Get set for all that jazz…
Staff Report
From today (Aug 9) through Sunday, Aug 12, the second annual Brampton Global Jazz and Blues Festival takes over downtown Brampton.
Ahead is a formidable weekend of music, film, workshops and children’s programming.
Legendary jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis headlines the festival, with several other top international artists due.
Nonprofit presenter Art of Jazz has earned a reputation of building and maintaining world-class festivals over the last seven years, with top-flight touring artists and cleverly themed programming.
And this year’s Brampton Global Jazz and Blues Festival is no exception.
Among the highlights are:
• Altoist Rudresh Mahanthappa & Samadhi, Saturday, Aug 11, at Rose Garden Square Stage, from 1pm. Admission is free.
One of the most original composers in his field, altoist Rudresh Mahanthappa’s prolific contributions to contemporary jazz have earned him a Guggenheim Fellowship, commissions to create new work from the likes of the Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund, Chamber Music America and the American Composers Forum, and a win in the 2011 Downbeat international Critics Poll.
His rare ability to synthesize South Indian music concepts with a seemingly boundless range of unexpected influences frequently characterizes him as one of the most important artists today.
• Sachal Vasandani Quartet, Saturday, Aug 11, at Rose Garden Square Stage, from 4.15pm. Admission is free.
Born in Chicago, Sachal Vasandani listened to his parents’ modern jazz records, pop music, and the East Indian music of his heritage.
With his breakthrough 2007 debut Eyes Wide Open, vocalist/composer/arranger Sachal Vasandani established himself as one of the most promising voices in modern jazz.
• Vijay Iyer, Saturday, Aug 11, at Rose Theatre, from 7pm. Ticketed event.
South Asian American jazz artist Vijay Iyer, one of the most critically acclaimed jazz, pianists, composer, and bandleaders, is the winner of the prestigious Greenfield prize for the field of music, and was recently named director of the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music at The Banff Centre for 2013.
Iyer will also host a workshop perform the same day, and students will have an opportunity to participate.
• Funkadesi, Saturday, Aug 11, at Rose Garden Square Stage, from 9.30pm. Admission is free.
The five-time winner of the Chicago Music Awards, Funkadesi represents Chicago’s diverse, multi-ethnic communities. What distinguishes Funkadesi is each band member’s unique and uncompromised cultural/musical contribution merging to create one unifying sound and vision.
• Shakura S’Aida, Friday, Aug 10, at Rose Garden Square Stage, from 7.30pm. Admission is free.
This is one truly international artist whose involvement in the Canadian music scene has been ongoing for almost 25 years.
There’s lots more. For further details visit www.artofjazz.org
