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“What’s exciting is that it’s all free,” said artistic director Joe Sorbara.

He said there’s a new team, new venues and new local focus, too. There are all kinds of local sponsors pitching in so everyone can make music together and showcase live jazz in a special way.

“We even have folks at Royal City Soda making us a branded soda this year and Lady Glaze Doughnuts making a special doughnut,” Sorbara said.

Important themes of the festival are improvisation and collaboration and Sorbara said there are some unique events happening. “I hope that it inspires local improvisers to see the pathway into this, which is one of my missions in this role,” he said.

The performers this year include dear friends, special favourites and new groups who are sure to thrill audiences with their sound and energy.

Sorbara described Aline’s étoile magique as wonderful and astonishing, Pursuit Grooves with Jessica Houghton and Nidhi Baadkar, as playful and surprising. He said Balance, with Marcus Elliot and Michael Malis, will take you on a roller-coaster ride of pure beauty.

“Patrick O’Reilly is playing the music of Ken Aldcroft, who passed in 2016 and had a huge impact,” Sorbara said. “Trash Panda Brass, from Toronto, is a really big party band with a lot of energy.”

He said folks will enjoy: Wapoma, a quartet from Montreal; TDot Batu and Mateus Vidal; the Massyr Ensemble; and Queen Mab, which is one of his favourites.

He is excited for Alex Samaras Meets Judy Garland; the Saxophone Choir; Six Hands: One Piano; Liberté Anne with Dan Loughrin, Nicola Miller and Julie Richard; Thanya Iyer’s experimental pop; no beginning, no end with special guest Patricia Nicholson; Turning Jewels into Water and more.

A pre-festival colloquium will be held at the University of Guelph’s ImprovLab () on “Dance with the Music: Movement in the Improvised Arts.”

There will be concerts and community jams in local venues like Silence, the Wooly Pub and the Cornerstone.

Art Not Shame (.) hosts Tom Richards’ “Monophilia,” an interactive sound installation where audiences can mix mono recordings in real time.

Although the festival’s main stage is moving inside and outdoor activities are taking place on Quebec Street, instead of Carden Street, there will still be a parade from the ���߲ݴ�ýFarmers Market to kick things off on Saturday, which will lead the community to St. George’s Square.

There will be vendor tents, food and drink and merchandise available, but it will be a slightly scaled-down version of the festival this year. Sorbara hopes the free performances will encourage diverse audiences to come out, make noise and celebrate in the street as well as come in and see the indoor shows.

“On Sunday we have a project called Six Turntables with Montreal multidisciplinary artist Christopher Willis, who has gone through 31 years of our recorded archive and created six vinyl records with a mix of sounds,” Sorbara said. “GCVI (���߲ݴ�ýCollegiate Vocational Institute) students are going to do some workshops with him and celebrate that archive.”

He also said Rani Jambak will be at the ���߲ݴ�ýYouth Music Centre on Sunday performing with a homemade water wheel as part of Musagetes’ Wet Sounds Series, with a panel conversation with Thanya Iyer and hosts Anna Bowen and Shalaka Jadhav.

“This festival has always been adventurous and we’re connected to creative music traditions, ones that have a lot of improvisation and aspects that are decided by the artist in the moment of performance,” Sorbara said. “We’re thinking about music that makes space for live creativity.”

Folks can still support the festival by purchasing tickets to the 50-50 draw before Saturday, Sept. 13 or donate at the festival or online.

Sorbara said, as a percussionist and composer himself, he was in a way raised by this festival and it has always been important to him.

“I’m just excited for the music to start,” Sorbara said.

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