From Snotty Nose Rez Kids to Peggy Lee, the Jazz Fest's Marquee Series highlights the range and remarkable depth of world-class, BC-based talent
A festival highlight from the Granville Island venue, the series draws from soul, jazz, pop, folk, and other diverse music influences
Performance Works on Granville Island hosts the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival’s Marquee Series.
Jazz has deep roots; it also has some pretty far-reaching branches.
The many ideas around what jazz is have always made for lively debate. As the concept morphs and develops, the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival’s dynamic programming is always active in pushing the conversation forward. With the Marquee Series at Granville Island’s Performance Works, audiences will be treated to a broad ranging lineup of world class talents, each taking cues from jazz, blues, and other traditions to make vital and thrillingly distinct music.
The series storms out of the gate with Haisla Nation hip-hop heroes Snotty Nose Rez Kids getting heads bobbing as they challenge social injustice through deft lyricism and floor shaking beats. The urgency for social change echoes through the soulful sounds of Khari Wendell McClelland (Sojourners, Freedom Singer) and the R&B-infused neo-folk of Tonye Aganaba, while the spirits of Howlin’ Wolf and Django Reinhardt flow freely through Blue Moon Marquee’s raw, hard-earned blues.
A perennial festival highlight, cellist Peggy Lee brings her layered melodicism, astonishing improvisational chops, and killer band to the series, while Dálava—led by vocalist Julia Ulehla and guitarist Aram Bajakian (Lou Reed, John Zorn)—reframes traditional Czech folk melodies in a stridently contemporary context.
Art-pop fans would be well-advised to catch Ludic on the way up. The talented young Vancouver three-piece is very quickly indie-rocketing to success on the strength of their explosive and delightfully bright grooves. Pairing a four-octave vocal range with a commanding presence, Dee Daniels offers sublime gospel, jazz, and blues to the heavens and audience members alike, while Jill Barber’s acclaimed and enchanting folk/pop/jazz hits all the right notes, in both French and English!
Whether the entry point is soul, jazz, pop, or folk music influences from across the globe, the Marquee Series highlights the range and remarkable depth of world-class, BC-based talent. As cultures become more interconnected and inspiration cuts across eras and geographies, the notion of genre gets pretty difficult to pin down—and we’re all the better for it.
Performance Works also sets the stage for free afternoon performances at 2:30 pm daily streaming throughout the festival.
For more details and to reserve a ticket, go here.
Performance Works at Granville Island.
This post was sponsored by Coastal Jazz and Blues Society.