It’s no surprise that the Halifax Jazz Festival has plenty for jazz enthusiasts but you don’t need to be a hardcore fan to enjoy the event. With a variety artists and a mix of venues around the city, the festival (running from July 6 to 14) boasts something for any musical taste.
Halifax Jazz Festival
Much of the action centres on the Festival Tent on Lower Water Street. Every afternoon, the tent hosts free concerts, featuring acts like The George St. Blues Project (July 7), The Sanctified Brothers (July 8), Daniel Matto (July 11) and the Big Valley Swing Orchestra (July 14). There are also free evening shows on July 9, 10 and 11.
The other evenings, admission is charged at the tent as it hosts the festival’s biggest shows. Things kick off on July 6 with Soul Rebels and continue Junior Watson on July 7, My Brightest Diamond on July 8 and Deltron 3030 on July 12.
Other venues around the city include Saint Matthew’s United Church, the Schooner Showroom at Casino Nova Scotia, The Carleton, Tall Ship Silva, The Press Gang, Onyx, Obladee and Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs.
In fact, the wide range of musical options can be overwhelming. To help, we asked Megan Couture, music blogger with our sister publication Halifax Magazine, for her picks. Number one with a bullet is the Deltron 3030 show on July 12. “Likely, you’d recognize Del’s unique voice and hip-hop stylings from the first Gorillaz album and most famous single ‘Clint Eastwood,’” she says. “To top things off, Deltron 3030 will be performing with a full orchestra. Personally, this is my cannot-miss of the festival.”
She gives honourable mention to My Brightest Diamond in the Festival Tent on July 8 (“Her vocal stylings are unique and experimental”), Sophie Milman at Casino Nova Scotia on July 8 (“Capable of holding down romantic, vast, orchestral tracks and unpredictable jazz tunes…should make for an outstanding performance,”) Osaka Monaurail in the Festival Tent on July 11 (“An intriguing funk group that likely wins the award for most distance travelled to perform,”) and Grupo Fantasma in the tent on July 14.
For tickets and more information, surf to halifaxjazzfestival.ca.
