Preview: Ottawa Jazz Festival 2019
The 39th iteration of the Ottawa Jazz Festival takes place from Friday, June 21st to Monday, July 1st and again brings many of the biggest names in jazz to the capital. Featuring an eclectic collection of acts ranging from household names like Norah Jones and The Roots, to international newcomers like KLEIN and Dakha Brakha, to staples of modern jazz like Brad Mehldau and Larnell Lewis, this year’s jazz festival features a show for every music lover.
With concerts scattered over ten days across the Marion Dewar Plaza (TD Main Stage), Confederation Park (OLG Stage), and the National Arts Centre (NAC), sorting out which artists you want to see may be challenging. Thankfully, we’ve compiled concerts below (listed by date) highlighting the must-see acts of this year’s Ottawa Jazz Festival.
Judith Hill
Judith Hill
Judith Hill first gained notoriety as the backup singer of choice for Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, and has now emerged as a powerful R&B star on her own. After gaining widespread fame from The Voice and 20 Feet From Stardom, winner of the 2015 Grammy for Best Music Film, Hill has released two soulful albums that at their finest moments evoke Diana Ross and Mary J. Blige. Hill’s arresting voice and commanding stage presence made her a favourite of Prince, who co-produced her 2015 album Back In Time shortly before his death. Judith Hill will make her return to Ottawa as she kicks off the 39th edition of the Ottawa Jazz Festival on Friday night.
TD Main Stage
8:30 PM, Friday June 21, 2019
Tickets: $42 day pass incl. Les Anormales, Baritone Madness, The Suffers
KLEIN
Arriving from Luxembourg as part of the music:LX series, Jérôme Klein will be showcasing his new minimalist project, KLEIN. Combining electronic samples and drumbeats with post-bop influences, Klein’s trio constructs multi-textured atmospheres that the audience can get lost in upon each listen. Featuring Pol Belardi on vibraphone/bass and Niels Engel on drums, KLEIN’s meditative music is the perfect soundtrack to a summer Sunday night.
OLG Stage (Confederation Park)
10:30 PM, Sunday June 23, 2019
Tickets: $20 single ticket
Norah Jones
Norah Jones returns to Ottawa for the first time since Bluesfest 2012 for a night of infectious melodies and jazz ballads. Norah Jones’s latest album, Begin Again, was released in April and compiles the pianist’s singles released over the last two years, including a collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy on “A Song With No Name”. Jones’s concerts routinely provide a warm blend of pop, jazz, country, and soul, and her headlining performance is certain to be one of the highlights of this year’s Jazzfest.
TD Main Stage (Marion Dewar Plaza)
8:30 PM, Tuesday June 25, 2019
Tickets: $60 day pass incl. Rebecca Noelle, The Easley Quartet, Donna Grantis
Norah Jones
Donna Grantis
You need to be a pretty special guitar player to play lead in Prince’s band, and for the last years of his life Donna Grantis provided the blistering guitar solos on Prince’s 3RDEYEGIRL albums and tours. The Toronto-born Grantis will be playing songs from her acclaimed debut album DIAMONDS & DYNAMITE, on which she rotates between contemplative pieces such as “Mr. Majestic” and heavy shredding jams like “Trashformer”, where she exchanges guitar licks with Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. Make sure the heavy rock fans in your life do not miss this show!
OLG Stage (Confederation Park)
10:30 PM, Tuesday June 25, 2019
Tickets: $20 single ticket
Brad Mehldau Quintet
A member of Joshua Redman’s revered quartet in the mid-1990s along with Christian McBride and Brian Blade, genius pianist Brad Mehldau has been at the forefront of modern jazz for over thirty years. Mehldau has been particularly active of late, releasing three albums in the past two years, the most recent of which, Finding Gabriel, received a perfect five-star review from the Times of London. For his Summer 2019 tour, Mehldau has put together a modern jazz supergroup, featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, saxophonist Joel Frahm, bassist Joe Sanders, and drummer Leon Parker. Each member of the quintet is a renowned soloist in their own right, and with this much star power, Mehldau’s set will surely be a highlight of the festival.
TD Main Stage
8:30 PM, Wednesday June 26, 2019
Tickets: $52 day pass incl. Ferguson/Tremblay/Young/Clark, Audrey Ochoa Trio, Paris_Monster
DakhaBrakha
Although saxophone and trumpet are more traditional instruments to hear at a jazz festival, DakhaBrakha’s performance might be the first Ottawa Jazz Festival show to feature the darbuka, tabla, garmoshka, bugay, and zgaleyka. Hailing from Kiev, Ukraine, the quartet first formed as a Ukrainian folk music group in 2004 before evolving into the haunting rhythmic force they are today. With pulsing drums and dark melodies, DakhaBrakha is sure to trance the OLG Stage audience into a frenzy.
OLG Stage (Confederation Park)
10:30 PM, Thursday June 27, 2019
Tickets: $20 single ticket
The Larnell Lewis Band
Although Snarky Puppy won’t be stopping by this year’s iteration of the jazz festival, their long-time superhuman drummer Larnell Lewis will be joined by his sextet for a set at the NAC. Already established as an in-demand session drummer, Lewis released his debut album as a soloist, In The Moment, last year, which earned him a Juno Award nomination for Jazz Solo Album of the Year. Truly a modern-day innovator, on In The Moment Lewis played bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, melodica, percussion, piano, synthesizer and vocals, in addition to writing and producing himself.
NAC Fourth Stage
6:00 PM, Friday June 28, 2019
Tickets: $25 single ticket
Donny McCaslin
Right before leaving us for a better world in 2016, David Bowie released the hauntingly beautiful Blackstar, which introduced mainstream audiences to the evocative playing of saxophonist Donny McCaslin and his ensemble. McCaslin was instrumental in shaping the sombre tones of the album, as heard on his epic solo on “Blackstar” and the opening of “Lazarus”. Ever the collaborator, McCaslin’s latest album, Blow, includes contributions from Sun Kil Moon and Gail Ann Dorsey, and expands on the art-rock inspired by Bowie. With a stacked Friday lineup at the Ottawa Jazz Festival it will be hard to choose which act to see, but McCaslin’s set could be the best under-the-radar performance of the festival.
📍 NAC Studio Stage
🗓 7:00 PM, Friday June 28, 2019
🎟 Tickets: $30 single ticket
Omara Portuondo and the NAC Orchestra
Many music fans first discovered the beauty of Omara Portuondo’s voice from Wim Wenders’s seminal document of the Cuban music scene, Buena Vista Social Club. Twenty years after the documentary’s release, Portuondo remains one of the most recognizable Cuban musicians around the world. At age 88 Portuondo continues to be as active as ever, having released a new album, Siempre Tu Voz: Homenaje a Benny Moré en Su Centenario [Always Your Voice: Homage to Benny Moré in His Centenary], last month. North American fans best catch her June 28th performance, as Portuondo has announced that this will be her final international tour.
📍 TD Main Stage (Marion Dewar Plaza)
🗓 8:30 PM, Friday June 28, 2019
🎟 Tickets: $46 day pass incl. The Shuffle Demons, Oleg Butman & Natalia Smirnova Trio, Cha Wa
Omara Portuondo
The Roots
The Roots have established themselves as the quintessential alternative hip-hop ensemble for over 25 years, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Fronted by one of hip-hop’s masters of flow, Black Thought, with the legendary Questlove on drums, the Philly collective remains the standard for summer party concerts. The Roots are coming off an epic set at their annual Roots Picnic festival in Philadelphia, where they played their pivotal 1999 album, Things Fall Apart, in full for a first time. Cross your fingers that they’ll treat the Ottawa crowd to a similar 20th anniversary performance!
TD Main Stage (Marion Dewar Plaza)
8:30 PM, Saturday June 29, 2019
Tickets: $60 day pass incl. Laila Biali, Mack & Ben, DJ Questlove
DJ Questlove
Once the last horn sounds from The Roots’ performance, be sure to sprint across the street to catch Questlove’s DJ set. Having gigged as the personal DJ for events hosted by Barack Obama and Prince, Questlove brings his encyclopedic knowledge of music to each of his DJ sets. The Roots’ drummer carefully crafts playlists that range from The Clash to Beyoncé, and his DJ set is guaranteed to have fans of all ages dancing. Do not bring your lawnchairs.
OLG Stage (Confederation Park)
10:30 PM, Saturday June 29, 2019
Tickets: $20 single ticket
Helena Deland
Celebrate Canada Day with one of the most exciting new artists to emerge from Montreal over the last few years, Helena Deland. After releasing four volumes of her EP collection Altogether Unaccompanied in 2018, Deland has received major international coverage for her synth-tinged melodies. Deland’s dreamy vocals have captivated Montreal audiences for the last few years, and Jazz Festival attendees will be able to hear this up-and-comer for free!
OLG Stage (Confederation Park)
4:00 PM, Monday July 1, 2019
Tickets: Free!
The TD Ottawa Jazz Festival runs from June 21 to July 1 at Marion Dewar Plaza (City Hall), Confederation Park, Mercury Lounge, Queen St. Fare and the National Arts Centre. Visit ottawajazzfestival.com for tickets and the complete schedule.