MA:Q & Sharon Minemoto Quartet

MA:Q

Formerly known as the Mary Ancheta Quartet, the newly renamed MA:Q (pronounced M-A-Q) pushes the boundaries of genre, drawing inspiration from Weather Report, Betty Davis, McCoy Tyner, and David Byrne to create a “crisp, fresh, funky fusion, landing somewhere between vintage Headhunters and swinging organist Jimmy Smith" (Vancouver Sun). A Vancouver-based Canadian Filipina, Ancheta’s forthcoming MA:Q album When the Light Comes to Play deals with themes of resilience, moments of clarity, and the transitional state between waking and sleeping. The LP incorporates more piano than her Level Up EP, as MA:Q moves toward modern jazz with dynamic elements of funk, hip-hop, and Afrobeat.

With Dominic Conway sax, Matt Reid bass, and Paul Clark drums, MA:Q come to play, and come correct, with their groove-driven, future-facing "supercharged jazz and funk” (Georgia Straight).

Sharon Minemoto Quartet

Following the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbour, nearly 22,000 Japanese Canadians were stripped of their civil rights and forced to leave their homes. Sharon’s paternal grandmother took her children to Japan, and the family was stranded near Hiroshima when the US atomic bomb was dropped. With his family stuck in Japan, Minemoto’s grandfather died in an internment camp in Moose Jaw. After the war, Japanese Canadians were forbidden to return to the West Coast. Their choice: move east of the Rockies or “Repatriate” to Japan. Sharon’s maternal grandparents took their Canadian-born children to Japan, where they faced years of discrimination before returning to Canada.

With the support of the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society, pianist Sharon Minemoto composed nine works that reflect on her family’s experience during WWII. A fixture on the Vancouver contemporary jazz scene, Minemoto is known for her “tasteful and engaging work at the keyboard, which is never short of inventive” (All About Jazz) and her tight-knit quartet with Jon Bentley tenor saxophone, Bernie Arai drums, and Darren Radtke bass.

This is an accessible venue. If assistance is required please contact: boxoffice@coastaljazz.ca

Please Note: Seating is limited with a mix of seating and standing room. Arrive early for seating. Box Office & Lobby open at 6:30 PM; House opens at 7:00 PM; the show starts at 7:30 PM