhere. The praises he’s been getting from all these people — Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Quincy Jones — this kid has a big buzz.”
Mar’s work as producer starts as much as a year in advance. He had to be on his toes when planning this year’s edition, knowing of the federal government’s plan to heavily fund 11 days of free culture programming from June 21 to July 1 under the Spirit of 150 Victoria banner.
“That took us by surprise, but, fortunately, I found out about it, so I didn’t do any Royal Theatre programming on the night of June 30 and July 1.”
That’s where Mar’s experience as a producer comes into play.
“You need to be completely aware of what’s going on in Victoria, so you don’t have any conflicts,” he said. “Or you’ll be left out in the cold.”