By 1992, Vancouver’s appetite for jazz music appeared to be insatiable. Perhaps people were still reeling from the loss of Miles Davis, whose death in September 1991 had reverberated with music lovers of all kinds. With attendance increasing year over year over the past seven years, the Festival had proven it could draw the crowds. In response, Coastal Jazz hosted a staggering 500 artists at 21 venues across the city for the 1992 du Maurier International Jazz Festival. “The offering is so vast that it is impossible to catch it all,” reported The Bulletin.
It was the first time Diana Krall’s name appeared on the Festival calendar. In fact, she appeared as the Diana Krall Trio over three nights of the Festival, the first on June 19 at the Alma Street Cafe. (The Alma was a premier jazz venue for ten years from the mid 1980s to the mid 90s. ) This excerpt from the 1992 program guide quietly introduced the then-fledgling artist to the Vancouver Jazz Festival audience.
“Native of Nanaimo, pianist and vocalist Diana Krall has received accolades from jazz critics Leonard Feather and Mark Miller. Although only in her mid-20s, Krall spent several years studying and working in Los Angeles and Toronto. With Russ Botten bass, and Rudy Petschauer drums.”
It wouldn’t be the last time anyone heard Krall’s name. (Two Grammy Awards, eight Juno Awards and 15 million album sales later, to say she’s accomplished a lot since then is an understatement.) The sheer breadth and depth of musical offerings in 1992 meant much of the calendar deviated from what many thought of as “jazz.” That perception was easily perpetuated by Coastal Jazz booking music like post-fusion quintet of Creatures of Habit; the classic soul sounds of Otis Clay and Ann Peebles; the funky brand of psychedelia of Bob Bell & Necropolis; a hot Latin dance party with Yomo Toro; and a dance show Bats by Kokoro Dance and the Kane-Taylor Explosion. None of it fit a mould and that’s exactly what programmers intended. Major festival artists in ’92 included John Hammond, the Staple Singers, Johnny Griffen, Oliver Jones, Charlie Musselwhite, Tim Berne, and some of the most influential free jazz composers in the world.
As always, free programming was everywhere. Gastown hosted a party in the streets on opening weekend with Canadian and international artists. On closing weekend the Plaza of Nations offered 37 free performances on three stages.
“So what is it about jazz in the summer?” The Globe and Mail asked in an article about the popularity of summer jazz festivals across the country. “We’ll let you in on a little secret: most of these festivals are not just about jazz. They use the cachet of the name to present, in some cases, very eclectic musical events.”
It was true. Coastal Jazz also took advantage of the presence of top musicians from Canada and around the globe by matching them up on special projects, collaborations and educational initiatives. Non-performance events like the free workshops, a constant since the early days, started to gain more attention. “A big feature of what we do is education and outreach,” said co-founder John Orysik. “It’s very important for us to get kids involved in the music, to give them opportunities to learn from professional musicians that they look up to and also have instruction from the highest level.”
That mindset continues today. While educational opportunities at the Festival have evolved over the years, the free workshops have remained consistent thanks to longstanding partners like Tom Lee Music and Western Front. This year, Coastal Jazz launched the New Improvisers Studio with Western Front, a week-long educational initiative for young musicians ages 17 to 24 from any musical background who are interested in building their improvisation skills.
Catch up on all our festival flashbacks on our blog. Did you attend one of our early jazz festivals? Share your story with us! Join the conversation on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter X @coastaljazz.
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