Staff and friends of the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society were shocked to learn that long-time production manager Lawrence Anthony suffered a brain hemorrhage on April 18. “It happened at Festival House on Granville Island,” the society’s media director, John Orysik, told the Straight. “Thankfully there were people on hand who understood the seriousness of the situation and rushed him to hospital, where he’s still undergoing all kinds of tests.”

Information on Anthony’s condition will be posted on the CJBS Web site (www.coastaljazz.ca/), where there’s a link to a fund set up for his financial support. “We’re almost an extended family here, and Lawrence has been an integral part of our activities for almost 20 years,” Orysik said. “He’s got a great personality and set of skills, and has worked for many festivals and organizations in town and throughout B.C. There’s talk of doing a benefit, but first we need to know what kind of help he’s going to require.”

On a happier note, the CJBS has announced the launch of JazzStreet Vancouver, an on-line educational project documenting the city’s long and rich history of jazz and improvised music through interviews, audio clips, bios, articles, and more. It will be up and running on the society’s Web site starting June 20.