The 2008 Edmonton International Jazz Festival was an impressive introduction to the summer festival season. Even if you were not a seasoned jazz veteran, there were a variety of shows from Sunday brunches to a "Late Night Hard Core Series".  

Wrote By: Xanthe Couture (Edmonton Correspondent - Canada)

The 2008 Edmonton International Jazz Festival was an impressive introduction to the summer festival season. Even if you were not a seasoned jazz veteran, there were a variety of shows from Sunday brunches to a "Late Night Hard Core Series".  

The program guide quelled any fears of going to a show way off your mark by providing a detailed "Jazz 101 Glossary". It listed 21 styles of jazz and helped to discern which shows would most appeal to your tastes.

The support from local businesses, such as restaurants, clubs and cafes that hosted shows gave people a chance to get out and experience great clubs and restaurants they might not have been to before.  

The opening weekend for the festival was officially underway with the performance of the internationally acclaimed Canadian group, the Dixieland Express, who played at the Opening Night Gala with singer Rollanda Lee.

Other top acts included Hilario Duran Trio, one of the greatest jazz pianists out of Cuba and a 2007 Juno winner who performed alongside the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra.  

Every day of the Festival had at least two events with earlier starts at 7 p.m. and later shows at 9 or 10 p.m. Performances were at numerous different venues throughout the city such as jazz clubs, theatres, restaurants and cafes. 

The Winspear Centre hosted the headlining acts for the Festival with Pink Martini on Tuesday and the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra with renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis on Wednesday. Both shows did not disappoint and lived up to fans' high expectations.

Acclaimed artists such as jazz guitarist John Scofield , expert saxophonist Dave Liebman and Canadian singer Molly Johnson rounded out the international line-up. 

The only complaint for any jazz festival goer was trying to fit every show that spiked your interest into your schedule; a better problem to have then compared to only three years ago when the 25 year old Festival came to a halt. Luckily it was revived with the formation of Edmonton Jazz Festival Society (EJFS), and after seeing the range of talent that came onboard for this year's Festival, hopefully it be an annual festival to look forward to for another 25 years.