Jeni’s Picks for the week ahead Dear Picks People,  Out of time! Please visit my website for additions as the week progresses. This is a free compilation so, as usual, make sure to check with venues for changes to schedule. 15th Annual PuSh International Festival January 17 – February 3, 2019 This event runs from January 17, 2019 until February 2, 2019. PuSh International Performing Arts Festival brings groundbreaking work in theatre, dance, multimedia, music + film. This year’s festival from January 17 to February 3, 2019, at various venues across the city,  will showcase 26 works from 24 companies from 13 countries – including Canadian premieres from half-way across the world: sound-based works from Japan by ASUNA, Marginal Consort, and Tetsuya Umeda; Dancenorth Australia with music by Indonesian band Senyawa; and a piece from Taiwanese choreographer Liu Kuan-Hsiang. Read more here Provence Marinaside – Hip Pocket with Diane Lines Free event January 30, 2019 6:00 pm Hip Pocket Trio featuring Diane Lines Adam Rohrlick: tenor saxophone and electric guitar Diane Lines: keyboards and vocals Brent Gubbels: acoustic bass VPL Central Branch – Indigenous Storyteller in Residence Launch Free event January 30, 2019 7:00 pm Celebrate and get to know the 2019 Indigenous Storyteller in Residence Joseph A. Dandurand An evening of poignant and powerful stories with poet and playwright Joseph A. Dandurand. A member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River, Dandurand’s talent and passion for words and sharing stories has followed him through the many journeys of his life. Alice MacKay Room Lower Level Presentation House – Thunder Lizard with Len Aruliah January 30, 2019 8:00 pm Thunder Lizard plays groovy jazz organ trio music. For this gig, they’ll be joined by special guest, British saxophonist, Len Aruliah. Thunder Lizard is: Joe Poole – drums Nick Peck – B3 organ Jared Burrows – guitar $10 at the door (cash only) and, as always, free tea and cookies. Vancity Theatre – Beyond the River January 31, 2019 4:00 pm Vancouver Foreign Film Society presents…Beyond the River Set in post-Apartheid South Africa, Beyond the River tells the true story of two men, separated by everything except their determination to win gold in one of the world’s toughest river races: the Dusi Canoe Marathon. One man yearns to escape the grinding poverty of township life, the other, a former champion canoe racer, struggles in the aftermath of tragedy. Only by pulling together they can triumph over adversity in this nail-biting and inspiring adventure. Inspired by the true story of paddlers Siseko Ntondini and Piers Cruickshanks, Beyond the River will take you on a nail-biting adventure through the hills and valleys of their lives. Based on the book by Piers Cruickshanks Confluence: Beyond the River with Siseko Ntondini . Tickets $11 SFU Woodwards – Survivors Totem Pole: Documentary Screening Free event January 31, 2019 7:00 pm The Survivors Totem Pole is a grassroots community art and action project. The pole is a three-year collaboration between DTES advocates, First Nations, members of the LGBTQ community, along with Japanese, Chinese and South Asian survivors of racism. The Survivors Totem Pole symbolizes inclusion in the Downtown Eastside as well as resilience, fierce resistance and solidarity of people in the DTES community. Carved from a 1,000-year-old cedar tree, the Survivor’s Totem Pole was raised in Pigeon Park on November 5th, 2016. In order to create a legacy of the Survivors Totem Pole project, local filmmaker Susanne Tabata documented both the lead up to the pole installation and the historic pole raising day. The result is a moving and stunning film (24’) where we witness the journey of the Survivors Totem Pole and a tribute to the undying strength and unity of a community of displaced people. Lead by carver Skundaal Bernie Williams, local indigenous voice soars, interwoven with commentary from Sacred Circle supporters Sid Chow Tan, Raj Toor, Grace Eiko Thomson, hereditary Squamish Chief Bill Williams, Haida elders Wilfred Price and Woodrow Wilson, Musqueam activist Audrey Siegl and anti-poverty activist Jean Swanson. Sylvia Hotel – Doe Bender Trio Free event January 31, 2019 8:00 pm An evening of lesser and well known songs about Love, Life, and Romance! Doe Bender on keyboard/vocals, Bojan Bugarinovic on guitar, and Mark Bender on Acoustic Bass Jazz at Tangent Cafe – Thad Bailey-Mai Quartet By Donation January 31, 2019 8:30 pm Thad Bailey-Mai Quartet Trumpet virtuoso Thad Bailey-Mai plays with a fiery passion. His brilliant sound bursts with dazzling lines. His original compositions are also fiery, passionate, brilliant and dazzling. With David Blake – guitar, Mili Hong- drums and Eli Davidovici – bass Vancity Theatre – Mademoiselle de Jonquières February 1, 2019 6:15 pm “Happiness that doesn’t last is called pleasure,” someone remarks in this sly comedy of sexual manners, in which young widow Madame de la Pommeraye (Cécile de France) falls in and out of love with the notorious but very charming rake, the Marquis d”Arcis (Édouard Baer). Generous to a fault, the widow takes a mother and daughter under her wing, ladies who have fallen into destitution and indeed prostitution, and seeks to rehabilitate their reputation… but the Marquis has other ideas… Tickets $13/11 **Also showing on Feb 2,3,5,6 &7 at varying times** Red Lion – Ron Johnston/Cameron Hood and friends By Donation This event runs from January 11, 2019 until February 8, 2019. Ron on piano and Cameron on bass bring eclectic jazz to West Vancouver every Friday (and Saturday).  Often with well-known guests from the local music community dropping by to sit in. Most Fridays with vocalist Don Stewart… and perhaps more! 8East – The Kids Table Quartet Pay-what-you-can February 1, 2019 9:00 pm The Kids’ Table Quartet Jeremy Page Saxophone Cole Schmidt Guitar Karlis Silins Bass Kenton Loewen Drums And guests TBA Door $20~$10 You will not be refused for lack of funds. Tyrant Studios – Stranger Friends Trio February 1, 2019 9:30 pm Stranger Friends is a new compositional project from Vancouver based pianist Dean Thiessen. Previously, Dean’s works for large ensemble have been played by the Hard Rubber Orchestra, Impressions Big Band, and VYCE (Vancouver Young Composers Ensemble). Stranger Friends shifts direction to focus on the sound of the piano trio with original compositions inspired by counterpoint, improvisation, and the Alberta prairies. This night will feature these original works as well as some of the band’s favorite standards. Dean is joined by his friends Wynston Minckler on bass and Jamie Lee on drums. $10 at the door Jazz @ The Pat – Jennifer Scott & Carman J. Price: A Tribute to Al Jarreau Free event February 2, 2019 3:00 pm Two outstanding vocalists pay tribute to Al Jarreau. Jennifer Scott – vocals   ~   Carman J Price – vocals With Rene Worst – bass   ~   Joel Fountain – drums Jason De Couto – piano Christchurch Cathedral – 8th Annual Stayed on Freedom February 2, 2019 7:30 pm 8th annual STAYED ON FREEDOM: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH A co-production of The Marcus Mosely Chorale and the City Soul Choir. With Candus Churchill, Sybil Thrasher, Will Sanders, Joe Chappel, and Dalannah Gail Bowen. Adding some spice to the show will be Ndidi Cascade—a local hip-hop artist and educator, and Leora Cashe—a well-loved Vancouver jazz, blues and gospel singer.  Accompanied by Michael Creber and Bill Sample. Tickets $35/30 Merge – 5 Year Anniversary Show February 2, 2019 8:00 pm Merge celebrates 5 years of being this year!  Celebrate all things art, music, and community in this intimate and cozy space. Music by some of the collective members, past and present, and long-time supporters. There will be libations and a feeling of general merriment. So far, the bill includes, in no particular order, short and spunky sets by ElkHorn, Veda Hille, Chris Gestrin (SOLO), Power Squeezer (Elisa Thorn/Meredith Bates DUO), Tony Wilson, Jillian Lebeck/Meredith Bates/Tom Wherrett TRIO, and maybe more! Doors 8pm Music 9pm $10 cash only 8East – Duos & Lyle Hopkins and Friends Pay-what-you-can February 2, 2019 8:30 pm Set one – duos Vivian Houle – voice | Torsten Muller – bass Peggy Lee – cello | Lisa Cay Miller – piano Set two Lyle Hopkins – bass Francois Houle – clarinet Marina Hasselberg – cello Ron Samworth – guitar Skye Brooks – drums admission, $10 – 20, no one turned away for lack of funds China Cloud – MUK BANG + Watermill Project By Donation February 2, 2019 9:30 pm New music, video, and group collaborations The WATERMILL PROJECT Started in 2016, the Watermill Project is a musical exploration and interpretation of traditional Korean vocal music through the lens of jazz and improvisation. Sara Kim on Voice, Dan Reynolds on Keys, Eli Davidovici on Bass, and Mili Hong on Drums MUK BANG Muk Bang is a new trio inspired by the audiovisual food phenomenon of the same name. The name combines the two Korean words for “eating” & “broadcast.” Made popular in South Korea in the 2010’s, Muk Bang is an international online broadcast phenomenon in which the host eats large amounts of food while engaging a perceived interaction with the audience. Aram Bajakian on guitar, Kenton Loewen on drums, & Colin Edward Cowan on bass/visuals. Jazz Vespers – Jillian Lebeck By Donation February 3, 2019 4:00 pm Canadian jazz pianist/composer/vocalist Jillian Lebeck is one of the most dynamic and exciting voices on the Canadian Jazz scene. Her debut recording “Living in Pieces” (Maximum Jazz/Universal) spent several weeks in the number 1 position on the national Chart Attack radio charts. She is an alumni of the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Her projects have been featured on CBC Radio’s Studio One Jazz Series during the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. Jillian has opened for legendary jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano and New York jazz pianist – Bill Charlap. She has toured Canada including dates at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, The Top of the Senator in Toronto, as well as Calgary Jazz Festival, and Medicine Hat Jazz Festival. In Europe she has performed in Sicily, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Portugal, UK, and Spain. She recently performed in Portland Oregon, for the PDX Jazz Festival Frankie’s Jazz Club – Ben Lockwood Quartet February 3, 2019 8:00 pm UK born and Vancouver-based saxophonist Ben Lockwood returns to Frankies with his Quartet. Inspired by the classic groups of the 50’s and 60’s, the groups emphasis is all on melody, swing, and group interaction. Expect an evening of tunes from the era, along with some lesser known jazz standards, as well as some of Bens own compositions. With Dave Sikula guitar, Graham Clark Bass, and Joe Poole drums. Cover $16 Gold Saucer – Marin Patenaude w/ Pugs & Crows, Källor, Moondle February 5, 2019 9:30 pm Weekly performance series curated by Barbara Adler, Cole Schmidt & James Meger. Tuesdays at the Gold Saucer Studio. MARIN PATENAUDE (WITH PUGS & CROWS) Singer/songwriter/guitarist Marin Patenaude’s absorbing sound is earthy, soulful, and heartbreakingly beautiful, evoking comparisons with Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, and k.d. lang. Marin’s pure voice ties together country, blues, and folk into something sublimely intangible. KÄLLOR Källor (pronounced Che-llor) means beginnings, sources, origins, like the spring where the stream starts. The Vancouver based duo consists of Sanna Henriksson Spolaor (Cello/Piano/Vocals) and Abhishek Gupta (Electronics/Guitar), Their music combines elements of folk, classical, pop and electronic influences to amalgamate and form a blend of cinematic and experimental music also with MOONDLE Recommended $10 at the door or PWYC --

"Jeni's Picks" is a curated list of eclectic events that I feel are of particular interest to my readership. If you know of an event of interest, let me know and I'll consider it for inclusion.

Jeni Mastin, JenisPicks.com