Donning flat caps and formal autumn attire, concert-goers filled the cozy Algonquin Commons Theatre on Oct. 29 to kickstart the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival’s October Concert Series. The Friday night audience was graced with the Florian Hoefner Trio’s mesmerizing musical abilities and Michael Kaeshammer’s invigorating stage presence.
Concert-goers were met with the venue’s COVID-19 safety regulations, including a limited capacity, mask regulations and mandatory proof of vaccination. The audience was also asked to remain in their seats during the performances.
The night started strong with an hour and a half concert from the Florian Hoefner Trio. From the get-go, the alluring pulse of the trio’s melodies roped listeners in for a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Performing live together for one of the first times since the pandemic began, Florian Hoefner on piano, Andrew Downing on bass and Nick Fraser on drums all expressed gratitude to the audience for supporting live music. Their words were met with vigorous applause.
“Like many musicians, I used a lot of time when we couldn’t perform to write some new music,” Hoefner said.
The trio’s setlist drew from various sources, including reimagined traditional folk songs, music from their latest album First Spring and surprise performances of hits from their upcoming 2022 album.
The first song of the night was the graceful Short Life. Festival attendees witnessed the rare sight of musicians and instruments working in unity with nonchalant ease.
Performance highlights included a groovy rendition of the Punch Brothers’ It’s All Part of the Plan and a jazz arrangement of Neptune, originally released through a collaboration between Bryce Dessner, Sufjan Stevens, James McAlister and Nico Muhly.
To finish off their set, the trio’s new song Zone, full of clever drumming liberty and a buzzing bass, invited concert-goers to become lost in the zone. By engulfing the theatre with magnificent music, the trio’s time on stage was a great success.
The following standing ovation bled into the hour-long intermission before the headliner took to the stage.
Accompanied by Devon Henderson on bass and Roger Travassos on the drums, Kaeshammer began his performance improvising a piano melody and declaring, “We’re just gonna have a little fun because that’s what music is.”
Kaeshammer’s thrilling jazz style instantly had the crowd’s heads bobbing, feet tapping and hands clapping. By the end of the night, countless attendees were dancing in their red velvet chairs.
The Vancouver Islander also shared friendly banter with audience members and his fellow performers. This established a personable connection between the performer and attendees, which enhanced the audience’s interaction in a positive way.
Kaeshammer embodied his role as an entertainer both on and off the keys, from chatting about the best Netflix binges to jesting how “it’s fun to play some Canadian composers like Beethoven and Mozart.”
The band’s avant-garde jam sessions with saxophonist and festival organizer Petr Cancura stole the show. Each performer settled into the groove of the others’ creativity. Cancura’s slick sax playing paired with Henderson and Travassos’ informal harmonies and Kaeshammer’s creativity paid off with booming applause.
Shouts of encore prompted Kaeshammer and company to come back on stage for one final song, where they were again met with a well-deserved standing ovation.
As festival-goers left the theatre, their positive energy proved that the love for live jazz hasn’t gone anywhere during the pandemic.
Featured image by Spencer Colby.
