It’s a Free Country! Six free Canada Day concerts

Each year Canada Day draws hundreds of thousands from across the country to the capital’s downtown, and the 35^th annual TD Ottawa Jazz Festival is proud to be part of the action with six free concerts at Confederation Park and Marion Dewar Plaza. These shows will close out the acclaimed 2015 Festival in style, featuring a diverse lineup of Canadian talents who represent many of the ideals and institutions we celebrate each first of July.

These include the forward-thinking, cosmopolitan R&B of South African-Canadian Zaki Ibrahim, Ottawan Jill Zmud’s rootsy soul, the reggae-shaded jazz pop of Newfoundlander Brianna Gosse and the raucous big band sound of The Heavyweights Brass Band. In addition, the Festival is proud to host the The Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces’ Jazz Quintet a crack and capable group of active servicemen who also happen to be seasoned jazz pros.

Finally, the TD Jazz Youth Summit and Stingray Rising Stars performance provides a preview of the future of Canadian jazz. These young musicians have spent the two weeks of the Festival learning from Program Director Jim Lewis, taking in workshops from major names such as Dave Douglas and Mats Gustafsson and jamming late into the night with a host of Festival performers. Now they get an opportunity to play for a vast audience from the Festival’s Main Stage on the biggest day of the year.

The shows will be staggered between the two stages, which are set up on either side of Laurier Avenue, ensuring a near-continuous stream of music for those in attendance and passersby as well!