Another great day at the Festival!  The weather was a little brisk at times but overall warm and welcoming.  The morning kicked off at 11 am with a Drum Making  Workshop in the Memorial Hall.  Those in attendance learned the traditional art of drum making from Sts’ailes First Nation member Darren Charlie.  The drum has always held an important place in the culture of the local First Nations people and Darren openly shared the significance, philosophy and etiquette of the drum.

The art market again offered unique one-of-a-kind finds and the beach stage was a non-stop display of outstanding musicianship.  The opening performance by the Jesse Peters Trio had the crowd begging for more.  From their opening Jazz numbers to their closing R&B and Hip Hop vibes they had the audience in the palm of their hands.  Madagascar Slim was back to steal more hearts and the final two Latin groups, Los Morenos and Locarno, had the entire crowd, young and old, up on their feet.

Harrison Festival of the Arts - Madagascar Slim performing on the Beach

Musical heavyweights Hans Theessink & Terry Evans gently rocked the Memorial Hall crowd with their feel-good soul-blues performance.  The contrast of Evans velvety tenor and Theessink’s deep baritone was beautifully captivating and the involuntary toe tapping of the audience was a naturally fitting compliment to the duos inviting presence.

Day one of the Harrison Festival not only delivered the sun but also a jam packed day of music and activities.  The activities began at 11 am in the Memorial Hall with a Crystal Spirit Sounds Healing workshop hosted by Cheryl Redfern and Elizabeth Mueller.  Attendants first experienced the deeply relaxing blends of crystal bowls, Tibetan gongs, bells and tuning forks in a sacred sound concert  and then were invited to participate in exploring the vibrations and sounds of the ultimate ‘sound bath’ – a transforming experience.

The always popular Harrison Festival Art Market stretched all along the waterfront with more than 50 vendors from all over BC.   Their hand crafted wares were diverse and exceptionally made.  From creative pottery and feathered jewelry to fabric sculptures and wood carvings this market really has something for everyone.

The beach stage was rockin all day with performances from 1 pm till 5 pm featuring Joel Fafard, The Shirleys, Madagascar Slim and Celtic Music Trad Band.  The Shirleys a cappella vocals had the crowd in awe while Madagascar Slims romantic lyrics broke their hearts.  The closing number by the Celtic Music Trad Band was just as amazing to watch set up as it was to hear them play.  With 40+ student musicians, the group had ample equipment and bodies to get placed and ready and did so with expert orchestration and professionalism.  Their performance displayed a level of skill and maturity beguiling of their young faces.

The evening concert in the Memorial Hall featured the spirited dance melodies of Tambura Rasa – a 5-piece act including fiery Spanish guitar, fully orchestrated Baladi Gypsy string section and burning Afro-Latin percussion.   They not only raised the roof with their vocals and instrumentals but had the whole crowd wowed by the powerful and passionate movements of accompanying Flamenco dancer Karen Pitkethly and Sharqi belly dancer Leah.  These ladies fiery performances had everyman in the audience spell bound and every women calculating the last time they were at a gym!

The closing weekend for the Harrison Festival offered more great Art Market finds, informative workshops and fantastic beach stage music.  Some outdoor performance highlights were Annabelle Chvostek‘s catchy tune ’I Left My Brian’, Ryan LeBlanc effortlessly playing a guitar, harmonica & box drum all at the same time and North to Canda’s all star Gospel & Blues ensemble including Diana Braithwaite, Chris Whiteley, Leon Bibb, Kenny Wayne, Donald Ray Johnson & Russell Jackson.

The Hall concerts continued to deliver exceptional musicianship and contagious energy.  Friday nights performance by Spanish band El Puchero del Hortelano offered a fun mix of Flamenco and Rumba with Funk, Pop and Rock.  Mary Jane Lamond‘s Saturday performance had the audience completely wrapped with her spell binding vocals and Gaelic melodies.  Sundays performance with award winning harmonica player Carlos Del  Junco was an excellent close to the Festival.  His ‘overblow’ technique paired with a mix of Blues, Jazz and Latin had the whole house shaking with rock concert amplification.  

Overall, this years Festival was a huge success both artisticly and financially – the latter of the two being all the more important with continued cuts to provincial and federal arts funding.  Missed out on the 2010 line-up, no worries – the Festival will be back again next year from July 8th to the 17th.

The morning began with an Acadian Step Dance workshop in the Memorial Hall expertly instructed by the PEI band Gadelle.  All along the waterfront stretched the many tents of this years vibrant art market.  Artisans from all of BC displayed their unique handmade art and crafts.  From jewellery to drums, pottery to organic health and beauty products, this weekend market offers a diverse selection of high quality one of kind finds. 

In the early afternoon the beach stage concerts got underway with the first of four free concerts including The Tabla Guy, Gadelle, Shearwater & Chic Gamine.  Audience members escaped the heat of the day under the Festival’s staple willow tree and the music from the stage got a number of people on their feet and dancing. 

With the cool evening breeze came the sizzling hot rumbas of Poema Flamenco.  This Vancouver tablao style troupe is well seasoned in flamenco and gave an intensely rich and authentic performance.  The movements of flamenco bailaora Karen Pitkethly mesmerized the crowd with stunning grace and command.  If you missed this incredible show, no worries – you can catch this dynamic group in action every Wednesday and Sunday at the Kino Cafe Flamenco Bar in Vancouver.