Susan Tedeschi at the Commodore

Got in to catch the last 20 minutes of John Scofield, a couple of nice pieces and the one I walked in on he was just howling on.

The treat of the evening was Susan Tedeschi over at the Commodore, she was paired with Jim Byrne. I got in at about 10:30pm and she hit the stage seconds later, and she smoked. I was reminded of Bonnie Rait or Ellen McIlwaine but only reminded, Tedeschi has a look, sound and style all her own.

She is one to keep an eye on. Hope she does as well as she seems posed to.

Gordon Grdina's Box Cutter with special guest Fredrik Ljungkvist

As Mark says, "Music so intense, you feel like you will go insane."

Another great show in the only venue that actually feels like a jazz club.

An Evening with the Cowboy Junkies

Well the Cowboy Junkies may not be the first group that you think of as jazz or blues, but they do make great music and that is what is important to me.

When Margo sings Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"

Hear that lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I'm so lonesome I could cry.

She owns me. I just fell head over heels in love with her take on that song. Later on "Lost My Driving Wheel" feels like an old traditional blues with it's repeated refrain:

I feel like some old engine that's lost my driving wheel
I feel like some old engine that's lost my driving wheel

Then a Niel Young cover "Powder Finger" and a encore that channeled the best of Lou Reed and the early Velvet Underground with a smoking version of "Sweet Jane".

I came home and put on the Trinity Sessions wondering why I hadn't been playing it every day for the past 20 years.

Charlie Haden's Quartet West and Iro Haarla Quintet

My first concert of the 2008 Vancouver International Jazz Festival. I was going to go and see Beade Belle at Performance Works but some work related IT problems stopped me from getting out the door. I saw Charlie Haden a couple years back and walked out half way through the set because it was boring; either Charlie was off that night or I was because he was not boring tonight.

Great band: Charlie Haden's Quartet West with Charlie Haden bass, Ernie Watts tenor saxophone, Alan Broadbent piano, and Rodney Green drums. They all delivered great performances; strong solos and best of all they played together! I think one of my complaints last time was a repetitive approach to each song; group plays theme then every player has a solo and then reprise the theme - boring. This time they played together and kept the solos in check with Ernie Watts and Alan Broadbent doing some especially fine work.

Iro Haarla Quintet

Mostly Interesting stuff, very atmospheric but some good energy. I must admit I was nearly lulled to sleep at one point.

Swedish jazz pianist Esbjorn Svensson killed in accident

Swedish jazz pianist Esbjorn Svensson killed in accident: "Swedish jazz star Esbjorn Svensson died in a diving accident this weekend, his manager announced on Monday.

Police are conducting a routine investigation of the accident that killed the 44-year-old pianist, said Burkhard Hopper, manager of the vibrant, award-winning Esbjorn Svensson Trio.

Svensson died Saturday while diving off a small island near Stockholm.

The composer and pianist was a prominent figure in contemporary jazz. He helped dissolve boundaries between traditional jazz and other genres, with his efforts including the introduction of rock-inspired electronic elements.

Svensson's trio had its international breakthrough in 1999 with the album From Gagarin's Point of View and had recently finished its 12th album, Leukocyte, slated for release in September.

Dubbed e.s.t., the trio often played in rock venues, attracted a host of younger fans and won acclaim and awards across Europe, including in Sweden, France, the U.K. and Germany. In 2005, e.s.t. became the first European jazz band ever featured on the cover of U.S. jazz publication Downbeat magazine.

Svensson is survived by his wife and two children. No funeral details have yet been released."

This is sad news indeed. I had been looking forward to hearing them this festival.