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INTERNATIONAL SUMMER FESTIVAL GUIDE 2010: FEATURENorthwest ExpansionThe TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival celebrates turning 25By James HaleThe TD Vancouver International JazzFestival may have built its reputation bybooking the cream of Europe’s avantimprovisers, but as the event celebrates its 25thanniversary its founders credit two Americantrumpeters with putting it on the map.That incident—which saw Miles Davis halthis performance when Wynton Marsalisappeared uninvited at his side, trumpet inhand—became news around the world. In hisautobiography, Davis cited it as a sign thatMarsalis “didn’t have no respect for his elders ...I was so mad at him for doing that shit like that,I just said, ‘Man, get the fuck off the stage.’”“I was across town at another venue whenMiles Davis and Wynton Marsalis had their legendaryonstage confrontation,” recalled artisticdirector Ken Pickering, “but I’ve heard about itso often that I feel like I was there.”While the animus between the aging legendand the young upstart made headlines, Pickeringand his lifelong friend John Orysik—a formerjazz radio host—said that their debut festivalalso presented a broad cross-section of artiststhat included Bill Frisell, Tony Williams, SteveLacy, Ran Blake, Jan Garbarek, RoscoeMitchell and Bobby McFerrin.“Without a long-term sponsorship deal, Ithought I might only get one kick at running afestival, so I wanted to do something that Iwould be proud of the rest of my life,” saidPickering, who booked the event out of hisBlack Swan record shop.As the Pacific Jazz & Blues Association(since renamed Coastal Jazz), Pickering andOrysik had already promoted some concerts anda small festival, but 1986 offered a one-timeopportunity for funding and publicity. That year,Vancouver was the site of a World’s Fair, so theduo, along with a third partner—Robert Kerr—decided to take advantage.“Being native Vancouverites, we’d seenboom-and-bust cycles in the city’s creativemusic scene and thought we could make a difference,”Orysik said. “Our vision was to presentjazz in all its forms and create something thatwould sustain itself beyond the festival season.”With a budget of $500,000, that initial yearleft the non-profit organization with a deficit, butin the wake of Expo ’86, “We had the city toourselves in 1987,” Orysik said. Helping to fillthe gap, Pickering provided John Zorn with hisfirst major international showcase, one of theevents that Pickering said continues to resonate.“Another significant event,” he said, “wasOrnette Coleman’s original Prime Time in ourWynton Marsalis and Miles DavisSonny Rollins and Kobie Watkinsfirst year. That show influenced so many musicianswho were there: They still talk about it.”By 1990, the festival was out of debt andbeginning to regularly feature Europeans whoseldom performed in North America.“I remember the first time I put [pianist] PaulPlimley together with Han Bennink,” Pickeringsaid. “Those types of collaborations positionedVancouver as a creative hotbed and won thetrust of both artists and our audience.”“The spirit of collaboration at the festival wasunique,” said Vancouver singer Kate Hammett-Vaughan. “It helped build an audience withopen ears, and was a galvanizing force for localmusicians who saw the opportunity to work withinternational artists.”“People tend to focus on the free improvisedmusic we’ve presented,” Orysik said. “Butwe’re proud of the role we’ve played in giving aplatform to more mainstream artists. I thinkwe’ve really been a catalyst for younger peoplelike Cory Weeds.”CHRIS CAMERONCHRIS CAMERONDr. Lonnie Smith (left) andCory WeedsSun RaWeeds, a saxophonist who also runs TheCellar jazz club and a record label, Cellar Live,agrees.“Coastal Jazz was my introduction to themusic,” Weeds said. “They put a lot of localmusicians up in lights alongside the internationalplayers, and they set themselves apart becausethey didn’t just swoop in for 10 days—they’reextremely present in the community year’round.”Today, with a budget eight times larger thanthat allotted to the 1986 festival and a commitmentof multi-year sponsorship by Canada’s TDBank, Pickering and Orysik are looking at consolidatingtheir strengths. Among their goals is atighter focus on shows in Vancouver’s downtownarea so audiences can walk betweenvenues. With the media spotlight back on the cityfollowing the 2010 Winter Olympics, the time isripe for another step in the festival’s evolution.As Orysik put it: “We’re building on theboldness we’ve been known for.”DBCHRIS CAMERONCHRIS CAMERON100 DOWNBEAT May 2010