Now in its 13th year, the Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival is upon us. It includes 10 full days of live music filling restaurants, parks and venues throughout Gibsons and beyond.
Jazz Week leads up to the festival weekend with live music in restaurants and venues around Gibsons, including a film night on Tuesday, June 10, in collaboration with the Sunshine Coast Film Society. The film this year is the classic Last of the Blue Devils, featuring the talents of Count Basie, Big Joe Turner, Jay McShann and others. It's chock-full of great performances, introduced by the jazz duo of dynamic vocalist Dalannah Gail Bowen and Luci Herder on piano.
The festival weekend opens on Friday night at the Gibsons Heritage Playhouse with Not At All Standard, songs presented by Trudi Diening and Jacquie Allan with the outstanding rhythm section of Miles Black on piano, Graham Ord on sax, Buff Allan on drums and Boyd Norman on bass.
This year's festival in Dougall Park will feature some of the best young and not so young musicians on the West Coast. We're proud to present the terrific young group, Coast String Fiddlers T.rad Band, complete with horn and rhythm section and joined by Stramash. Next up, residents Jeannie Munro with her husband Brian Stanhope and The Little Big Band will play some classic jazz tunes. Guitarists extraordinaire Oliver Gannon and Bill Coon of Two Much Guitar will then take the stage accompanied by Dave Robbins on drums and Darren Radtke on bass. They are followed by a man considered to be a national treasure in the realms of many kinds of music and performance, Jim Byrnes. The last act of the day brings on the youth again as Kutapira, who were invited to play for the Queen of England, will get you dancing to their infectious marimba and percussion rhythms.The day in the park includes Jean-Pierre Makosso's dancers, stiltwalkers, a craft market, lots of good food, raffles and four big tents to cover the audience for all kinds of weather and plenty of surprises. It's a great place to bring the family - kids under 12 are free.
Saturday night is the time to get out your dancing shoes. Go for either the 11-piece rhythm machine Five Alarm Funk, who just love to interact with their crowds and will have Roberts Creek Hall the funky place to be, or swirl your partner at the Sechelt Legion Hall to the Big Band sounds of the past with the Creek Big Band, conducted by Blaine Dunaway. We welcome the Sechelt Legion to this year's festival to join in the fun.
Sunday morning at 11 a.m. there is the favourite Jazz Brunch at Leo's Tapas and Grill, with the smooth jazz vocals of Colleen Savage and the delicious piano jazz stylings of Ron Johnson and bass by David Guiney.
Also on Sunday morning at 11 we have a much awaited jazz guitar workshop with Bill Coon, so sign up early. At 1:30 p.m. across the street from the Gibsons Sunday Market, settle in for a Sunday afternoon free concert in Winegarden Park featuring three great local bands: Celso Machado with Graham Ord and Liam McDonald, the Coast Jazz Quintet and the local young hip hop group, Wilderness Crew.
Tickets are available at Gaia's Fair Trade in Gibsons, WindSong Gallery in Sechelt and Roberts Creek Health Food Store. Bring the family, friends and lawn chairs to the parks and lots of sunscreen - we're thinking positive! Visit www.coastjazz.com for more information. The whole 10 days are produced by the Sunshine Coast Jazz and Entertainment Society and run by volunteers in the community who love coming back every year to keep the Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival a fun, family event.
