Since its inception in 1993 the Guelph Jazz Festival has built on a reputation for pushing the boundaries of the genre.
It’s an approach that has earned the festival many accolades and helped it capture the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for the Arts three times as well as the Premiere’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.
“We had a vision to do something a little bit different than the other festivals,” said artistic director Ajay Heble. “There are many other festivals and many opportunities to hear more traditional forms of jazz, which I love too but it is not what I wanted to do here. I wanted to provide an opportunity for more innovative, improvisational and experimental forms of musical expression.”
Jazz or some interpretation was played over five days at a variety of locations around the city starting last Wednesday with a Plenary Roundtable on Improvisation as Practice-Based Research in the George Luscombe Theatre at the University of Guelph and winding up with a Festival Improv Finale at the Guelph Youth Music Centre Sunday morning.
“There have been some real highlights as far as the impact it has had on all kinds of people,” said Heble. “I am thrilled with the way it has gone and I am really happy with the programming.”
The festival featured artists from around the world each with their own cultural and artistic interpretations of jazz.
One of the artists on the bill that is known for pushing the boundaries was American avant-garde musician Rob Mazurek, who did a free show in Market Square Friday night with the Chicago Underground Duo and a solo improvisational performance Sunday morning at the Guelph Youth Music Centre.
“I think it was the New York Times that said anyone that is interested in the future of jazz cannot afford to ignore someone like Rob Mazurek,” said Heble. “I think he has his finger on the pulse of some of the more exciting developments in the music whether it’s combining jazz with Brazilian music or bringing in electronics like he did during his solo performance.”
Heble is a founding member of the Guelph Jazz Festival and has been it’s artistic director for the last 23 years ago.
His decision to retire from the festival this year to focus on other projects was on the minds of many of his friends, fellow musicians and fans. They showed their appreciation for his contribution with two standing ovations during the festival finale at the GYMC Sunday morning.
“It is bittersweet but I am confident that things will move forward,” said Heble. “It will be a transitional year and the board is going through discussions on how to transition.”
Festival president Shawn Van Sluys praised Heble for his significant influence on the improvisational and inclusive nature of the festival and said he will continue be an influence as a musician and as director of the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation.
He said the festival board is in a planning stage and expects to make more concrete plans about the future of the festival over the coming months.
“We will create a new board and with that new board we will find a new artistic direction,” said Van Sluys. “It will have the same commitment and vision to community, improvisation, equitable pay for artists and the promotion of free concerts like the ones in Market Square.”
