Vancouver International Jazz Festival Announces 2024 Granville Island Jazz Programming at Performance Works
Coastal Jazz is pleased to announce the first slate of Performance Works shows as part of this year’s Granville Island Jazz series at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. These six artists take over Performance Works, located at 1218 Cartwright Street, between June 22 – June 29, 2024. Two additional shows will be announced at a later date.
“The Performance Works lineup this year shines a light on a range of important artists that are all currently making great statements for the world of jazz music,” said Cole Schmidt and Jeremy Page, Artistic Programmers for Coastal Jazz. “We are thrilled to open this series with a pair of killer bands, Irreversible Entanglements and The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis – both of which have new releases from the Impulse! Records catalogue. We’re also super grateful to honour the work of some old friends who will return to the festival and are excited to welcome new voices into the mix.”
The 39th edition of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival will offer a balance of free and ticketed performances, including the return of Downtown Jazz, a free concert series outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on šxʷƛ̓ ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square, June 22 and 23. Granville Island will be the hub for festival activity, with free and ticketed shows scheduled at Performance Works, Ocean Artworks, and the Revue Stage. In addition, downtown theatres, clubs, and North Shore venues feature various live performances throughout the week.
The 2024 Granville Island Jazz Performance Works lineup features the following artists. Tickets will be available for purchase on March 26 at 10:00 am PDT. All tickets are $37 plus fees; showtimes for each are 7:30 pm.
Irreversible Entanglements, June 22 – A free jazz quintet with an experimental punk mentality, Irreversible Entanglements has been called “the most thrilling band in jazz right now” by NPR. Driven by poet/vocalist Camae Ayewa’s (aka Moor Mother) searing narrations of Black trauma, survival, and power, Irreversible Entanglements brings first wave free jazz’s tradition of resistance acutely into the now.
The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis, June 23 – One of the most iconic rhythm sections in modern music, drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally were the consistent engine of DC post-hardcore legends Fugazi for over 15 years. In 2016, they formed Messthetics with guitar virtuoso Anthony Pirog, and released two albums of turbulent, propulsive, groove-laden instrumental art rock. In late-2021, they were joined onstage by acclaimed saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, and sparks flew.
aja monet, June 26 – A 2024 Grammy nominee for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album, aja monet is a conduit for her oratorical predecessors. At any given time you’ll find the revolutionary spirit of Audre Lorde and the Last Poets, you’ll feel June Jordan, AmiriBaraka, Jayne Cortez, and even the expressive ephemerality of a passing blue note. She’s joined by Ben Williams bass, Logan Richardson sax, Justin Brown drums, and Javier Santiago keys.
Lakecia Benjamin and Phoenix, June 27 – New York-based saxophonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader Lakecia Benjamin is one of the most sought-after and respected players in jazz today. The Downbeat Critics Poll Rising Star Alto Saxophonist, Jazz Journalists Association Up & Coming Artist of the Year, and three-time Grammy nominee first attracted attention for her warm, resonant tone and dynamic playing, and she’s held it as a composer who uses traditional conceptions of jazz, hip hop, and soul as a jumping-off point for the formidable, funk-inflected originals of her new album, Phoenix.
Ulysses Owens Jr S Generation Y, June 28 – A drummer who The New York Times says “takes a back seat to no one,” Ulysses Owens Jr. “balances excitement gracefully and shines with innovation.” The three-time Grammy-winner has been the driving force behind great artists like Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, Kurt Elling, Gregory Porter, and Wynton Marsalis, but over the past five years, Ulysses’ career has shifted from“young lion” side-man to leader and mentor, guiding the next generation of talent via his many performance, production, and educational outreach projects.
We All Break, June 29 – Like most great art forms, jazz developed by combining previously distinct, disparate elements into something new. We All Break follows in this tradition with their remarkable merging of traditional Haitian Vodou music and au courant composition and improvisation on the groundbreaking Path of Seven Colors. Called “a marvel” by AllMusic, “a sublime magnum opus” by Jazziz, and “stunningly original and mesmerizing in its ritualistic power” by DownBeat, the extraordinary and innovative project is the brainchild of drummer/composer Ches Smith, well-known to fans of cutting-edge jazz, improv, and avant-rock through his work with Secret Chiefs, Marc Ribot’sCeramic Dog, John Zorn, Trevor Dunn, and many others.
For more information on the 2024 Vancouver International Jazz Festival events and performances, please visit us on the following channels and follow #VanJazzFest.