LYNN SAXBERG’S NON-JAZZ PICKS
SARAH McLACHLAN
Saturday, June 25 at 8:30 p.m. Confederation Park Canada’s queen of folk-pop returns to festival stages this summer for the first time since her Lilith Fair days. Still touring behind her 2014 album Shine On, McLachlan has no plans to dabble in jazz when she visits jazz fests, but you can always count on her exquisite vocals, familiar, soothing songs and a terrific band that lends a pleasing punch to her delicate balladry.
SHARON JONES AND THE DAP-KINGS
Sunday, June 26 at 8:30 p.m. Confederation Park Jones is a favourite with festival crowds. A high-energy dynamo with the showmanship of a James Brown or Tina Turner, she’s an authentic voice of old-school American soul music. Backed by her slick band the Dap-Kings, their latest album was the Grammy-nominated Give The People What They Want. Jones is also the subject of a new documentary, while her newest online hit is a sultry cover of the Allman Brothers’ Midnight Rider. It was recorded for a car commercial, but we’re not holding that against her.
BEN CAPLAN
Monday, June 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tartan Homes Stage The bushy East Coast troubadour has been touring steadily since last year’s release of his excellent sophomore effort Birds with Broken Wings. Recorded with Chelsea-bred musical visionary Josh “Socalled” Dolgin, the songs mix Eastern European and Jewish folk traditions with epic storytelling and ferocious vocals. His powerful voice may raise the roof; here’s hoping the Tartan Stage tent is installed securely.
CLOZEE
Monday, June 27 at 10:30 p.m. Tartan Homes Stage If you’re a fan of world music and/or electronica, don’t miss CloZee, a.k.a. Chloe Herry from Toulouse, France. One of the few women in the genre, she’s a DJ/producer who kneads sounds, both organic and electronic, into a mesmerizing ethno-fusion concoction that might compel you to bust out your snakiest dance moves.
BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE
Tuesday, June 28 at 8:30 p.m. Confederation Park Now well into her 70s, the Canadian folk legend has been in the spotlight a lot over the last year, largely because of the success of her superb album Power In the Blood, arguably her best in decades. It earned last year’s prestigious Polaris Prize, as well as two Juno Awards, and has led to some high-profile appearances, including a slot at this year’s New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. No question, her beat-savvy vitality is always inspiring to see.
JIM BRYSON
Thursday, June 30 at 10:30 p.m. Tartan Homes Stage The hard-working and unassuming Bryson is one of Ottawa’s finest singer-songwriters, as demonstrated on his sixth album Somewhere We Will Find Our Place. Described in one review as “restless, urgent and quirky,” the album was created in a studio/shed behind Bryson’s home in Stittsville and features some of Ottawa’s best-known musicians. It’s a keeper.
MICHAEL FRANTI & SPEARHEAD
Saturday, July 2 at 8:30 p.m. Confederation Park The guy responsible for some of my all-time favourite festival shows in Ottawa is back for the first time in several years, this time as a Saturday night headliner. A San Franciscobased roots-reggae artist, Franti is famous for the joyful vibe of his music, which is often paired with a message of peace and love. The latest example is his powerful new single, Good To Be Alive.
BRIAN WILSON
Sunday, July 3 at 8:30 p.m. Confederation Park To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pet Sounds, the landmark Beach Boys album, band co-founder Brian Wilson is touring to revisit the songs he wrote in his early 20s. No matter what you think of the album, it’s a rare chance to see a musical genius re-interpret his masterpiece with a band that includes one of his compadres (fellow Beach Boy Al Jardine).