Adventurous music defies genres at the Jazz Festival Innovation Series at the Ironworks
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival concerts at the heritage performance space are like a festival within a festival
There’s a healthy disregard for boundaries in the Jazz Festival’s Innovation Series at the Ironworks,
While some listeners seek comfort in genre tags like “chill study vibes” or “beach energy”, there are some who feel a special, energizing tingle when they see intriguingly inadequate terms like “other” or “N/A” applied to an artist’s work.
Whether it’s the geographic isolation or just something in the water, the Vancouver creative music scene has long been internationally praised for its collaborative spirit, exceptional musicianship, and healthy disregard for genre boundaries. Textural improvisation, extended techniques, contemporary classical composition, art rock, and even, like, jazz are all fair game for the artists featured in the Innovation Series at the Ironworks, where adventurous music meets curious ears, and sparks always fly.
For some fans, the concerts at the Ironworks are like a festival within a festival, and it’s not uncommon for folks to hit every show in the series. In a “normal” year, players from the fertile NYC jazz scene, European instant composers, and a host of other international players would intermingle with Canada’s top improvisers. This year, a silver lining of travel restrictions is that our own world-class regional talent gets the full run of the place.
An Innovation Series completist could catch longstanding avant-jazz ensembles like Tommy Babin’s Benzene and the Ron Samworth-led Talking Pictures; the fiery three-headed improv monster that is Gord Grdina, Francois Houle, and Kenton Loewen; and—celebrating the release of their second album—thoughtful jazz stalwarts Peggy Lee, Jon Bentley, and Tony Wilson’s collaborative Waxwing. There’s vocalist Sara Kim’s Watermill Project, which interweaves traditional Korean music and modern jazz, as well as the slow-burning, low-lit post-rock of Limbs of the Stars (featuring members of Fond of Tigers), and the joyful tornado of avant-improvisation that is Paul Plimley Trio. But that’s not even the half of it. There’s also a host of dynamic collaborations featuring local creative heavyweights like JP Carter, Josh and Jesse Zubot, and Lisa Cay Miller that will push boundaries and blow minds.
In addition to the ticketed evening events, the Innovation Series includes daily free performances at 4:30 pm PDT featuring a who’s who of local innovators and improvisers.
Embrace the otherness, preconceptions not applicable!
For more details and to reserve a ticket go here.
The Ironworks.
This post was sponsored by Coastal Jazz & Blues Society.