What: First Annual Nanaimo Jazz Festival, featuring the John Ellis Quintet, Rick Scott, Nico Rhodes and the Greg Bush Sextet
When: Friday through Sunday
Where: Various venues, including The Port Theatre (125 Front St.), Diana Krall Plaza, Best Western Dorchester Hotel (70 Church St.)
Tickets: $15-$45 at the Port Theatre (250-754-8550) and Fascinating Rhythm (51 Commercial St.)
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When pianist and bandleader Andrew Homzy moved to Nanaimo in 2009, his first thought was: Where鈥檚 the professional-level jazz festival?
Homzy, a former professor of jazz studies at Montreal鈥檚 Concordia University, was surprised to learn there wasn鈥檛 one, despite an unusually strong jazz community for a city the size of Nanaimo.
It has taken years to finally right that wrong, but on Friday, the non-profit Nanaimo International Jazz Festival Association, of which Homzy is the director, will unveil its inaugural Nanaimo Jazz Festival.
鈥淗ere we are eight years later and it鈥檚 becoming a reality starting now,鈥� Homzy said.
Nanaimo boasts strong jazz programs at the elementary and high-school level, in addition to the well-known music program at Vancouver Island University, which offers the only jazz degree on the Island.
The university has its own student jazz festival, which left the door open for Homzy and his associates to create a festival that would give professional musicians in the area a chance to perform with touring acts from across North America.
鈥淲e want to provide opportunities for the people who have graduated from these programs,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e hope to address that issue in a small way.鈥�
The festival is providing employment for 11 Nanaimo-area groups that are part of the program, including his own outfit, Andrew Homzy鈥檚 NOLA NightHawks. Beginning Friday, the event features 10 concerts in three days, six of which are free and many of which are being held outdoors. Headliners include New York-New Orleans combo the John Ellis Quintet, Rick Scott, Nico Rhodes and the Greg Bush Sextet, among others.
The Port Theatre is the festival鈥檚 marquee venue, but several other locations are also in play. Diana Krall Plaza, the Best Western Dorchester Hotel, Fitzwillam & Selby, Pioneer Plaza and McGregor Park will host festival acts throughout the event.
A New Orleans-style parade that will stroll through the city鈥檚 main streets is one of many unique events planned for the weekend.
鈥淭he festival is going to have an impact on the perception of what jazz music is,鈥� Homzy said. 鈥淛azz can be fun and artistic.鈥�
He鈥檚 hoping an audience of about 3,000 people takes in the programming. Plans are in place to move the Nanaimo Jazz Festival forward in year two, so the mid-island city that is becoming with synonymous with jazz has its own annual festival.
鈥淭his our first year, so not all of our objectives have been met,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut most of them have. Our mission is about raising the cultural profile of Nanaimo through professional-level jazz, and to build an audience for the music. We鈥檙e trying to make a home for jazz in Nanaimo.鈥�
