YOW Jazz, January 21: A preview of the Ottawa Winter Jazz Festival
I talk with Ben Wendel, Jocelyn Gould, and Virginia MacDonald about their upcoming performances on January 31 to February 1 for the winter version of the Ottawa Jazz Festival
The Ottawa Jazz Festival has a mini-festival scheduled from January 30 to February 1, at the Arts Court and SAW Gallery. The full lineup is impressive.
On the show you will hear my interview with Ben Wendel. He was born in Vancouver but grew up in Los Angeles, now based in Brooklyn. His parents lost their home in the Pacific Palisades fire and we talked about the impact of the fires on musicians in Los Angeles. Greg Bryant has written about the impact of the fires on the LA musicians. Ben Wendel will be performing with Dan Tepfer on Saturday, February 1st at the Arts Court Theatre. This will be their first performance together in about 7 years. Here they are performing in 2014.
I also talked to guitarist Jocelyn Gould about who she will be playing with at her performance on Friday, January 31, also at the Arts Court Theatre. She will be playing tunes from her recent album “Portrait of Right Now” - some of which I’ve featured on previous YOW Jazz shows and on In A Mellow Tone. We also discuss her latest solo project.
I also spoke with clarinetist Virginia MacDonald, who will be playing with her quartet at club SAW on Saturday, February 1st. We discuss who will be playing with her, what to expect and some of her influences. Her first release as a band leader will be coming out later this year on Cellar Records. Here she is playing with the Joe Magnarelli Quintet.
Also coming up this week, on Friday, is vocalist Sienna Dahlen playing with Steve Boudreau (piano) at the 10,000 Hours Studio. I will feature a track from her 2023 release, “Balladextrous” with guitarist Bill Coon. Here she is playing with Dave Restivo on piano.
You can listen to YOW Jazz live on Tuesday at 11 a.m. on 93.1 FM in the National Capital Region or stream at CKCUFM.com. The show will also be available for on demand streaming.