The Vancouver Suite
- Darius Jones
While in residence at Western Front, Darius Jones will rehearse, perform, and record The Vancouver Suite, a new concert-long composition for strings. Jones began writing The Vancouver Suite during an earlier residency at Western Front in 2019. The work is dedicated to Vancouver’s physical environment, its audiences, and most specifically four of its string players—cellist Peggy Lee, bassist James Meger, and violinists Jesse Zubot and Josh Zubot—who will perform the work alongside the New York-based drummer Gerald Cleaver at the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Audiences are invited to pass by Western Front to witness the preparation for the performance and recording during a series of open rehearsal.
Curated by Aram Bajakian.
About the Artist
Darius Jones is a saxophonist and composer based in New York. He embraces individuality and innovation in the tradition of African-American music, and has released a string of diverse recordings featuring music and images evocative of Black Futurism. Jones’ music is a confrontation against apathy and ego, hoping to inspire authenticity that compels us to be better humans. In addition to collaborating with Amirtha Kidambi as the duo Angels and Demons, Jones has collaborated with artists including Gerald Cleaver, Oliver Lake, William Parker, Andrew Cyrille, Craig Taborn, Wet Ink Ensemble, Jason Moran, Trevor Dunn, Dave Burrell, Eric Revis, Matthew Shipp, Marshall Allen, Nasheet Waits, Branford Marsalis, Travis Laplante, Fay Victor, Cooper-Moore, Matana Roberts, JD Allen, Matthew Shipp, Nicole Mitchell, Georgia Ann Muldrow, and many more.
Acknowledgement
Presented in partnership with Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, and with the support of the Government of Canada and SOCAN Foundation.
Western Front is a non-profit
artist-run centre in Vancouver.
We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.