TD Victoria International JazzFest 2025 – Who to see

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Ever since 2012, TD Victoria International JazzFest has been apart of my life. That first year, I remember getting called on stage to play drums with Chris Botti (Fun Josh fact, look it up) and also getting to witness Janelle Monae, George Benson, Diane Reeves, and Wayne Shorter, may he rest in power. A spark was lit inside 14 year-old Josh and it never left. Today, I continue to go to JazzFest because they know what’s going on in the Jazz world by booking both newer talent and classics. With this in mind, my schedule for this year’s festival finds me attending six out of the ten days. This is by far the most shows I’ve attended at JazzFest in a long time and it’s because the lineup is so strong. So without any further delay, here’s my short-list of shows that I’ll be attending at TD Victoria JazzFest 2025.

Makaya McCraven

Wicket Hall – Monday, June 23rd

American Jazz Drummer, Makaya McCraven has been making waves for quite some time. My first experience checking him out was during a 2016 Boiler Room set, which you can see below. McCraven’s talent on the drums has brought him to the world stage and has found him working with Jazz’s top names including another JazzFest 2025 performer, Marquis Hill. Earlier this year, McCraven released another version of his In The Moment album called the IA11 Edition, which features four new songs on top of the original track listing of nineteen songs. If you’re a fan of technical jazz solos and smooth grooves, Makaya McCraven is the right artist for you.

New Jazz Underground

Wicket Hall – Tuesday, June 24th

New York’s New Jazz Underground is not going to be your ordinary listen. The first time you check them out, you may find yourself gathering similarities to popular rap tracks. This is because their repertoire includes Dying of Thirst – The Kendrick Lamar Suite, and the MF DOOM SUiTE, two incredible compositions based on their respective influences. The group is a fresh take on Jazz and are easily becoming a name to look for, even gaining the attention of Emmet Cohen for his stream series, Live at Emmet’s Place. Fans of either genre will find themselves enjoying the musicianship of New Jazz Underground throughout their set.

Eliane Elias

McPherson Playhouse – Wednesday, June 25th

Returning JazzFest headliner, Eliane Elias continues to prove why she’s one the best in her genre. The sounds of Brazilian Jazz & Bossa Nova will be highlighted on this night and there’s no one better to do it. Elias’ accolades are plentiful as she’s won two GRAMMYs and two Latin GRAMMYs for her previous compositions. My first time seeing her perform was in 2012 at Alix Goolden Hall, when she brought her Brazileria Quartet with her and I still think about that performance to this day. If you’re looking to attend a headlining act at this year’s JazzFest, then I fully believe Eliane Elias is the performer for you.

Marquis Hill

Wicket Hall – Thursday, June 26th

Every year, there’s a few artists that I’m discovering for the first time. This year, one of those artists is Chicago’s Marquis Hill. Hill is a visionary on the trumpet and his music takes the listener on a journey. Personally, his project, Composers Collective: Beyond The Jukebox has been replayed on my phone numerous times since his JazzFest announcement. If Jazz has ever been a daunting genre for you, then your official introduction to the genre should be watching Hill perform because while his sound stays true to Jazz, there are hints of other genre influences throughout his music. Extremely looking forward to checking Marquis Hill out at this year’s festival!

MUSICMUSICMUSIC

Hermann’s Jazz Club – Friday, June 27th

Another group I’ve discovered based on their booking at this year’s JazzFest is Sweden’s MUSICMUSICMUSIC. A little shocking to have just discovered them, seeing as they’ve been releasing music (musicmusic) since 2004. Standard Jazz feel from this trio with some improvisation. Last year, they released 7 song album entitled, Just a Gigolo, which features a song called Canadian Hipster. Was this title choice foreshadowing their journey to Canada for Victoria JazzFest? Not sure, but nonetheless I’m excited to see them in a classic spot like Hermann’s Jazz Club. If you enjoy that classic Jazz feel while also appreciating a little bit of out of the box thinking, then you should definitely check out MUSICMUSICMUSIC.

Sungazer

Bullen Park – Saturday, June 28th

Closing out my time at TD Victoria JazzFest 2025, I will be checking out Brooklyn’s Sungazer. This show is quite important to me for a couple reasons. The first reason: I unfortunately missed their last Vancouver performance due to illness, and the second reason: I sent Sungazer’s music to JazzFest as a recommendation for this year’s festival. As this is technically the first festival to take a recommendation from me, I guess I need to now show you why I highlighted this group to perform. These electrojazz giants are redefining what we know about Jazz. Their abilities to play ridiculous time signatures leave people wondering if they are even human. Last year saw the release of Against the Fall of Night, and it’s replay value was fully there. For those looking for something out of this world, check out Sungazer. I promise you will not be disappointed.