Win Tickets to see Omara Portuondo
Cuba’s sensational Omara Portuondo is unquestionably the quintessential voice of the golden age of Cuban jazz.
The sixth caller through to the Ottawa Jazz Festival office, 613-241-2633, to purchase tickets to Omara Portuondo on Thursday, February 17, 8pm will win two tickets to the Salif Keita concert on Tuesday, April 12, 2011.
Petr Cancura named Ottawa Jazz Festival’s new Programming Manager
The TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival welcomes saxophonist and band leader Petr Cancura as its new Programming Manager, replacing Jacques Emond who retired in 2010.
“This [TD Ottawa Jazz Festival] is one of the great festivals, and I am thrilled to be a part of it: a great and driven team of people to work with, along with a supportive and inspiring community to collaborate with. Thinking about working with the music I love in a place I feel very close to is a dream for me. I am excited about the possibilities of how we can grow as a festival and as a community in Ottawa,” explains Cancura.
No stranger to the Festival, since 2007 Petr has been featured as resident artist and coordinator at the Festival’s Ottawa Composers Collective as well as the Ottawa Folk Festival’s Cross-Cultural Experiment.
“The board and staff enthusiastically welcome Petr Cancura as Ottawa Jazz Festival’s new Programming Manager. After an extensive, national search the Festival is fortunate to have this talented and diverse artist agree to join our team. Petr brings a lot of joy to his work as well as vision, insight, and a serious knowledge of the music and the music community. We’re happy to have him on board,” says Executive Producer Catherine O’Grady.
Born in the Czech Republic, raised in Canada and now living in Brooklyn, Petr received an award in 2004 to study at the prestigious New England Conservatory in Boston, where he completed the Master’s program. During this time, he led many successful groups and projects – including the artistic residency program with Boston’s esteemed Modern Improvised Music (MIM) Society.
His band, The Petr Cancura Trio, has been featured on CBC Radio’s Signal, and continues to tour internationally to great critical acclaim.
Today Cancura continues to record and perform with artists from all over the world, with musical projects spanning from jazz to world and folk music. Petr’s current project, Down Home, is jazz inspired from original black & white photographs and the music of the deep south (Mississippi and Kentucky). Other current projects include: The Richie Barshay Group; his own groups PeopleMusic, a quartet with Polish marvel Jacek Kochan, guitar legend Joe Morris, Brazilian Bluegrass band NationBeat and the GRAMMY-nominated Danilo Perez Big Band.
Festival passes on sale now in time for Christmas!
Due to popular demand after last summer’s triumphant TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival, advanced Festival passes are on sale now! Festival Gold Circle ($282.50 – HST included), Bronze ($158.20 – HST included) and Student ($73.45 – HST included) Passes are on sale for Festival members only until December 17 and for the general public on December 18! In partnership with some of Ottawa’s finest restaurants, the first one hundred purchasers will receive a $25 gift certificate for a sumptuous meal.
This offer is available on our tickets page or by calling the office at 613-241-2633 (the office will be closed from December 21 to January 2, 2011 but online ticket purchases will be available throughout the holidays). Tickets will be processed when the office opens January 3, 2011.
Visit ottawajazzfestival.com for more details.
6 Concert Extravaganza in one night with all-star Canadian musicians!
Ottawa (Thursday, October 14, 2010) – The Ottawa Jazz Festival has programmed the most sublime Canadian jazz artists performing back-to-back in six concerts in one evening on Saturday, November 6, 7:30pm at the National Arts Centre Fourth Stage for only $15.
In concert with the annual CAPACOA (Canadian Arts Presenting Association/l’Association canadienne des organismes artistiques) conference, this is a rare opportunity to see some of the finest young talent on the touring circuit today: Read more
New York Voices Harmonize, Cool, and Jive at the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival July 2!
Ottawa (Tuesday, June 22, 2010) – Grammy award- winning New York Voices will sing at the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival this summer! On July 2 at 7:30pm, New York Voices will be beautifully harmonizing at Confederation Park’s Main Stage.
Since the release of their 2007 album, A Day Like This, the vocal quartet has traveled the globe with their elegant music, amazing audiences the world over with their impeccable voices and stunning arrangements. New York Voices has an eclectic musical palette that will please the lovers of big band sounds, al cappella, and soft jazz.
New York Voices will perform on the Main Stage at Confederation Park at 7:30pm on July 2, as part of the Concerts Under the Stars series. Souljazz Orchestra will perform their signature tropical jazz immediately before them at 6pm on the Main Stage as part of the Great Canadian Jazz series, and James Farm featuring Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, Matt Penman, and Ari Hoenig will play some sultry jazz at 9pm on the Main Stage as part of the Concerts Under the Stars series as well.
New Platinum Passes are 65$ a day for designated up-close seating. Tickets are available on a nightly basis through the TD Ottawa Jazz Box Office, the Rideau Centre kiosk, or online at ottawajazzfestival.ca.
Gold Passes are SOLD OUT. Bronze Passes are $140. Student Passes are $65. Please note the Anniversary Series in the Library and Archives Canada is NOT included with the Bronze and Student Pass. Single concert tickets for July 4 are $50 for this evening’s concerts.
For more information on the Mobile Event Guide App, line-up, bios, music samples and ticket information, please visit ottawajazzfestival.com.
No rushing Bill Frisell: Jazz guitarist likes to go wherever his music takes him
By Doug Fischer, The Ottawa Citizen
Bill Frisell plays two concerts this week at Ottawa’s Jazzfest.
When: June 25 (with the Beautiful Dreamers trio) and June 26 (with the 858 Quartet), 8 p.m. both nights
Where: National Arts Centre Studio
Tickets: $30 for each concert, at ottawajazzfestival.com or 613-241-2633
When Bill Frisell answers the phone in his Seattle home, he reveals he’s been sitting on the floor among boxes piled to the ceiling — he’s moving in a few days — thinking about how life moves along too fast.
Read more: No rushing Bill Frisell
Free 30th Anniversary Kick-off Party on June 23rd Opens the 2010 TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival with a BANG!
Ottawa (Friday, June 18, 2010) – To kick off its 30th birthday celebration, the 2010 TD OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL is saying Thank You to its fans with a night of FREE music on the Main Stage in Confederation Park on Wednesday, June 23rd with three remarkable performances.
1) Lighting up the Main Stage will be THE MAX WEINBERG BIG BAND at 9pm. After leading what has become known as “the best band in late-night television” for 17 years with host Conan O’Brien, the drummer is hitting the road with a blazing 15-piece band that pays tribute to forerunners like Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson and Gene Krupa.
Since answering an ad in The Village Voice in 1975, Weinberg has become one of the best-known drummers in the world as a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. The hard-driving engine behind Springsteen’s legendary live shows, Weinberg has also played with a who’s who of contemporary music, including Sting, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Tom Jones, Little Richard and Chuck Berry. His big band features some of the best session players in the business.
2) A cornerstone of hip-hop music and spoken-word performance, GIL SCOTT-HERON, makes a rare appearance at 7:30pm. Considered, “the godfather of hip-hop, but that doesn’t even begin to describe him. Poet, author, activist, he is also an accomplished pianist, acclaimed songwriter, filmmaker and onetime college basketball star.” Doug Fischer – Ottawa Citizen.
A native of Chicago who grew up in Tennessee, Scott-Heron rose to fame in the early 1970s with a series of outspoken social commentaries, including “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” and “Johannesburg.” His recordings combined streetwise poetry with improvised music played by jazz giants such as bassist Ron Carter and flutist Hubert Laws.
In the 1980s and ‘90s he became a major influence on African-American hip-hop artists and a popular live performer at venues around the world. In 2010 Scott-Heron released a critically acclaimed, highly confessional recording, I’m New Here.
3) Opening the festivities at 6pm is SDC Presents BANG!, the latest theatrical presentation from the STREET DRUM CORPS. Dubbed “a punk rock STOMP,” since 2004 Street Drum Corps has become a popular attraction across North America, performing everywhere from Late Night with Conan O’Brien to Vans Warped Tour. Drawing on influences as diverse as Adam and the Ants, Jane’s Addiction and the Burundi drummers of Africa, Street Drum Corps takes the concept of the improvising percussion ensemble into the realm of alternative rock.
For more information on the Mobile Event Guide App, line-up, bios, music samples and ticket information, please visit ottawajazzfestival.com.
TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival adds two new series
Ottawa Performing Arts Examiner, Dan Lalande
The more the merrier! When it comes to the upcoming TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival, truer words were never spoken.
The fest, in celebration of its 30th anniversary, has announced the addition of 2 new series, making this years’ run – from June 24 to July 3 – an even denser musical affair.
Read more: TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival adds two new series
Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra preaches to the converted (concert review)
Peter Hum, Jazzblog.ca
Jensen’s orchestra returns to Ottawa on June 26, when it plays the 10:30 p.m. outdoor show in Confederation Park during the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival.
Read more: Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra preaches to the converted
NDP MP seeks federal cash for Chamber, Jazz festivals
By Meghan Hurley, The Ottawa Citizen
NDP MP Paul Dewar is calling on the government to reconsider funding cuts to Ottawa’s chamber music and jazz festivals.
The Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest received a second year of federal funding while Ottawa’s jazz and chamber music festivals didn’t get a cent.
Read more: NDP MP seeks federal cash for Chamber, Jazz festivals
