Ottawa Jazz Festival 2005

[kerrmit]

Just announced in Saturday's Ottawa Citizen. Pat Metheny Group at the National Arts Centre on July 9th. And that after driving to Potsdam in crappy weather to see PMG, figuring the tour would skip Ottawa again. Also announced, but happening in October, Wynton Marsalis is going to play in a church. I belive its the 25th anniversary of this festival. I saw Hancock and Shorter last year (very disappointed), and Mehldau the year before that (awesome show).

[kerrmit]

And Bill Frisell is playing a couple of shows at the Ottawa Blues Festival.

[bluenoter]

Dup. thread in this forum, while it lasts:
http://www.jazzcornertalk.com/speakeasy/showthread.php?t=10542

[kerrmit]

The festival starts tonight. I am bringing my wife to see Harry Connick with the NAC orchestra this evening. We are going on a date. Complete with dinner for two on Elgin. That doesn't happen too often. The show is outside at Confederation Park and the weather looks great. This is quid pro quo - she gets to see Harry Connick, and I get to see Pat Metheny. And if I finish putting the flooring in the bedroom, I may even be able to see Sonny Rollins on Sunday night.

[kerrmit]

Hey, that was better than I expected. Supper at Big Daddy's Crab Shack and then we dragged our lawn chairs to Confederation Park. A beautiful night to start the jazz festival. Harry Connick Jr. is a throwback to vaudeville, multi-talented, he can sing OK, plays a fine boogaloo piano, is naturally funny, and the ladies like him, a lot. He comes off as very relaxed and likeable, lots of ad lib comedy. He sang a lot of ballads with the NAC Orchestra, and many of these were too slow for my liking. Occasionally some jazz musicians would step on stage and they would play some New Orleans style stomp (Sheik of Araby, Basin St. Blues). That would get the crowd up. Summary: This was not fine art, but it was fine entertainment.