Coastal Jazz offers Journeys to the Bandstand—A Conversation with Author Chris Wong on June 21
The free talk focuses on Wong’s first book, a collection of 30 in-depth portraits of musicians who have helped shape Vancouver’s jazz scene
Chris Wong. Photo by Amanda Palmer
As part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival’s Free Jazz Around Town series, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society presents Journeys to the Bandstand—A Conversation with Author Chris Wong on June 21 at 4 pm at Ocean Artworks
CHRIS WONG IS a self-described lifelong music nerd and aficionado of jazz and other genres. He dedicated a full decade to writing Journeys to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver (Friesen Press), his first book.
Wong will be discussing the book with Rhythm Changes blog writer, podcast host, and musician Will Chernoff in a free conversation as part of the 2024 Vancouver International Jazz Festival’s Free Jazz Around Town series on June 21 at 4 pm at Ocean Artworks.
The book highlights the musical lives and experiences of 30 artists who have helped shape the West Coast jazz scene. Most of the musicians featured are from Vancouver, including jazz pianist and Cellar Jazz Club co-founder Al Neil, saxophonist Dave Quarin, Juno-winning trumpeter and pianist Brad Turner, saxophonist and Cellar Music Group record label founder Cory Weeds, Juno-nominated bassist and composer Jodi Proznick, vocalist Natasha D’Agostino, and others. Wong also profiles certain American musicians who have had a lasting impact on the city’s jazz community, including trumpeter and saxophonist Ornette Coleman, bassist and composer Charles Mingus, Hammond B3 organist Lonnie Smith, and saxophonist George Coleman, among others.
Wong doesn’t gloss over the hardships that can accompany a life dedicated to music; rather, he includes information about serious challenges some of the artists have faced, including addiction, racism, abuse, and anxiety and self-doubt. He also chronicles their joys and triumphs in making music. Wong combines historical details gathered from sources such as articles, recordings, films, letters, and books with a first-person perspective gleaned from witnessing the musicians perform and from past interviews he has done.
Journeys to the Bandstand is a collection of in-depth profiles that sheds light on Vancouver’s overall jazz history. 
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