In which we belatedly recognize the ongoing jazz festival

The Thing, photographed by Femke van Delft at last year's jazz festival; not to be used without permission!


NOTE: THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS PIECE WAS FULL OF ERRORS. I have corrected it, including those that apply to events already finished, for vanity's sake alone.

The (shocking, depressing) absence of a decent print program for the ongoing jazz festival has meant that instead of spending three weeks plotting my jazz fest, as has been my wont for years, I have been focusing on other things; I tend to pout in the face of unwelcome change. I HAVE written something on Mats and Fond of Tigers for The Skinny, and plan more for the blog, but I have delayed looking at the rather painful and challenging Coastal Jazz website. I am sure I have missed many things already... but I'm determined to catch a few shows.

I'm excited to see that improvising bassist Joelle Leandre plays tomorrow in the afternoon, with tenor saxman Urs Leimgruber, on Granville Island (it's a free show!). She also is part of the Innovation series, an excellent program of improvised and avant-garde music coming up at the Roundhouse. This should generate some intense listening - I have Leandre's recording of Cage's Ryoanji somewhere about, plus Contrabasses - her duets with William Parker; she's definitely a musician of interest.

Fans of Leandre's at times intense, minimal bass improvisation might productively follow that show up by going to see Jeffrey Allport at Solder and Sons; it falls outside the jazzfest proper, I believe, but percussionist Allport is among the city's most interesting improvisers. Raymond Strid should go see him, and he should go to see Raymond Strid. Since this is NOT in the jazzfest guide, I will provide the information:

Andrew Drury (NYC) & Jeffrey Allport -percussion duo

w/ Josh Rose

Solder and Sons

247 Main St.

Sunday June 28, 7pm

There is also a show Wednesday, involving one of the Swedes, but again, outside the scope of the jazzfest proper:

Rachael Wadham & Christian Munthe (Sweden)-piano & guitar-

w/ Glaciers-Jeffrey Allport (percussion) / Lief Hall (voice) / Robert Pedersen (tape machines & Oscillator)

The Vinegar Factory

1009 East Cordova St.

Wednesday

July 1, 8:30pm

And yes, that's former Mutators frontwoman Lief Hall on voice...

I will not, myself, be at the Allport gig, because The Shuffle Demons play free in Gastown, and I have long wanted to see them live. This will be of much wider appeal than the relatively rarefied music of those such as Leandre and Allport; you might remember "Spadina Bus" and "Out of My House, Roach" from Much Music in the 1980's. Just before that wraps up, at 8PM at the Roundhouse, it's ice hockey time - Mats Gustafsson and Team Sweden versus Francois Houle and Team Canada. There has been a last minute substitution for Team Sweden: cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm has been flown in from Chicago to perform. This show simply cannot be missed, representing the final phases of a project that has been developing for quite some time. I'll be there! (People with really cool garage rock and free jazz rarities on LP should chat up Mats about trading...). Then Fond of Tigers on the 2nd, again with Mats...

Beyond that, folks, you're on your own!