TD VICTORIA INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL
Where: Royal Theatre, Bullen Park, Beacon Hill Park, and more
When: Thursday, June 22-Sunday, July 2
Tickets: $28-$105.50 through or 250-386-6121
Darryl Mar has made every effort during his 40 years at the helm of the TD Victoria International Jazz Festival to help up-and-coming acts transition into established ones.
Not every gamble turns into a hit. But when the executive and artistic director of the Victoria Jazz Society makes good on a hunch, everyone — from the band to the fans — reaps the rewards.
“I like to focus on emerging acts, and hopefully they will develop so we can bring them back when they’ve achieved much more recognition,” Mar said. “And when we put them on a larger stage in front of more people, then I can boast, ‘We discovered them eight years ago, where were you then? It took you this long to figure out how good they are?!’ ”
Don’t be surprised if you see Mar with a slight bounce to his step this weekend, especially when New York collective Snarky Puppy opens Jazzfest on Thursday night at the Royal Theatre. Mar booked Snarky Puppy for the first time in 2015, and slotted the 18-member group into the former Distrikt nightclub as part of Jazzfest. There wasn’t even 300 people through the door that night, Mar said, making it a break-even event.
Snarky Puppy’s festival-opening set, on the other hand, is almost sold-out, with more than 1,200 tickets gone. The band’s Victoria appearance is their only 91原创 stop west of Toronto this summer, which prompted Mar to extend Jazzfest by an additional day in order to accommodate their schedule. It’s the first time in the festival’s four-decade history Jazzfest has eclipsed the 10-day mark.
“I’ve been in this business long enough to know that you’ve got to roll with the punches,” he said. “There’s always going to be scenarios to deal with, but you just carry on, and factor that in.”
Though it has an operating budget of $1.3 million, Jazzfest wasn’t immune to the pandemic, and fought hard to offer programming during the two-year break from in-person performances. The festival returned in full last year, with new operational additions. Cameron Bandshell in Beacon Hill Park and Bullen Park in Esquimalt were introduced as outdoor venues, though the latter was besieged by rain in 2022; the majority of events at Bullen Park were canceled or postponed.
Mar re-upped his commitment to Esquimalt this year with four consecutive days of programming there next week, including free and paid performances. Free concerts will again be offered at Cameron Bandshell, in addition to free workshops and clinics at Tom Lee Music and Esquimalt Recreation Centre.
In addition to Snarky Puppy, several big names sit atop the Jazzfest schedule, including trumpeter Chris Botti, progressive jazz collective BADBADNOTGOOD, blues/jazz singer Molly Johnson, and Gambian multi-instrumentalist Sona Jobarteh.
Mar’s never been focused on the A-list names in jazz, and has done well with what he has been offered situated in a secondary market. He had his pick of acts in his wheelhouse this year, as musicians are back on the road in record numbers, hoping to recoup lost income from the pandemic. “For the style of music and level of artists that we deal with, there seems to be a lot more out there now. We’ve been able to route a few acts that normally would only have one or two dates in Canada.”
To combat the challenges presented by flight delays or schedule changes, some artists are arriving a day in advance, he said. Only one act thus far has cancelled his appearance: 91原创 neo-soul artist Mauvey, who was given the opportunity to perform at U.K. megafestival Glastonbury on June 25 — which would not have been possible had he honoured his June 23 at the Victoria Event Centre.
“I’m not going to stop that,” Mar said. “I told him to go ahead and take it. We’ll do him another time. I guess that’s why I’m still around after 40 years. I’ve maintained my integrity and try and do what I say I’m going to do, even though it may take six or seven years to circle back.”
Mar said he relies on the input of his staff these days, in order to “keep up with everything that’s going on” in the music world. He still prides himself on knowing a future star when he sees one, however. “I’m proud to be able to pick up these artists that fly under the radar, but who are just as good as any top-selling act out there.”
