Episode 235: Youth, Gender Parity, and history: Edmonton Jazz Fest Part 3.

Discovering Jazz

The last of my series on the upcoming Edmonton Jazz Festival. This week I explore some history—touching on the fore-runner of this festival, Jazz City. That festival became Canada’s first Internationally renowned Jazz Festival….beginning in 1980.

I also explore the attempt being made to attract youth to this festival. Many of the artists are young, and efforts are being made to attract a youthful audience. After all if young people don’t listen to jazz and us oldies die out (which we eventually will), there will no longer be an audience.

And last, but not least, women are becoming more and more a predominant part of this festival. I play tracks by Endea Owens, Caity Gyorgy, Kate Blechinger, Karimah (with the Rubim de Toledo Global Jazz Project), and the Mary Ancheta Quartet.

You’ll also hear on this episode the fascinating piano of Mboya Nicholson, and Arlo Maverick w. Oozela—all part of this year’s festival.

In terms of history, there’s three artists who were here in 1981: Tal Farlow, Bobby McFerrin (well before he became a jazz superstar), and Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers with the Marsalis Brothers.