U.K. saxophonist Nubya Garcia brings her ethereal sound to the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, June 28

Audience members will hear tracks off her latest album Odyssey, which honours her reignited love for composing

Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society presents Nubya Garcia at Performance Works on June 28 at 7:30 pm

“COME, NEW STORY begin, rising with dawn on my skin,” sings esperanza spalding on the intro track of London-born jazz saxophonist Nubya Garcia’s latest album, Odyssey. Garcia matches spalding’s silvery vocals with her tender instrumentals, creating an altogether ethereal sound that is at once soothing and brightly intriguing.

Garcia—who is also a skilled composer and bandleader—will front a quartet to perform tracks off Odyssey at this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival. At the Performance Works stage on June 28, audience members will hear her transcend genres, pulling influences from the realms of classical, R&B, and beyond. Ultimately, the 2024 album is a nuanced ode to Garcia’s love for composing, a passion she recently rediscovered.

The musician began her jazz training studying under pianist Nikki Yeoh, later attending the Royal Academy of Music, the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She released her debut solo album, Source, in 2020. It received widespread critical acclaim (including from Rolling Stone, which gave the record an “Album of the Month” mention); she also played one of NPR Music’s beloved Tiny Desk Concerts.

Garcia’s upcoming festival performance is part of the Granville Island Jazz series. Read more about the other shows in store here.

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Emily Lyth

Stir editorial assistant Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.

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