Freebies at the Vancouver Jazz Festival:

 

Vince Yim, OP Cheap Ass Freeloader

 

As part of the Vancouver Jazz festival, various venues
throughout the downtown area have been host to jazz
from around the world and from local acts. These can
include some well-known acts such as Victoria’s
NoMeansNo to Brazil’s Seu Jorge. But expect to shell out
hard-earned coin to see them. Thankfully, there are the free
acts that one can take in, which are held at just as many
venues.

These, however, can be a bit of a mixed bag (transla-
tion: be prepared to walk out on a few in search of finding

a good one). But thankfully, this year’s jazz festival offers a
number of better-known acts at free venues. Two of the
above came in the form of Canada’s own Kinnie Starr and
The Cat Empire from Melbourne, Australia.

As part of a free jazz performance series at HMV
Downtown, the Juno award nominee Kinnie Starr took to
the stage in a short 30-minute set as a lead-in to her per-
formance with Buck 65 later in the week. Blending soul,
rap, trip-hop, and pop sensibilities, she provided a stripped-
down sound for a small intimate setting. Accompanied by
an electric guitar and pre-recorded beats, she easily holds
her own with minimal backup. While acoustic guitar may
have been more appropriate for the venue, it still worked.

Performing songs from her new album, Anything, and
some of her older material, Starr’s genre-bending styles
show best on tracks such as “Walking Away.” But, with a 6-
track set list, it was over before it began—an appetizer for
the later show.

In terms of bigger free shows, there was The Cat.
Empire. Listed on the festival schedule as “mystery groove
band,” they took to the stage in a surprise follow up to
their blistering performance at the Commodore on June
24. Blending influences that range from soul, funk, jazz,
rock, hip-hop, ska, reggae, and Latin music, they employed
a highly infectious head-bopping rhythm that was impossi-
ble to stop moving to.

A six-piece band consisting of Felix Riebl (vocals),
Harry Angus (trumpet/vocals), Oliver McGill (keyboard),
Ryan Monto (bass), Will Hull-Brown (drums), and Jamshid
“DJ Jumps” Khadiwala (turntables, percussion), The Cat
Empire employed a big sound that is difficult to classify.
But one can certainly expect to be dazzled. Performing

aeeditor@gmail.com

Kinnie Starr @ HMV / The Cat Empire @ Gastown Maple Tree Square

songs from their major label releases The Cat Empire and
Two Shoes, they easily played to the crowd with audience-
participation numbers and improvisational sections lasting __
minutes on end. They exemplifed the very nature of jazz,
and were a very worthy addition to the festival lineup.
Easily worth the price of admission and then some, the
free venues are the best part of the Vancouver Jazz festival
and the musicians reviewed were but a very small sampling.
See you there next year.

 

P Btos by Vin

 

 

 

 

  
     

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Major Studio Production ty vince vim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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