Sat | Aug 27, 2022
5:30 - 6:30 PM | Norman Sylvester Blues Band
Norman Sylvester was born in Bonita, LA in 1945. His earliest influence came from hearing gospel singing in church, and blues greats like BB King and T Bone Walker coming from the Juke Joints on the back streets of town. His first professional gig was in 1963 with the legendary Isaac Scott, and by the late 70s, he was performing with Buddy Guy and Albert Collins. Norman is an Oregon Music Hall of Fame inductee and is recognized by fans and critics as one of the best bluesmen in the Northwest.
Northwest Bands
11:45 AM- 12:30 PM | Sherry Summerville
Jazz singer Sherry Summerville began her professional career singing for Carnival Cruise Lines. She has performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and Mt. Hood Jazz Festival. Sherry recently recorded her first solo, self-titled, album.
Gates open at 11 AM
Northwest Bands
4:00 - 5:00 PM | Terry Robb
Terry Robb is hailed as a blues guitar virtuoso and one of the finest acoustic guitarists on the international scene. His signature fingerpicking style has earned him international acclaim from audiences, music critics and his distinguished peers.
Artist Website: CLICK HERE Music Video CLICK HERE:
“The matter is clear: Robb is one of our finest acoustic guitarists today” Living Blues magazine
“A bona fide blues guitar star” – The Post-Standard, live at the New York State Blues Festival
5:30 - 6:45 PM | Raul Midón
Along with his 11 studio albums as a solo artist, Midón – dubbed “an eclectic adventurist” by People magazine – has collaborated with such heroes as Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers, along with contributing to records by Queen Latifah and Snoop Dogg and the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s She Hate Me. A native of New Mexico who now lives in Maryland after years in New York, Midón has earned acclaim the world over, with a fanbase that stretches from San Francisco to India, Amsterdam to Tokyo.
“A one-man band who turns a guitar into an orchestra and his voice into a chorus” – New York Times
12:45 - 1:30 PM | Dan Schulte Band
Bassist Dan Schulte performs with multiple jazz and classical ensembles and is one of the best bassists in the Northwest. His quartet features stellar veteran musicians trumpeter Paul Mazzio, drummer Tim Rapp, and saxophonist Pete Petersen.
Gates open at 11 AM
3:45 - 5:00 PM | Connie Han Trio
Pianist Connie Han has created an edgy blend of modern and traditional jazz. At 26, this young lioness is on a fast-climbing trajectory to jazz stardom with rave reviews from The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, and more. Weaving in and out of the jazz tradition, Han pays tribute to McCoy Tyner, Mulgrew Miller, and Kenny Kirkland with her own unique edge and fire at the piano.
“Connie Han has already absorbed the post-bop piano masters with all the technical mastery she’ll ever need.” – Downbeat Magazine
“The rare musician with fearsome technical chops, a breadth of historical knowledge and enough originality to write tunes that absorb your ear easily.” – New York Times
Friday Headline Artist
8:30 - 9:45 PM | Sue Foley
The Festival includes GRAMMY-winning musicians, and nationally acclaimed musicians including Blind Boys of Alabama, Spyro Gyra, Sue Foley, Bonerama, Grace Kelly, Tommy Castro & the Painkilers, and others.
“This country’s finest blues guitarist” - Toronto Globe And Mail
Gates open at 3:00 PM
Fri | Aug 26, 2022
8:15 - 9:30 PM | The Yellowjackets
The Yellowjackets formed in the late 1970’s, recorded their first album in 1980, and have gained and maintained prominence as one of jazz’s most influential and loved groups. Throughout their storied 43-year history, the Yellowjackets have recorded 25 albums, received 17 GRAMMY® nominations – won 2 – performed countless sold-out tours, enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success.
“Yellowjackets fans for the past couple decades have come to know that
there’s no categorizing the music.” - New York Daily News
"...a perfectly combustible electric-acoustic outfit whose smart, often challenging and
unpredictable compositions draw from fusion, postbop and contemporary jazz." - JazzTimes
4:45 - 6:00 PM | Connie Han Trio
Pianist Connie Han has created an edgy blend of modern and traditional jazz. At 26, this young lioness is on a fast-climbing trajectory to jazz stardom with rave reviews from The New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, and more. Weaving in and out of the jazz tradition, Han pays tribute to McCoy Tyner, Mulgrew Miller, and Kenny Kirkland with her own unique edge and fire at the piano.
“Connie Han has already absorbed the post-bop piano masters with all the technical mastery she’ll ever need.” – Downbeat Magazine
“The rare musician with fearsome technical chops, a breadth of historical knowledge and enough originality to write tunes that absorb your ear easily.” – New York Times
Sun | Aug 28, 2022
6:30 - 7:45 PM | Diane Schuur
The term ‘Jazz Legend’ is often overused – but not in the case of singer & pianist Diane Schuur. With a distinguished recording career that spans over three decades, including two Grammy awards (Timeless and Diane Schuur and The Count Basie Orchestra on GRP Records), as well as three additional GRAMMY® nominations, Schuur's music has explored almost every corner of the American musical landscape. Her musical collaborations include the aforementioned Count Basie Orchestra, B.B. King, Ray Charles, and Jose Feliciano, among countless others. These collaborations have resulted in numerous top Billboard Chart recordings, including Pure Schuur and Heart to Heart with B.B. King. Diane appeared at the first Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival in 1998. We are honored to have her here for the ‘rebirth’ of the Festival after 2 years of COVID cancellations.
Vancouver Wine & Jazz Festival
1:45 - 2:45 PM | Aaron Meyer - Concert Rock Violinist
After performing as an original band member for the world-renowned band Pink Martini and recording on the Pink Martini album Sympathique – which sold a million copies worldwide – Aaron struck out on his own and refined his own brand of music. His broad range of music includes everything from a dynamic rendition of Vivaldi's “The Four Seasons” to his exquisite versions of Pink Floyd's “Comfortably Numb,” Led Zeppelin's “Kashmir,” and the Beatles classic “Let it Be.” Whenever he performs, he connects with audiences of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds from all around the world.
3:00 - 4:15 PM | Portland Cello Project
In the fall of 2006 a group of 9 cellists got on stage at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge to perform western classical music in an informal setting. By 2009 the group had evolved into a nationally recognized band, appearing throughout North America, from punk rock clubs to symphony halls to Millennium Park in Chicago, from street parties to exclusive private events. They perform all styles from classical to jazz and their repertoire ranges from Pantera, Taylor Swift, and Kanye West to Bach, Rossini, and Saint-Saens. They have collaborated with myriad artists, from The Dandy Warhols, Garrison Keillor, and Peter Yarrow, to cellists such as Ben Sollee, Maya Beiser and Zoe Keating.
7:00 - 8:00 The Bottleneck Blues Band
The Bottleneck Blue Band was the 2015 Muddy Awards Winner for Best New Blues Band. Followers of the three Kings: BB, Albert, and Freddie, their music is red, hot, funky blues. They play the kind of music that makes people dance!
7:15 - 8:30 PM | Poncho Sanchez
For more than three decades, GRAMMY winning conguero Poncho Sanchez has stirred up a fiery stew of straight-ahead jazz, gritty soul music, and infectious melodies and rhythms from a variety of Latin American and South American sources. Throughout his career Sanchez has held aloft the torch lit by such innovators as Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, and Cal Tjader, embraced by each of those icons and entrusted to carry forward the traditions of Latin Jazz.
2024 Festival Dates: August 23, 24, 25
24th Annual / Esther Short Park / Vancouver, WA USA
2:15 - 3:15 PM | The Ne Plus Ultra Jass Orchestra
Since 2016, The Ne Plus Ultra Jass Orchestra has been delighting audiences with the music of the roaring 20s and Depression era 30s. Under the leadership of master showman Sammuel Murry-Hawkins, the ensemble transports audiences to the golden age of Hot Jazz and Sweet Dance Music, specializing in the tunes of Cab Calloway, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, and George Gershwin. The Ne Plus Ultra Jass Orchestra is recognized as one of the most authentic early jazz ensembles on the West coast.
1:00 - 2:00 PM | Dave Lee Band - With Dave Captien, bass | Guy Maxwell, drums
Pianist, composer, and arranger Dave Lee has been entertaining audiences in the Pacific Northwest for more than 35 years. His repertoire ranges from jazz to country, blues, rock, pop, and gospel. He performs regularly at Spirit Mountain Casino, ilani Casino, venues, and clubs throughout Oregon and Washington. He is a producer at Bassett Audio Design, a digital recording and production studio in Portland, Oregon.
Northwest Bands
11:45 AM- 12:45 PM | Ben Rice Band
Ben Rice has been leaving huge impressions on audiences around the Northwest and winning awards for his vocals and guitar playing for the last seven years. In 2014 at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, he left the audience speechless with a raw emotional delivery of his version of “Key To The Highway.” On his second consecutive trip to the International Blues Challenge, he made the finals in the solo/duo category and was awarded the St. Blues Guitarist award for best guitarist.