Bold new VanJazz festival unveils its inaugural lineup, October 14 to 25
More than 100 concerts are taking place across multiple local venues
SPONSORED POST BY VanJazz
Adam O’Farrill’s Elephant
Local jazz impresarios Tim Reinert (Infidels Jazz) and Cory Weeds (Cellar Music) have joined forces to launch VanJazz ’26, the first edition of a brand-new jazz festival. Held at multiple local venues from October 14 to 25, VanJazz ’26 reflects the spirit of collaboration that is a hallmark of music, featuring 115 concerts over 11 days.
Among the artists kicking things off on opening night is guitarist Julian Lage and his quartet, which will be playing at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Lage is hailed as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation, with roots tangled up in jazz, folk, classical, and country music. At the same venue on October 24, the 18-member Ghibli Jazz Orchestra is bringing a love of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli to the stage, fusing Joe Hisaishi’s film and video-game scores with 1940s big-band music.
Ghibli Jazz Orchestra
On October 23, New York trumpeter Adam O’Farrill is bringing his standout project Elephant to Alliance Française Vancouver’s theatre, with a quartet playing intricate rhythmic and harmonic works. And on October 17, American vibraphonist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Wolf is making his Vancouver debut at the Revue Stage on Granville Island.
More highlights throughout the festival include the Darius Jones Trio, legendary bassist Buster Williams, saxophonist Ken Vandermark, the avant-pianist fronted Myra Melford Splash Trio, and drummer Carl Allen with the Vancouver Jazz Orchestra. Then there’s the cinematic soul-jazz of Chicago’s RESAVOIR with Gregory Uhlmann; Latin-infused quintet Dos Santos, also from Chicago; and the blue-collar organ jazz of Fonville x Fribush.
Warren Wolf
Fonville x Fribush
“This festival is a labour of love,” Reinert shares in a release. “It’s an incredible collection of artists that highlights the depth, breadth, and scope of jazz today. We curated our program with passion for this music, and in a spirit of cooperation with local musicians and presenters.”
Weeds adds, “It was important to us to reflect the spectrum of jazz. Anyone who knows us knows we each bring a particular perspective and depth of knowledge, and we wanted to make sure that all facets of the music we love are reflected.”
Purchase tickets, explore the entire lineup, and learn more about the festival at www.van-jazz.ca.
Post sponsored by VanJazz.
Myra Melford
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