Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events.
We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on
the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season.
Your city! Your festivals!
Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life has you covered.
Well, you can’t say the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival isn’t daring when it comes to putting together an unique mix of programing. You might say they know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run with it!
In case you didn’t guess, "The Gambler" himself Kenny Rogers will be headlining the summer festival this year on June 24, his final Ottawa performance before folding the cards for good. Jazz, of course not, but scoring another country music legend to grace the festival stage as they did Willie Nelson in 2013 is just another example of a festival not afraid to mix it up while still being true to its roots.
Confederation Park’s Main Stage headliners this year include the you gotta’ see ‘em to believe ‘em six-piece flaming hunk of Sothern soul, St. Paul and the Broken Bones. If you missed their set at City Folk this year, you’ve been blessed with the opportunity to correct that mistake when they open the festival on June 22.
The Fest’s 37th edition will also feature not one but two of Canada’s best female singer-songwriters. Serena Ryder performs on June 23 and Feist closes out the fest on the 2nd of July. Women of the world continue to be showcased on the main stage with Britain’s soul sensation Joss Stone on the 25th and Minnesota’s divine Davina & the Vagabonds set to inject some blues into your night on the 26th. If you still have some energy, your dancing shoes will be needed for Zoé Colotis’ electro swing band Caravan Palace from Paris on the 27th! Hannah Georgas, Rory Block and Kandace Springs are also performing.
The winter version of the festival this year paid homage to Prince and this summer will provide another tribute to one of the giants of music. You can “Hit the Road Jack”, if you don’t know who they’re talking about. “I’ve Got a Woman” named “Georgia on My Mind” each time I hear The Genius of Soul, Mr. Ray Charles. “What’d I Say”? That’s Mr. Ray Charles and his orchestra will join Maceo Parker and the Raelettes for the ultimate showcase of the master’s work (June 26).
More R&B and gospel gravy will be poured out when living legend Mavis Staples returns to the festival on June 26. Want more?Thought you'd never ask! Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires will funk up your night on the 30th. Seriously, if you’re not sweating watching that guy perform you’ve got no pores! Yowza!
Blues, yeah, they got the blues with two hard shots to go down slow. Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters and the Legendary Downchild Blues Band perform on June 29.
The "jazz" in Jazz Fest will be represented by Kenny Barron, Igor Butman and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet and the Donny McCaslin Group. Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, performing on June 28, is sure to be a highlight as they go through the late bassist's deep and influential repertoire.
For the musically adventurous there’s Gypsophila, Naked Wolf, The Jerry Cans and the explosion of folk, punk, klezmer and, really, whatever the hell they wanna’ toss into the pot, Lemon Bucket Orkestra! The late night tent better get some reinforcements!
Expanding further off the grounds of Confederation Park, this year the festival will have shows in the fantastic La Nouvelle Scène over on King Edward to go along with the usual NAC shows and late-night jams, back again across the street in the Lord Elgin.
More acts, scheduling and ticket info can be seen over at ottawajazzfestival.com.
