Jazz festival blows its horn: ‘Most successful’ edition staged more varied acts than ever
Peter Hum, Citizen Special
From its soggy start hours after Ottawa’s recent earthquake to its sweltering finish on Sunday night, the 30th TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival was the “most successful” edition of the event to date, its executive producer said Sunday night.
As reasons to be pleased, O’Grady cited the co-operative weather this summer compared with the rain that befell most of her 2009 edition, a 25-per-cent increase in pre-event passes sold compared with last year, and much positive feedback she’s received concerning the festival’s mix of shows.
That mix, which cost the festival more than $1 million, was jammed with extra shows compared with previous years, and its mainstage shows offered more pop- and funk-flavoured music than ever.
Read full atory on Ottawa Citizen website: Jazz festival blows its horn
All that jazz supports … more jazz
By Caroline Phillips, The Ottawa Citizen
The best place to get hip to Ottawa’s jazz scene Thursday was at the Arts Court, where the infectious sound of live jazz had you tapping your toes and swaying your head faster than you could say, “I’m really diggin’ this, daddy-o.”
One hundred or so jazz artists and aficionados spent the evening enjoying the music and mingling at a reception catered by Thyme & Again, all in support of JazzWorks’ summer jazz workshop.
Read more: All that jazz supports … more jazz
Jazz festival to stage “Friends” series at NAC’s Studio Theatre
Loss of NAC sponsorship forces major changes
By Peter Hum
The Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa International Jazz Festival will be revamped for next year’s 30th anniversary edition, with an ambitious concert series added, a longstanding series cancelled and an indoor series moved outdoors.
“If anything, there will be more programming” as a result of the re-organization, says Catherine O’Grady, the festival’s executive producer.
O’Grady says the event will stage a new “Friends” series at the National Arts Centre’s Studio theatre, featuring several A-list jazz artists giving concerts over two and three nights with different bands of their choosing.
She would not disclose whom the festival has invited to take part in this series, but premium tickets would apply.
The “Friends” concerts — so named because they would involve musicians who previously gave memorable Ottawa festival concerts — are to be staged in the evening, and would conflict with the festival’s mainstage offerings.
As it did this year, the festival will offer super-sized, three-concert evenings most nights in Confederation Park, O’Grady says.
Meanwhile, the festival’s 10:30 p.m. series will relocate from the NAC’s Studio to the OLG tent in Confederation Park. Facing a budget shortfall, the NAC this year ended its sponsorship of the festival’s late-night series, and rather than rent the Studio, the festival will save money by shifting the concerts to the park.
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Jazz from around the world to celebrate our 30th anniversary season!
The Ottawa Jazz Festival is pleased to announce this year’s fall/winter Concert Series, featuring six performances by internationally acclaimed, award-winning artists from around the world. In addition to this Concert Series, the Festival will be holding a live wine auction and benefit concert fundraiser on Tuesday, December 8, featuring Juno award winning jazz vocalist Sophie Milman as the special guest performer.
Known as a grand master of improvisation, French vocalist and cornet player Médéric Collignon will be performing at the National Arts Centre Fourth Stage on Tuesday, December 1 at 7pm. Encompassing styles as diverse as cool jazz, rhythm and blues, free jazz, contemporary electro-acoustic, big band and orchestral, Collignon’s original music fascinates and thrills. Presented in partnership with the (French Embassy/CulturesFrance.)
On Tuesday, December 8, the Jazz Festival hosts its 12th Annual Benefit Concert and Auction at Library and Archives Canada. Exciting dinner packages, exotic destinations, wine selection for all tastes and budgets – and just in time for Christmas! CBC Radio One’s Alan Neal will be the evening’s host and auctioneer, while Konrad Ejbich, regular Ontario Today wine commentator on CBC Radio One, will be the wine guest auctioneer. A performance by Juno winner Sophie Milman is the perfect finale to this evening!
Considered the premier banjo player in the world, Béla Fleck will perform his Africa Project: featuring Bassekou Kouyate, Ngoni Ba and Anania Ngoliga with John Kitime on Monday, March 1, 8pm at Dominion-Chalmers United Church. In on-location collaborations with musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Fleck explores the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to American shores by African slaves. Ottawa audiences will remember Fleck from his two previous sold-out appearances at the Ottawa Jazz Festival.
Dutch trumpet player Eric Vloeimans is considered one of the best performers in Europe. As a composer he does not feel restricted to one particular style, and has managed to create an evocative, harmonic language of his own. The Festival is very pleased to be presenting this show in co-operation with the Royal Netherlands Embassy on Monday, March 8, 7pm at the National Arts Centre, Fourth Stage.
The 30th TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival will take place from June 24 to July 4. Bigger than ever, the 30th anniversary celebrations will showcase hundreds of artists – an event not to be missed!
Tickets for the Cory Weeds Quintet, Rory Magill and Rake-star, Quartetski, Médéric Collignon and Eric Vloeimans concerts are available at: National Arts Centre box office – 53 Elgin St., Ottawa; Tel. (613) 947-7000; Ottawa Jazz Festival office – 602-294 Albert St., (613) 241-2633; and Ticketmaster (613) 755-1111 or www.ticketmaster.ca
Tickets for the Benefit Concert and Auction and the Béla Fleck Africa Project are available at the Ottawa Jazz Festival office and on the Festival website; both Compact Music and all 3 CD Warehouse locations; or Ticketmaster (613) 755-1111 or www.ticketmaster.ca
