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Six Concert Extravaganza presented by the TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2010, 7:30PM
National Arts Centre Fourth Stage, Ottawa Ontario

Tickets (HST included):
General admission: $15

Ottawa Jazz Festival office: 294 Albert, Suite 602, 613-241-2633;
Fourth Stage concert series is not available through the Jazz Festival website, only by phone
Ottawa Festivals office (47 William Street, Ottawa)
Single tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster

Featuring:

Megan Jerome Duo

“Megan Jerome appears particularly delicate, sitting at a small keyboard with an accordion tucked under her arm. But once Jerome belts out a few of her signature cabaret-style songs, that first impression fades quickly—she already has the audience howling out choruses and slamming pint glasses down onto their tables." —Centretown News

Megan's artistic vision stems from her continued exploration of music and other art forms. Since obtaining a degree in Jazz Piano from Carleton University in 2003, she has been delighting audiences with her captivating performances in a variety of venues, from pubs and art galleries to major festivals such as the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival in BC. Megan has been featured on CBC Radio's Canada Live, has participated in the Ottawa International Jazz Festival's Composer's Collective.

“Megan Jerome's music is deceptively transient. The simple song structure and lyrics feel like folk songs, but the musicianship on her albums is rooted firmly in jazz." —Guerilla Magazine

We are thrilled to have Megan performing with her husband, master percussionist Mike Essoudry.

When you are a master percussionist, there is hardly a musical setting that's off limits. Drummer/composer Mike Essoudry graduated from McGill University with his Master of Music degree seven short years ago. Since then he has played in a myriad of musical settings. From rock through straight-ahead jazz to avant-garde, Essoudry has been there, done that. And he's not just a drummer; he branches out into clarinet and ukulele when he plays with singer Megan Jerome. When he's not recording or touring, Essoudry has composed new music for silent movies. His compositions for his own band are gorgeous semi-orchestral works. Last year he was nominated in the “Best acoustic Band" and “Best Drummer" categories of Canada's National Jazz Awards.

Featuring:

Cam Wallace Soprano Sax (Montreal)
Adam Kinner—Tenor Sax (Montreal)
Zak Frantz—Alto Sax
Ryan Purchase—Trombone
Craig Pedersen—Trumpet
Matt Ouimet—Lap Steel
Marc Decho—Acoustic Bass
Mike Essoudry—Drums

NEeMA

Most people belong to a specific place; very few belong to the entire planet. With a transcendent voice and songs that defy cultural or stylistic genres, NEeMA is a true citizen of the world. Born in Montreal to Egyptian and Lebanese parents, NEeMA began traveling at an early age. In her journeys she has studied with Tibetan monks, met the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa, taught street children in Egypt and managed an Aboriginal community in the Canadian North. She sings in English but there are elements of French, Tlicho and Arabic in her songs. Sometimes, instead of singing, she speaks rhythmically, reciting her lyrics over the music in free-verse poetry. While her songs can often be achingly personal they are just as likely to have political, ecological or sociological overtones.

Featuring:

Nadine Neemeh: guitar / vocals
Frederic Bouchard: drums / vocals
Thomas Mennier: keyboard / bass / vocals
Robert MacDonald: guitar

Andy Milne Quintet

“When different senses merge, they create unexpected connections. The experience of a tap dancer is that of a synesthete, continually traveling through the intersecting heartbeats of music and dance." —The Guardian

In 2007 the London Jazz Festival commissioned tap dancer/choreographer Heather Cornell to create a new work that would equally represent the evolution of tap dance and jazz. Cornell enlisted her friend of 20 years, fellow-Canadian, pianist/composer Andy Milne to collaborate. Together, while in residence at The Banff Centre, they created Finding Synesthesia, a work that combines music and tap by exploring musical textures from around the globe. In addition to Cornell and Milne, Finding Synesthesia draws upon the talents of the captivating Moroccan vocalist, Malika Zarra and world music cello virtuoso Rufus Cappadocia. Together, they weave tap percussion with odd metered grooves and exotic sonic fabrics; combining improvised and choreographed elements of music and movement.

Since its London premiere, Milne and Cornell have performed Finding Synesthesia at The Salzburg Jazz Festival and The Harbourfront Festival in Toronto and they continue to receive invitations from around the world. Because the show is as much about “dance as music" as it is “dance and music," Milne and Cornell have been experimenting with recording techniques and plan to record a CD in the future.

Featuring:

Andy Milne—piano
Heather Cornell—tap dance
La Tanya Hall—voice
Dana Leong—cello

Brandi Disterheft

“She has the same lope or rhythmical pulse as my late bassist, Ray Brown. She is what we call serious."—Oscar Peterson

Bassist Brandi Disterheft's debut album won a JUNO for Best Traditional Jazz Album in 2008. But that ain't all; in the summer of 2009 she released an album recorded with the legendary Hank Jones and Oliver Jones. She got her start as a teenager backing her jazz pianist mom in Vancouver. She has since graduated to playing around the world and rubbing elbows with folks like Pharaoh Sanders and Diana Krall. Disterheft's style has a kind of strolling cadence that swings below—and at times above—the music. She never bulldozes the affair though frankly, you'll want to hear more.

“Her music is picturesque and enticing, as she grabs the bles, dips into the bebop, lays down a cool ballad and even has the listener dancing. Disterheft comes into her own and shows why she's been creating a stir. A remarkable talent!" —All About Jazz

Featuring:

Brandi Disterheft: acoustic bass + vocals
Sly Juhas: Drums
Stacie McGregor: Piano/ keyboard
William Sperandei: trumpet
James Champagne Robertson: guitar

Souljazz Orchestra

If Martians invaded our planet in search of the hottest band on Earth to take home with them, the UFO's would converge over Ottawa. If the extraterrestrial visitors have done their homework or just picked up the frequency, they would know that the band to make their planet groove is Ottawa's own Souljazz Orchestra. The rhythms are African and Latin, the grooves are funky and soulful, and the saxophones are simply sublime. With songs like “Mista President," “State Terrorism" and “Freedom No Go Die," the Souljazz Orchestra raises the same sort of political and social consciousness as Bob Marley And The Wailers did a few decades ago. Like Marley, they get their message across in the most universal way, appealing to the heart and the brain while the body just can't stay still.

Featuring:

Zakari Frantz—alto saxophone
Steve Patterson—tenor saxophone
Ray Murray—baritone saxophone
Pierre Chrétien—Fender Rhodes electric piano & clavinet
Philippe Lafrenière—drums
Marielle Rivard—percussion

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