The first-annual Brantford International Jazz Festival blew away my wildest expectations. The music was fantastic, the crowds were big, the downtown actually looked like a real city and not like Brantford...I could go on, but I'll start with a picture.
That would be Luis Mario Ochoa, leader of the Luis Mario Ochoa Quintet. His Afro-Cuban-style jazz was one of my personal highlights on the day - made all the better by his futile attempts to get the crowd to join him in a call-and-response of sorts...only in Spanish.
Other favourites...the Darcy Hepner Jazz Orchestra kicked things off with a big band-style bang...the Young Divas were very good at their type of jazz, as was Johannes Linstead - neither are exactly my cup of tea, but that much talent made it bearable...the local stage featured great performances from Quintessential and Denis Rondeau + Just Friends, among others...I didn't get too much of a chance to check out the youth stage, but what I saw there was pretty good...full review coming in the October 1 edition of the Sputnik, space allowing.
But the atmosphere? Incredible. I've never seen downtown Brantford like that - hundreds of people packing Harmony Square and roaming down Dalhousie Street between the stages. This is exactly what Brantford needs, so congratulations to Frank Di Felice and his team for pulling it off.
--Ryan
(P.S. There was no jazz flute. There was, however, a jazz accordion.)
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