Star Captain | Vancouver International Jazz Festival
Content Editor: Alice On
Each year the Vancouver International Jazz Festival draws in close to 1800 artists and over half a million jazz enthusiasts. With it’s insatiable appetite for diversity, purists may recoil at its ever-growing inclusiveness under the banner of “jazz”, but locals who value variety over genre are delighted by the chance to see Herbie Hancock one night and Wu-Tang Clan another.
Personally, one of my favourite venues to take it all in is David Lam Park, where thousands converge to cover the green oasis with brightly coloured blankets, in the cooling concoction of music and the gentle breeze of False Creek.
Never knowing what type of weather June will bring, I packed my sunscreen, layers, blanket and umbrella. Turns out Vancouver on June 30th was aspirationally Miami and my poor sleeveless, tie-back linen blouse maxed out on heat dissipating abilities, to account for my choice of lined tartan pants. Between my home brewed non-alcoholic ;) beverage and the relentless heat, I probably lost a few brain cells, regardless that did not stop me from noting the infectious good vibe and outstanding performance of the home-town heroes, Star Captains. With a set wedged between the West African melodies of Kora virtuoso Sona Jobarteh, and the funky dance-hall beats of quintet A2Z Collective, Star Captains stood out as a departure into an electronic soundscape scaffolded with digital effects.
Barely stopping to catch a breath, NaRai dropped an impressive 90-plus minutes of luscious vocals, while the guitarist Jim Black, bassist Gavin Youngash, keyboardist Max Zipursky, controllerist Daniel Child, and drummer Kai Basanta unleashed a blend of synth pop, r&b and their kind of “new old-school”. Sounds utterly and irresistibly timeless. Their set included works from their sophomore album such as Anything is Possible, What If and Lightwork, something currently on repeat on the DaisyCode summer playlist.
Born out of their hand-built studio in Vancouver, Lightwork is packed with atmospheric synths and sleek vocals. Light and dreamy with an impactful sound rooted in the layered production and thoughtful writing, I particularly enjoy its connection to the accompanying music video, where dancers move in an equally entrancing choreography. Under a mysterious fog and scattered lights, sparkles and studs wink at us, chronically appealing to the magpie in me but also mirrors the glittering gems in the lyrics that bubble to the surface of the melody and sink back into the depths of the unique sound. Check out the video yourself for some seriously West Coast rooftop feels:
14 Likes, 5 Comments - Nutraceutical Regeneration (@collagenbabe) on Instagram: "#LoveComesFirst #StarCaptains #NaRai #CoastalJazz #DavidLamPark #Yaletown #Vancouver..."
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