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

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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.

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