A surprise appearance stunned the Port Theatre audience this past weekend during a special homage performance.
While groovy tunes and funky New Orleans flair could be seen and heard all weekend long, Sept. 15-17, in the downtown core during the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival, the highlight was a performance by jazz superstar Diana Krall.
Krall showed up at the Port Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 16, at an all-star concert honouring beloved music mentor Bryan Stovell.
Reportedly, the “air pressure dropped from all the gasping” as Krall walked across the stage to embrace Stovell. She handed him a small stack of records that she had borrowed and had kept “under her bed for 30 years,” before performing her song How Deep is the Ocean.
The all-star concert also featured a performance by the Connor Stewart Sextet, Decadence and the Nanaimo Musicians’ Association Big Band. The Wellington Jazz Band provided pre-show music in the lobby.
Last year’s Pacific Contact ‘Festival of the Year’ provided lots more of what it does best at this year’s event. Free tunes were provided all weekend long on the Wesley Street stage, and a New Orleans-style musical walk with the NIJFA parade band led music enthusiasts along the Harbourfront Walkway on Saturday morning.
READ MORE: All-star homage concert planned for Nanaimo’s International Jazz Festival