The 14th Annual Gibsons Landing Jazz Festival is fast approaching, and it looks like another fabulous year.
The ever popular Jazz Week with live music in local restaurants kicks off at the Gibsons Public Library on Saturday, June 6, at noon with guitar duo Tinfish. This is the first of four shows that day, and the music just keeps happening every night of the week until the opening night concert of the festival with the gospel/R&B/jazz entertainment queen, Sibel Thrasher, at Gibsons Heritage Playhouse. She will be accompanied by Graham Ord, Anna Lumiere, John Rule and Chris Andersen. If you missed Thrasher at the Pender Harbour Jazz Festival, ask anyone - it will be a most entertaining evening.
Saturday morning, June 13, in Kinsman Hall in Dougall Park, the day starts with a hand drum workshop with Hari Pal. Then pull out your lawn chairs, let the kids loose to join the activities in the fully fenced festival grounds, and lay back to enjoy some of the finest sounds that the talented and connected Jazz Society will be laying out for us in Dougall Park. New this year is an art installation by Diego Samper with art displays and puppetry by Deer Crossing Art Farm.
Feature musical artists will be Michael Occhipinti and the Sicilian Jazz Project from Toronto, an intriguing mix of Sicilian folk source material and the best elements of modern jazz. The Rakish Angles, Amanda Tosoff Quartet, Ta Ki Ta and the 25-piece Carnival Band will keep the day filled with great music and get you ready for an evening of dance with either the Creek Big Band at Harmony Hall in Gibsons or Hey Ocean at Roberts Creek Hall.
Sunday, June 14, has Trudi Diening and Sacha Fassaert performing for the Jazz Brunch at Leo's followed by an afternoon of fabulous live music, all free for the listening in Winegarden Park with the Coast Jazz Septet, Definitely Diva and the Elphinstone Secondary School jazz band led by Tom Kellough.
Tickets are available at Gaia's Fair Trade, Roberts Creek Health Foods and WindSong Gallery in Sechelt or reserve online. For a complete schedule of Jazz Week and the festival, bios of the performers and prices, go to www.coastjazz.com.
