The winter edition of the Ottawa Jazz Fest has announced its line-ups, with nine concerts being streamed free from the capital city.
The 2021 edition will be the 10th annual occurrence of the Winter Jazz Festival, an offshoot of the summer festival that will be marking its 40th anniversary this year. Headlining the festival are veteran Toronto singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith and Ottawa music icon Jim Bryson.
More traditional jazz sounds will be represented by Juno-winning saxophonist Kirk MacDonald and Montreal’s Jazzlab Orchestra, the latter playing a concert inspired by the work of Charles Mingus. As with past editions, the 2021 festival will kick off with a performance by local group The 33z, which will be interpreting the work of a famous artist – in this case, country music legend Dolly Parton.
A full schedule with additional shows is set to be announced in the weeks to come. Organizers say that musicians could perform before a small audience, should public health guidelines permit, but the live stream will be available for all interested. Musical festivals, often advertised through tools like banner printing, have become a key part of the Canadian music scene, with Ottawa, in particular, being home to several annual events.
Ottawa Winter Jazz Fest will take place between February 4 and 6, with all performances happening at the Arts Court Theatre.
