Say an airplane carrying a large polar bear were flying above the Nation’s Capital and, say, just say, said polar bear’s carrier were to jangle loose in a bad patch of turbulence that also opened the security hatch whooshing the bewildered bear out and sending it buffeting through the clouds. Now say, and we’re just saying here, that bear plummeted towards a recently upended truckload of beanbag chairs where it fell safe and snugly, shook off the air sickness and rolled into, say, the Rideau Canal where it slowly but surely swam its way towards,I dunno, City Hall? Stepping onto land with a mighty shake, say, and let me reiterate, I’m just saying, it were to sneak somehow undetected unto the grounds of the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, park itself behind those jerks who decided to chat all the way through, saaaayyyyy, a Norah Jones concert, and then, just then, suddenly realize how hungry it was and….
Ok, listen, I’m not wishing harm upon anybody but, damn it people, stop going to concerts and loudly informing everyone in earshot about Jr’s graduation, your impending trip to Poodle Dog Rock and Aunt Martha’s coming nuptials to Butcher Bernie…you know, the one with the lazy eye and the goiter that kinda’ looks like Elvis. Seriously, some people wanna’ enjoy the show.
Hey, don’t do it for me. Do it for the polar bears!
For those who could hear her, Norah Jones is the perfect music for a breezy summer night in Ottawa and, wouldn’t you know, she got just that for her first Jazz Fest appearance. It was the festival’s second sell-out night and, unlike the get up and shake your money maker party that was Chicago on Sunday, the laid back affair that is the sultry songstresses bread and butter didn’t lend itself as well to the crowd size.
Norah Jones performs during the Ottawa Jazz Festival. Photo: Renée Doiron
“It’s not raining. That’s true. That’s damn true,” said Jones in the few times she addressed the more attentive in attendance. Well yes, there was that as the crowd certainly expected a downpour with all the umbrellas nestled next to their lawn chairs.
It was a set you just wanted to close your eyes and sway to. One might imagine an audience sized hammock strewn over Marion Dewar Plaza and a couple thousand drinks with a couple of thousand tiny parasols held by a couple of thousand relaxed people adrift on maudlin melodies.
“SIT YOUR ASS DOWN!!!” An angry voice screamed thus setting my dream hammock ablaze. Ahhhh well.
Gotta’ admit, it wasn’t really a dance, dance revolution kinda’ show with the set only really picking up some pepper 11 tunes in with the boppy “Hey You” that followed a stripped down acoustic version of “Sunrise” that I, alas, couldn’t quite make out from my vantage point. Still, the upbeat number turned enough heads (and shut enough mouths) so that when fan favorite “Come Away With Me” was played afterward the festival crowd listened to the music. Fancy that!
Hit “Don’t Know Why” wouldn’t be so lucky as a trio of fire trucks sliced through the first few notes of the song forcing Jones to improvise as the sirens blew down Laurier and vanished into the night.
They were a little late if they were looking to put out the heat caused by Ottawa’s own Rebecca Noelle! Her opening show was all about the sizzle!
Showcasing the chops that brought her all the way to the finals of La Voix (and a tour with The Jacksons), Noelle just keeps getting better with additional hot, hot heat coming a local musical dream team of Brian Asselin (sax), Ken Seeley (bass), Clayton Connell (keyboard), and vocalist Deedee Butters to name a few.
Making the most of being shuffled to the sidelines by Jones’ piano, Noelle busted out the soul that demanded attention. By song two, if you weren’t listening, trust me, that voice, those beats, were going to throttle your ears with exclamation points like:
“Look up!”
“Listen!”
“Dance!”
Noelle’s audience, including her parents outside the gate gleefully gazing over the fence by the porta potties, did just that.
As for the headliner, well, a little bear told me it was a wonderful show if you managed to keep up with the Jones.
SETLIST
Just a Little Bit
It Was You
Got to See You Again
Those Sweet Words
Begin Again
Wintertime
Nightingale
Song with No Name
Say Goodbye
Sunrise
Hey You
Come Away With Me
Black
Travelin’ On
Don’t Know Why
Flip Side
Carry On
My Heart is Full
Don’t Be Denied
Lonestar
