The TD Victoria International Jazz Festival offers 70 performances over its 11-day run, which presents myriad challenges for those wanting to take in more than one or two shows. The schedule is packed, but it brims with highlights-in-the-making. Eager music fans will need to make a Sophie’s Choice-like decision at some point, so here’s a shortlist of what to catch and when.
1. Snarky Puppy (Thursday, June 22, Royal Theatre). Far and away the best act at this year’s festival, Snarky Puppy is a guaranteed bet if you’re looking for inspired virtuosity. A jam band with serious jazz chops, brought to life by an elastic, elite 18-person membership, this show will undoubtedly leave a lasting legacy in the market. Tickets are available but will be gone by showtime, so don’t sleep. If you’re only able to catch a single gig at this year’s festival, this one should be it.
2. Brekky Boy (Monday, June 26, Hermann’s Jazz Club). The Bad Plus and GoGo Penguin are stylistic touchstones for this instrumental Australian trio, which pushes polyrhythms to the fore of their electronic-accented jazz jams. Brekky Boy is one of the lesser-known acts at Jazzfest this year, but their youthful exuberance is appealing. The trio also performs a free show on Sunday at Beacon Hill Park’s Cameron Bandshell.
3. Witch Prophet (Tuesday, June 27, Victoria Event Centre). Toronto singer-songwriter Ayo Leilani pushes the limits of jazz, which makes her something of an outlier at this year’s festival. Hip-hop, jazz and soul are woven into her alter-ego, Witch Prophet, which bears a resemblance to everyone from Solange to Erykah Badu. Witch Prophet may not have a wide commercial appeal, but she’s got the head-spinning goods.
4. Caity Gyorgy (Thursday, June 29, Hermann’s Jazz Club). This talented two-time Juno Award winner has impressive pitch, and is overflowing with potential. The singer-songwriter-arranger has critics falling over themselves, with much of their praise centeed around her voice, a singular weapon for this Toronto singer-songwriter-arranger. Her original music recalls that of Ella Fitzgerald, but Gyorgy also knows her way around a Taylor Swift cover when backed by Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox.
5. Nik West (Thursday, June 29, Bullen Park). Her range of experience (tours with Prince; recordings with John Mayer; endorsements from Fender) makes it nearly impossible to nail down what makes Nik West so special, yet her legend continues to grow. Bootsy Collins, Macy Gray, and Music of My Mind-era Stevie Wonder are all touchstones for West, who is not far behind Snarky Puppy in the race for best-of-the-fest honours.
