Ottawa Jazz Festival Turns 45 in Just One Week - Join the Celebration!

Ottawa (June 13, 2025) – Festival-goers will recall being wrapped in the magic of warm summer evenings as Confederation Park glows in soft pink and violet light – and sometimes rain – creating a living tapestry of emotion, heritage, artistry, and connection. Each evening throughout the Ottawa Jazz Festival, artists share deeply personal stories with their audiences, creating memories that linger throughout the years. That tradition continues starting June 20 - 29 as we celebrate 45 incredible years!

For our 45th Anniversary, we’re proud to present one of the boldest lineups the Ottawa Jazz Festival has ever offered,” explains Executive and Artistic Director Petr Cancura, “This year is both an ode to jazz and a celebration of the profound impact it has had on the roots of music around the world of what we cherish today – from rock and hip hop to country, jazz and blues are."

At its core, jazz is about resistance and joy. To fight for this music is to fight for love, for beauty, for meaning, and for the soul of life itself. It’s a fight for community – and for ourselves. 

“With this spirit in mind, continues Cancura, "we celebrate 45 years of jazz with artists from our own backyard, across Canada, and from around the world.”

Here are the stellar headliners gracing this year’s Ottawa Jazz Festival (June 20–29)! Each brings their own resonance to the stage:

 

Opening Night – June 20: Allison Russell

Canada’s Allison Russell takes the stage – a luminous figure of resilience and grace. Her voice, steeped in folk, soul, and blues, unites the audience in a shared sense of empathy. Her songs – often speak of overcoming trauma and finding hope – sets a tone of emotional honesty, inviting listeners to travel inward as the festival begins.

June 21: Mavis Staples

From the stage emerges the legendary soul and gospel icon, Mavis Staples. Her deep, comforting voice echoes the struggles and triumphs of the civil rights movement. Allison’s introspection from the night before finds an echo in Mavis’ lived experience – both women using music as a force for healing and social justice. Tonight is a ritual of remembrance and affirmation, a link between personal stories and collective history.

June 22: The Roots

The festival shifts eastward, across sonic territories, as The Roots take the stage. Their fusion of jazz influence, hip-hop roots, and live instrumentation invigorates the crowd, bridging generational gaps. Mavis’s gospel-etched soul finds company in the intelligent lyricism and rhythm of Questlove, Black Thought and company. This is a celebration of continuity – old forms reimagined in modern voices, affirming that jazz’s spirit lives on in hip-hop’s rhythms.

June 24: Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

A return to the source: the Jazz Orchestra reclaims the narrative of jazz’s storied past. Wynton Marsalis, one of its most articulate guardians, leads the band through standards and new compositions. The Roots’ rhythmic invention meets Wynton’s precision and tradition tonight, reminding everyone that innovation must always respect its origins.

June 25: Gary Clark Jr.

The air darkens with electric blues as Gary Clark Jr. picks up his guitar. His virtuosity channels legends like Hendrix and B.B. King while maintaining modern swagger. Against the backdrop of Lincoln Center’s classicism, Gary’s rawness reminds the audience that jazz is alive in rock and blues – freedom, improvisation, and emotional risk still pulse at its core.

June 26: Broken Social Scene

A pivot into the lush, collaborative textures of indie-rock. Broken Social Scene’s layered arrangements echo jazz’s ensemble spirit. Their expansive sonic palette – brass, strings, drums, vocal harmonies – draws a quiet parallel to large jazz collectives while embracing a distinctly Canadian warmth. Tonight, the festival honours its local roots and divergent threads of community-based music-making.

June 27: Samara Joy

The spotlight returns to classic jazz with Samara Joy’s fresh yet reverent vocals. Her interpretations of ballads and standards feel both tender and timeless. There’s a lineage here – from Wynton’s brass artistry to Samara’s voice, a new generation carrying the torch. Her presence feels like a heartfelt continuation of everything heard before.

June 28: Chris Botti

A twilight serenade. Chris Botti’s trumpet melodies glisten under the night sky, blending jazz, pop, and classical influences. After Samara’s vocal intimacy, Botti’s instrumental elegance offers contemplation and sophistication. It’s a moment of collective reflection before the festival nears its end.

Closing Night – June 29: Branford Marsalis Quartet

In a poetic bookend, Branford Marsalis brings the festival to a close – a modern icon, his quartet delivers music that is both cerebral and heartfelt: bebop, post-bop, and original compositions all sparkling with conversational interplay. Branford’s set reflects on the journey – what began in soul and blues, wove through hip-hop, rock, orchestral jazz, indie experimentation, and vocalist brilliance, ending in elemental improvisation.

By tracing this arc, the festival becomes more than a series of concerts – it’s a narrative journey through emotion, history, innovation, and community. Each artist builds upon the last, connecting threads of struggle, expression, and beauty, all culminating in a grand improvised conversation – an echo of jazz’s power to unite, transform, and inspire. Join us for this poignant celebration!

Don’t forget – your day pass gives you access to all the remarkable outdoor performances happening throughout the day!