2015 is a momentous year for the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival as it prepares to present the 35th edition from June 18 – July 1, 2015.
Dynamic programming and unique international collaborations remains integral to attracting a loyal audience while continuing to draw new audiences each year.
“The magic of Jazzfest, much like jazz music itself, lies in the unexpected – an unknown artist that dazzles, a unique collaboration, an improvised jam that transcends musical definition. That magic happens because the festival is willing to experiment, to expose Ottawa audiences to unfamiliar, exciting new sounds from the world over.” – Jared Davidson, Apt613, 2014
Here are some of the outstanding artists performing in 2015 (more announcements will follow soon):
Headlining Artists in the Concerts Under the Stars series:
June 19: Star of Twenty Feet from Stardom and singer Lisa Fischer debuts this year’s Concerts Under the Stars series. Best known for her long-standing membership in the Rolling Stones’ touring band, if anyone has soul it’s Lisa Fischer!
Bruce Cockburn photo credit Kevin Kelly
June 20: Canada’s iconic Bruce Cockburn will take the stage at the Festival for the first time.
June 23: New Orleans’ originals Dirty Dozen Brass Band teams up with the Blind Boys of Alabama (read our interview with them here!).
June 24: GRAMMY award winning trumpet player Chris Botti .
Steve Miller
June 25: Steve Miller is a “Space Cowboy”… but he’s also an influential blues-rock guitarist whose sound helped shape San Francisco’s Summer Of Love.
June 27: Last year’s GRAMMY award winning Snarky Puppy is really the new version of a jazz orchestra.
June 29: Pink Martini is a cross genre group that combines classical, latin, jazz and classic pop.
June 30: Explosive keyboard wiz Jamie Cullum is as masterful at playing the piano as he is dancing on it.
Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra
Canadian Jazz
From the very beginning, the Festival took up the call to celebrate Canadian jazz players, composers, arrangers and recording artists to expand performance opportunities. This practice is kept to the forefront to this day:
June 22: Equally at home in music as in theatre Ranee Lee has performed with Oscar Peterson’s group, David Murray and Herb Ellis.
June 23: Featured last year with Branford Marsalis Robi Botos is performing with Seamus Blake.
June 25: Lindi Ortega takes to the Laurier Avenue Canadian Music Stage at 7:30 pm
June 28: With a 5-star review in Downbeat the Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra is the greatest contemporary jazz orchestra in Canada at the moment.
June 28: JUNO award winning Cuban Canadian pianist Hilario Duran brings Cuban drummer Ignacio Berroa in a performance of Afro Cuban Jazz & Beyond.
Renee Rosnes
Consummate Jazz Artists at the NAC Studio Series:
June 23 (in two concerts): Branford Marsalis Quartet – Jazz royalty shines.
June 24: The Stanley Clarke Band – virtuoso on the bass, Clarke is an original member of Chic Corea’s Return to Forever.
June 26: Who can replace the ever popular, modern day jazz Renaissance man, the ever sold out master of all things jazz, Dave Douglas?
June 21 (in two concerts): Renee Rosnes is the highest ticket seller over the jazz festival’s history having been here multiple times.
The Soul Rebels
OLG After Dark Series at 10:30pm
June 19: Hailing from New Orleans The Soul Rebels is the quintessential energetic brass bands.
June 20: Reuben and the Dark
June 21: Timber Timbre
June 22: Sonny Knight & The Lakers
June 23: What happens when you stick a construction pylon into the bell of a saxophone and put it in the hands of punk-inspired jazz players? Moon Hooch with two saxophones and drums….
June 24: Freshlyground
June 25: Ikebe Shakedown
June 26: My Brightest Diamond
June 28: The Wood Brothers – Chris Wood from Medeski, Martin & Wood co-leads this jazz and roots cross-over trio.
June 29: Robin McKelle & The Flytones
June 30: Jaga Jazzist
South Africa NOW!
This is a celebration of five groups from South Africa and their contribution to jazz:
June 27: Formerly exiled from his home country during the apartheid years, drummer Louis Moholo-Moholo continues to challenge, charm, and entrance listeners.
June 28: The Wood Brothers
June 29: Robin McKelle & The Flytones
June 30: A former collaborator with Duke Ellington, South Africa’s legendary pianist Abdullah Ibrahim returned to South Africa after the apartheid, where he remains as a revered figure and continues to perform and record.
Spotlight on Euro Jazz
in honour of the European Union’s partnership with Canada, we are presenting 20 concerts throughout the Festival from 15 European countries including: France, Holland, Czech, Portugal, UK, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Austria, and Spain. More details on the Spotlight on Euro Jazz will be announced shortly.
Festival Passes are now on sale at last year’s prices! Early Bird Pricing – limited quantities available:
$190 Bronze Pass; $310 Gold Pass; $90 Youth pass. Single tickets will be available as of March 30th, 2015.
For more lineup information and tickets visit: www.ottawajazzfestival.com
