The Vancouver Sun and Province have published an interview with me that also functions as a review of Journeys to the Bandstand.

Written by arts and entertainment reporter Stuart Derdeyn, the article provides a very positive overview and assessment of the book. 

I enjoyed being interviewed by Stuart, a longtime reporter with the Sun and Province. Both newspapers had large arts and entertainment departments back in the day when I was a Sun reporter. Now Stuart is one of the few people still writing about arts and entertainment for our city’s newspapers, and his work is much appreciated. 

Some quotes from the article:

• “The first thing you notice holding a copy of Journeys to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver by author Chris Wong is the sheer heft of the text. Clocking in at over 600 pages, the book is proof that B.C.’s improvised music scene has a long and lively history. It’s testament to Wong’s skill that the book blazes by like a be-bop sax solo.”
• “Wong opens up the world of Vancouver jazz by bringing long lost names to life right up to events such as the Jazz at the ‘Bolt festival in 2023. Chapters focus on individuals while explaining their relevance to the greater scene. This means Journeys to the Bandstand avoids the curse of many music histories where the minutiae of dates, individuals and incidents are so complexly intertwined that the reader requires a flow chart to keep up. Instead, we are treated to stories such as the role that Vancouver played in the development of no less a titan of the genre than Ornette Coleman …”

Read Stuart Derdeyn’s article on Journeys to the Bandstand.

Photo of Chris Wong by Amanda Palmer.