chris wong in sync

I've been fretting about how to put together a best bets list for the upcoming Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Do I integrate artists reflecting the festival's full range of stylistic diversity? Do I include a quota of local artists? Do I incorporate artists that record labels, managers and musicians themselves have subtly suggested I write about? Decisions, decisions.

What I've come up with is, for the most part, none of the above. It's an unapologetically subjective take on the festival (June 22-July 1) based on personal preference and instinct.

June 22: Legends of the Bandstand/Hugh Fraser Quintet, Vogue Theatre - Pianist Hank Jones won't be with the other legends on the bandstand because of ill health. But his replacement, Sir Roland Hanna, has long been a major player.

Steve Lacy Quintet/Kate Hammett-Vaughan, Vancouver East Cultural Centre - Lacy, a soprano sax virtuoso, never fails to give absorbing performances. Hammett-Vaughan will present her adventurous Songs to a Muse project.

June 23: Barbarito Torres/Márcio Faraco, Vogue - I didn't enjoy Torres' hokey show at last year's festival, but Faraco will make this concert worthwhile. The Brazilian living in Paris composes, sings and plays guitar with a gorgeous intensity.

June 24: Paradox Trio, Studio 16 (and June 23 in Gastown) - This is actually a quartet led by multi-instrumentalist Matt Darriau, a member of the Klezmatics. But don't expect klezmer. The group plays affecting Balkan music with a Downtown New York sensibility.

Sharon Minemoto Quintet, Vogue Theatre - The opening act for John Pizzarelli is one of the best local bands I've heard recently. (Minemoto, a tremendous composer and pianist, will also play with Ross Taggart that afternoon at O'Doul's and June 28 at Point Grey Grill.)

June 25: Kenny Colman/Dee Daniels, Vogue - Colman may be a long way from his prime as a jazz singer but he hasn't lost his sense for swing or way with a lyric. Daniels always projects a soulful style.

John Scofield/Metalwood/Bloomdaddies, Commodore - The ultimate groove-jazz triple-bill. (Metalwood will also perform June 27 at Performance Works. Bloomdaddies, including ex-Vancouverite Seamus Blake, will play June 22 at the Cellar and June 24 in Gastown.)

June 25-27: Ray Brown Trio, Rossini's Gastown - Yeah, Brown has played at Rossini's a zillion times, but the bassist is one of the few remaining jazz masters of his generation.

June 26: Irakere/Olodum, Vogue - Chucho Valdes doesn't lead Irakere anymore but the group still plays exceptional Cuban jazz. Olodum will rock the Vogue with its Bahian rhythms.

June 27: Roy Hargrove Quintet/Eastwind, Vogue - A superb trumpeter and, opening the show, a fine local group.

June 28: Terence Blanchard/Kenny Werner Trio, Vogue - Another outstanding trumpeter and an extraordinary pianist.

June 29: Broken Sound Barrier featuring Graham Haynes and Eyvind Kang, Performance Works - The one track I heard by this group captured my attention with its inventive electronica. Cornetist Haynes (son of drummer Roy Haynes) and violinist Kang are also engaging improvisers.

June 29-July 1: Mark Turner and Kurt Rosenwinkel, the Cellar and Vancouver East Cultural Centre - Hearing Rosenwinkel, an emerging guitar God, in the tiny Cellar (June 29-30) will be amazing. But catching the double-bill at the Cultch (July 1), with Turner and Rosenwinkel along with saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, wouldn't be a bad idea either.

June 30: Dave Douglas New Quintet/Chris Potter Quartet, Vogue - Yet another excellent trumpeter and rising saxophonist.

Trilok Gurtu/Sex Mob/Zony Mash, Commodore - Gurtu and his band played dynamic Afro-Indian fusion at the Vogue last year, but the group I'm especially excited about hearing this night is Sex Mob. The offbeat New York band will likely leave a strong impression.

July 1: Uri Caine Trio, Roundhouse - Caine, last heard in Vancouver with clarinetist Don Byron, is a strikingly original pianist.

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There's been a lot of reaction to Monika Ullman's cover feature in the Courier ("Tuned Out", May 20) on Coastal Jazz & Blues Society's approach to hiring local jazz musicians for its festival. That piece, and to a lesser extent a column I wrote on the festival, prompted a flurry of letters to the Courier and postings in vancouverjazz.com's discussion forum.

From my perspective, Ullman's story lacked balance. I also cringed when seeing the article's glaring errors. That said, it contributed to something rare: people are actually talking about jazz. The website postings created an unprecedented dialogue involving Coastal artistic director Ken Pickering, Cellar co-owner Cory Weeds and individuals who have strong opinions about this music. Yes, talk is cheap, but communication can only improve our high-calibre yet fractured jazz scene.

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Some thoughts about the CRTC's just-released decision to give a FM license to Focus Entertainment Group for the 94.5 frequency:

I'm not thrilled the CRTC went for an urban music format that, according to its decision, will include a mix of "modern rhythm and blues, rap, reggae, soul and funk, bhangra, techno, hip-hop, dance and Motown music." But I think the commission was correct to reject applications for a smooth jazz station. While local artists who play true jazz and Coastal's festival would have benefited from such a station, smooth jazz is a banal phenomenon that will ultimately have a short shelf-life.