Event Review: Janelle Monáe and the Wondaland Arch Orchestra at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival

Photo Credit: Ottawa Jazz Festival

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the Ottawa International Jazz Festival for the very first time in order to see Janelle Monáe. The soulful R&B singer from Kansas City offered an immensely pleasant performance in the heart of the national capital accompanied by her band, the Wondaland Arch Orchestra.

From the very first song, she graced the crowd with her beautiful voice and contagious energy. Monáe certainly delivered her material in a sublime manner performing pieces like Dance or Die, hit-song Tight Rope and Cold War, a personal favorite. She also included a Prince cover and did the classic song by Michael Jackson, I want You Back to everyone’s delight!

Photo Credit: Ottawa Jazz Festival

Her performance was highly energetic interspersed with a few mellow tunes, and she managed to eventually get the sea of people who were seated in chairs standing and dancing. If there’s one thing I can complain about is that there were way too many chairs and ‘reserved sections’ with chairs that stopped us from getting closer to the stage.

At one point, Janelle Monáe even took out a canvas on which she painted while singing. At the end of the show, she gave the painting to a man who’s birthday it was. It’s really the kind of performance that gets you on a natural high and makes you feel most alive and I’m glad I was there to experience it.

At the end of the show, the crowd definitely wanted more and everybody made enough noise for Monáe and her orchestra to come back on stage for 2 final songs. She concluded by saying she would be back and I’m already looking forward to it!

Start Summer in the Nation’s Capital with the Asinabka Festival, Porter Robinson, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, and l’Outaouais en Fête

This week brings its load of events starting with the launch of a new arts festival celebrating aboriginal film and media art called Asinabka. For its first edition, this festival gives itself the mandate to “allow independent artists (national, international, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal) to share, present, and disseminate their work. It is is also to screen films by Aboriginal peoples and films about Aboriginal topics/issues; to support artists and filmmakers; to promote Aboriginal cultures and languages; to educate people about Aboriginal issues in Canada, and about Indigenous issues internationally; to provide a space where Aboriginal peoples can tell their own stories and see their own cultures reflected back at them; and to entertain and be innovative”. The festival starts today, June 18 and continues until Sunday, June 24 and it takes places at various locations around the downtown core. You can get all of the details and the schedule of events by clicking on the image below. Be sure to check it out!

 

For the fans of electronic dance music, DNA presents Porter Robinson at Barrymore’s this Wednesday, June 20 as part of the Language Tour. Porter Robinson will be accompanied by Mat Zo and The M Machine and tickets are still available for $25. You can grab all of the info by clicking the poster below.

 

For those who planned on going to see hip-hop artist and producer MF Doom at Ritual this Thursday, June 21, Kapacity Entertainment has had to cancel the show after MF Doom cancelled his entire Canadian tour. You can get all of the details and obtain refund options by clicking the poster below and accessing the Facebook event page.

 

Another festival that starts this week is the Ottawa International Jazz Festival which runs from June 21 to July 1 at Confederation Park. This year’s edition promises to blow you away with a lineup that includes Chris Botti, Steve Martin & The Steep Canyon Rangers, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Janelle Monae, and Ziggy Marley with his Wild and Free Tour. I’m really looking forward to seeing Janelle Monae and Ziggy Marley perform live as I particularly enjoy both artists’ music. You can obtain the entire festival lineup and all other details on the festival website by clicking the below image.

 

This Friday, June 22, there will be an Electric Pow Wow with A Tribe Called Red and comedian Ryan McMahon aka Clarence Two Toes as part of the Asinabka arts festival. The event, which takes place at Babylon, will start with Ryan McMahon at 10pm and will continue with the DJs from A Tribe Called Red who will make you dance all night to their unique and catchy Powwow Step sounds. All the information is available on the Facebook event page here.

 

On Saturday, June 23, Ottawa will be host to the first-ever Hip-Hop Karaoke event taking place at Mugshots, the HI Ottawa Jail Hostel bar with host Atherton and beats by DJ So Nice. The event starts at 9pm and if you’d like to sign-up for a song visit http://www.HHKOTT.com

 

Also this weekend are the Outaouais en Fête celebrations on the occasion of the Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Quebec’s national holiday. The festivities kick off on Friday evening and last until Monday, June 25. I’m especially looking forward to seeing Vincent Vaillieres (for free!) on June 23 and Malajube and Quebec legend and singer-songwriter Jean Leloup both on June 25. This year’s celebrations include tons of family-friendly activities in both Aylmer and Gatineau and they offer a variety of shows that are sure to please everyone gathered to celebrate Quebec and its culture. All of the details are listed on the official website and you  can access them by clicking below.