International jazz sensations will tour the Ottawa Jazz Festival from June 23 to 30 throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Artists set to groove with the nation’s capital include Buddy Guy, Laufey, Lord Huron and Kokoroko.
Artists will take audiences on musical journeys through contemporary twists on jazz and storytelling.
The Charlatan spoke with up-and-coming groups Blue Moon Marquee, Avataar and Brekky Boy about what’s in store for festival attendees.
Blue Moon Marquee, the Canadian blues duo comprised of Jasmine Colette and A.W. Cardinal, infuses their music with Indigenous folklore elements and their lived experiences.
The duo’s contemporary take on storytelling draws inspiration from Cardinal’s Métis-Cree heritage.
“There’s a lot of legend and lore, but there’s also a lot of lessons and teachings,” said Colette.
The two first met as teenagers in the Alberta punk scene. Since reconnecting a decade ago, Blue Moon Marquee has jived in jazz clubs, hospitals, prisons and festivals across North America and Europe.
“We like to write a lot about experiences on the road, characters we’ve met along the way, towns, cities, roads and forests,” Colette added.
Colette teased a trio performance with organist Darcy Phillips for their upcoming Jazz Fest showing. The three will enliven audiences with tracks from their newest award-winning album Scream, Holler & Howl.
Avataar, comprised of several Toronto-based musicians, brings listeners on an expedition through their eclectic jazz. When creating the ensemble, Sundar Viswanathan looked for artists of different musical backgrounds to blur the boundaries of jazz.
Viswanathan masterfully intertwines jazz with genres like soul, bebop, hip-hop and world music. He said these combinations leave listeners feeling touched.
Avataar’s compositions fuse themes of interconnectivity and social advocacy.
“[We] present the beauty in music but keep in perspective the things that are in the way of beauty, or in the way of truth,” said Viswanathan.
By attributing specific tunes to socio-political events, Viswanathan intends to “bring sound to pictures,” eliciting emotional responses from listeners. Avataar’s album Worldview exhibits the intense global emotions evoked from the pandemic and war in Ukraine.
Avataar looks forward to sharing spirited swings with two guest musicians at their first Ottawa Jazz Fest performance.
Australia’s electro-jazz rock trailblazing trio, Brekky Boy, is stoked for their first Ottawa gig.
Taylor Davis, leader of the trio, crisscrosses electronic jazz with prog-rock and other genres to create a “cinematic concoction of chaos.”
Davis explained that incorporating the synthesizer has transformed their sound.
“As we’re getting more electronic, a lot of the inspiration comes from just twisting a lot of knobs on the keyboard and figuring out these really unique, synthy patches,” he said.
Much of Davis’ inspiration stems from connections to places he’s visited.
“[The compositions are a] reflection on those spots around the world and experiences there with the people,” he said.
One track, “Setsuko,” is his meditation on being lost while snowboarding in a blizzard. It incorporates beautiful melodies from Australia’s winter landscape with intense rhythms to represent his fear of being lost.
He noted that listeners tend to be intrigued by the uniqueness of Brekky Boy’s music.
“You don’t really know what to expect,” he said.
Davis is excited to share the lineup with names like Snarky Puppy and discover newer artists presenting their fresh takes on jazz.
“It’s rare for me, and probably others, to actually discover something new that you really are like, ‘woah.’ I know I’m gonna find that a lot on this festival run.”
Those interested in attending the 2023 Ottawa Jazz Festival can find more details here.
Featured image provided by Blue Moon Marquee.
