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10 must-see acts to check out at #VanJazzFest

TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival runs through July 1

ALSARAH & THE NUBATONES
Brooklyn-based Sudanese band Alsarah & The Nubatones play North African Nubian pop in a free gig on Sunday, June 24 at 3:45 p.m. on the Georgia Street Stage.

LISEN RYLANDER LÖVE
Swedish musician/composer Lisen Rylander Löve, performs a late-night show at China Cloud on June 25.

GORDON GRDINA
Capilano University alum Gordon Grdina’s new album, Ejdeha, with his band, The Marrow, comes out today on Songlines Recordings, featuring his oud playing with Mark Helias on bass, Hank Roberts on cello and Hamin Honari on tombak, daf and frame drum. Grdina plays at The Ironworks on June 27 and China Cloud on June 28 with Hamin Honari and Itamar Erez.

ROBERT PLANT AND THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS
Rock icon Robert Plant, who has always had a soft spot for folk melodies and North African rhythms, brings his band to the QE Theatre on June 29 to perform tracks from his latest Nonesuch album, Carry Fire.

SONS OF KEMET
UK saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings and his stellar band Sons of Kemet visit the West Coast for a show at The Imperial on June 26.

NDIDI O
Ndidi Onukwulu, known for her work with Steve Dawson’s Black Hen band, performs tracks from her album, These Days, on Sunday, June 24 at 7:30 p.m. on the Georgia Street Stage.

MACIEJ OBARA QUARTET
Alto saxophonist Maciej Obara’s Quartet plays a free gig at Performance Works on Granville Island  on June 26 at 1:30 p.m., courtesy of the Polish Cultural Institute.  

GOGO PENGUIN
Manchester U.K. trio GoGo Penguin (pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka, and drummer Rob Turner) play a sold out show at Performance Works tonight. They're touring in support of their latest Blue Note album, A Humdrum Star.

PEGGY LEE’S ECHO PAINTING
Cellist/composer Peggy Lee presents her Echo Painting compositions at The Ironworks on June 25 at 8 p.m.

STEVE DAWSON
Now based in Nashville, but born and raised in West Vancouver, Steve Dawson returns home to play tracks from his new album, Lucky Hand, at the Vogue Theatre on June 30 at 8 p.m. He will be accompanied by the Lucky Hand String Quartet, featuring Jesse Zubot on violin and string arrangements, Peggy Lee on cello, Josh Zubot on violin and John Kastelic on viola.