Ottawa’s Jazzer Endurance Course is Back for Another 24-Hour Jazz Ramble

(Cover Photo – Cynthia Tauro by Andre Gagne)

To some, the greatest test of endurance is the Cape Epic, a gruelling eight day, 70 km trek through South Africa that’s referred to as the Tour de France of mountain biking. Then there’s Badwater, a non-stop 135-mile run through some of the most scorching hot places on the planet. Racers have to brave the heat through Death Valley as they battle the elements, dehydration and sometimes even delirium. Yikes! Then, for the truly insane, there’s the Marathon des Sable. You know, just your typical 150 mile race…through the Sahara! 

Musically, this test of personal durability could be making it through Burning Man, one of those 4 hour Bruce Springsteen shows or a single play of “Despacito”. Here in Ottawa, local musicians and their fans have their own test of wills. It’s an all-out jazz’athalon and we’re smack-dab in the middle of it. Though I think Ed Lister would be up for it, this isn’t a race around O-town while playing epic trumpet solos while the rest of your big band struggles to catch up. This challenge –put on by the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival– places musicians, over two dozen of them, comfortably around the stacks of vinyl inside the Record Centre (1099 Wellington St. W).

Beginning earlier today at 10am with a performance by Cynthia Tauro and wrapping up tomorrow morning when the last notes are played by The Two Percent, The 24-Hour Jazz Ramble spotlights the city’s best with non-stop, 45-minute sets on the hour, every hour! It all makes for an interesting mix of music for those who can stay up and at ‘em for every show. To put this in perspective, it’s like the festival took their Great Canadian Jazz Series and wedged it into a single day instead of two weeks! So, yeah, if you wanna’ catch ‘em all you best turn some of that water percentage in the human body to something caffeinated pronto.

Early on, there were those inside the Record Centre full of spunk and bop for performances by the Marc Decho Nu-Trio, Raphael Weinroth-Browne and Linsey Wellman’s Wedding and Funeral Trio. You have to think that, come the wee smalls when the rest of the Capital is forty winkin’ it and Alex Moxon hits the stage at hour 17, those who have toughed it out all day will be feeling the effects of this marathon of jazz. At least their struggle to keep their eyes open has a sweet soundtrack and, of course, the organizers are making it worth their while. The last fan standing snags a pair of Bronze Festival passes to check out the not as bunched together performances by Herbie Hancock, Chris Botti, Boz Scaggs and Chaka Khan come June.

While the Jazz Fest continues to bring in some of the world’s top recording artists like those mentioned above, it has remained equally important for organizers to showcase more home grown acts. Outside of the stacked Ramble line-up, this year’s festival will feature shows by

Bella Cat, FET.NAT, The Commotions and the Megan Jerome Together Ensemble, to name a few.

“This is the lifeblood of our musical Ottawa and we want to highlight as much of it as we can,” Festival Programming Manager Petr Cancura once told me, adding that “it’s instrumental to the development of the local scene by presenting local talent at a festival with other internationally recognized artists. At the best of times local and visiting artists meet and get to play together. These bonds push these musicians forward and hence our local scene moves forward.”

There’s still time to check out some of that talent by filling a tumbler full o’java and rambling on down to the Record Centre. Tonight’s sets will see Cancura himself belting out some sax as well as performances by Angelique Francis, Lucas Haneman Express, Julie Corrigan and Rakestar. But, seriously, somebody please give some love to Michel Delage and Julian Selody who picked up those pre-dawn sets! Yowza!

Between sets, Festival tickets, gift certificates and swag will be drawn. Did I mention it’s all free? Can’t make it. No problem! Catch the ramble live through their live stream and win prizes there too!

More photos from the first half of the 24 hour Ramble