Dirty Projectors. Jason Frank Rothenberg photo.
Robert Plant is among the headliners at the 33rd Annual TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
The former Led Zeppelin lead singer is performing with his band the Sensational Space Shifters. Other headliners include Macy Gray, Kamasi Washington, Bonobo, and St.Paul and the Broken Bones.
This year’s festival takes place June 22-July 1 at various venues in Vancouver. For a look at a few more of the more than 1800 artists who will perform at over 300 indoor and outdoor events, scroll below.
Mary Margaret O’Hara and Peggy Lee: Beautiful Tool—Beloved by music fans all over the world, Mary Margaret O’Hara’s 1988 album Miss America is one of the great cult albums. The Toronto singer/songwriter rarely tours, so her collaboration with Vancouver cellist Peggy Lee is one for the history books. You won’t want to miss the two perform as Beautiful Tool, along with a number of Vancouver’s most celebrated musicians. (June 27, Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright St., Granville Island)
Knower— The L.A. group comes with a reputation for a hot live show. Drummer/producer Louis Cole and singer Genevieve Artadi are behind the band, which includes Sam Wilkes on bass, Jacob Mann on keys, and Thom Gill on guitar. Jazzwise describes their music as a “hyperactive blend of post-ironic jazz fusion that sounds like the bastard child of Giorgio Moroder and Weather report.” (June 27, The Imperial, 319 Main St.)
Genevieve Artadi of Knower.
Kamasi Washington—Critics hailed the saxophonist’s 2015 The Epic has been heralded as “a game changer” for its visionary mix of hip-hop, classical and R&B elements. Since then, Washington has collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, John Legend, and Run the Jewels. (June 24, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton St.)
Dirty Projectors—Frontman David Longstreth draws on unorthodox melodies and off-kilter rhythms to make music as Dirty Projectors. Expect an unclassifiable evening that touches on adventurous R&B, orchestral flourishes, electronic experimentation, and avant-pop. Touring for the first time in five years, Dirty Projectors’ 2018 lineup includes longtime members and new collaborators. (June 22, Vogue Theatre, 918 Granville St.)
David Hidalgo and Marc Ribot Duo—Hildago, frontman for famed California Tex-Mex band Los Lobos, joins forces with in-demand Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Lounge Lizards, Elvis Costello) for an evening not to be missed by fans of genre-busting music. (June 28, The Blueshore at Cap, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver)
Cherry Glazerr—Hailed as “LA’s new faces of rock” by The Los Angeles Times, Cherry Glazerr plays unapologetic, guitar-first indie-rock. Multi-disciplinary guitarist/vocalist Clementine Creevy has acted in Amazon’s Transparent and modeled for some of fashion’s most respected names. Pitchfork calls the trio’s latest album Apocalipstick “their fiercest yet, full of shredding jams, furious howls, and self-aware swagger.” With Swim Team. (June 24, The Imperial)
Cherry Glazerr.
Hard Rubber Orchestra with Marianne Trudel—Vancouver’s Hard Rubber Orchestra unveils the world premiere of a concerto for piano and jazz orchestra by Montreal’s Marianne Trudel. Entitled “I was happier without a cell phone,” the composition will be performed by the Orchestra along with percussionist Sal Ferreras on microtonal glass lumiphone. The evening also includes a new Renaissance-inspired composition by bandleader John Korsrud. (June 30, Performance Works)
The 2018 Vancouver International Jazz Festival also includes special initiatives such as nightly jam sessions at Frankie’s Jazz Club (755 Beattie St.) and programs like Made in the UK and (new for this year) Spotlight on Italy, and 150 free concerts. For more info visit coastaljazz.ca.
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