The sudden but inevitable rise of the Ghibli Jazz Orchestra
Isabel Leong’s huge success was not a one-off: a movement has arrived in the Vancouver scene
Of all the movements within the Vancouver jazz scene, one is the fastest-rising. It's far from mainstream jazz – or is it? On August 11, 2024 at the Pearl downtown, it took a traditional form: a big band. Across two shows, over 600 people heard the Ghibli Jazz Orchestra play the music of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animated film studio best known for the works of director Hayao Miyazaki and the music of composer Joe Hisaishi.
"From what I can tell, this was the biggest jazz show of 2024 that featured Vancouver talent," said presenter Tim Reinert at Infidels Jazz. The Ghibli Jazz Orchestra, founded by Isabel Leong, finds itself in the city among several concept acts related to anime and video games: the Cowboy Bebop Bebop Band, Piyotr's Game Lobby, and more. These acts grew together over the past two years and have more on the way, building in tandem with Infidels.
"Everything leading up to it, I don't know if I could describe that as smooth," Leong said of the Pearl. The day after the show, she wrote on Instagram Stories, "Seriously guys, how did we get here?" This story is my view of how they did, and of where they're headed.
