30 Years of Learning, Jamming & Celebrating Jazz with JazzWorks!
Join the 30th Anniversary Weekend Celebration: May 2-4, 2025
View the Weekend Souvenir Program
Join the 30th Anniversary Weekend Celebration: May 2-4, 2025
View the Weekend Souvenir Program
A message from JazzWorks' Board Chair:
"On behalf of your JazzWorks Board of Directors, I want to thank the JazzWorks community for the incredible music, love and support that we experienced this past weekend.
Friday’s show sold out early. At the end of a wonderful evening of song, the band and vocalists brought the house down with their version of the classic tune, "Jersey Bounce", now forever known as the "JazzWorks Bounce"!
Saturday’s workshops got rave reviews from participants. “That was exactly what I needed to learn next,” I overheard one participant say. And I learned five new ways to improvise!
What an incredible show we were treated to on Saturday night! I felt proud that JazzWorks' Jazz Camp played a role in encouraging and nurturing the talent of the 8 exceptional jazz professionals who performed that night. The Nepean All-City Lab Band wowed us all with their opening set, and I was so pleased to hear their Director say how important the JazzWorks' "Jazz in the Schools" program is for high school music education.
More than 175 people attended Sunday’s Great Big Jam Session at some point during the afternoon and evening. It was lovely to see old friends, meet many new jazz lovers, and hear terrific music made by jammers and our three host bands. The final jam wrapped at 10:30 with a barn burning version of "All Blues".
All this was made possible because of JazzWorks’ incredibly dedicated staff, Judy and Thais, and because members of our JazzWorks community gave many hours of their time and their resources.
Making music together, isn’t that what it is all about?
For 30 years JazzWorks has created opportunities for jazz lovers to find one another, to learn together and to play together.
What started in 1994 as a one-time workshop became a dynamic community that has evolved and thrived for 30 years because of the financial and volunteer contributions of many people.
With your help, our JazzWorks community will be here for another 30 years to welcome others to the fun we have playing jazz together.
A monthly or one-time gift to the JazzWorks General Fund is an investment in the future of our JazzWorks community.
Will you join me in making an investment in JazzWorks?
Leslie Toope
Chair, JazzWorks Board of Directors
"On behalf of your JazzWorks Board of Directors, I want to thank the JazzWorks community for the incredible music, love and support that we experienced this past weekend.
Friday’s show sold out early. At the end of a wonderful evening of song, the band and vocalists brought the house down with their version of the classic tune, "Jersey Bounce", now forever known as the "JazzWorks Bounce"!
Saturday’s workshops got rave reviews from participants. “That was exactly what I needed to learn next,” I overheard one participant say. And I learned five new ways to improvise!
What an incredible show we were treated to on Saturday night! I felt proud that JazzWorks' Jazz Camp played a role in encouraging and nurturing the talent of the 8 exceptional jazz professionals who performed that night. The Nepean All-City Lab Band wowed us all with their opening set, and I was so pleased to hear their Director say how important the JazzWorks' "Jazz in the Schools" program is for high school music education.
More than 175 people attended Sunday’s Great Big Jam Session at some point during the afternoon and evening. It was lovely to see old friends, meet many new jazz lovers, and hear terrific music made by jammers and our three host bands. The final jam wrapped at 10:30 with a barn burning version of "All Blues".
All this was made possible because of JazzWorks’ incredibly dedicated staff, Judy and Thais, and because members of our JazzWorks community gave many hours of their time and their resources.
Making music together, isn’t that what it is all about?
For 30 years JazzWorks has created opportunities for jazz lovers to find one another, to learn together and to play together.
What started in 1994 as a one-time workshop became a dynamic community that has evolved and thrived for 30 years because of the financial and volunteer contributions of many people.
With your help, our JazzWorks community will be here for another 30 years to welcome others to the fun we have playing jazz together.
A monthly or one-time gift to the JazzWorks General Fund is an investment in the future of our JazzWorks community.
Will you join me in making an investment in JazzWorks?
Leslie Toope
Chair, JazzWorks Board of Directors
JazzWorks’ Vocal Dinner Show
May 2, 2025: Dinner 5:30-7pm; Vocal Concert 7-10pm
Festival Japan Restaurant, 149 Kent St., Ottawa
Join us for the first of our 30th Anniversary Weekend Celebration events! Enjoy a dinner show featuring JazzWorks’ community vocalists, backed by a professional rhythm section. Performing vocalists are attendees of JazzWorks’ Vocal Open Mics, held on the first Sunday of every month between October to May at 10,000 Hours Piano Rehearsal Studios. Door prizes provided by Festival Japan Restaurant. Performers: Tina Bates, Nancy Bergeron, Steve Hambling, Sue Reive, Shawn Snider, Jennifer Sutton, Anita Tong & Bill Wylie. Backing band: Chad Linsley, Steve Boudreau, Richard Page & Jose Garcia. For more information on the vocalists and their backing band, see the bio page.
May 2, 2025: Dinner 5:30-7pm; Vocal Concert 7-10pm
Festival Japan Restaurant, 149 Kent St., Ottawa
Join us for the first of our 30th Anniversary Weekend Celebration events! Enjoy a dinner show featuring JazzWorks’ community vocalists, backed by a professional rhythm section. Performing vocalists are attendees of JazzWorks’ Vocal Open Mics, held on the first Sunday of every month between October to May at 10,000 Hours Piano Rehearsal Studios. Door prizes provided by Festival Japan Restaurant. Performers: Tina Bates, Nancy Bergeron, Steve Hambling, Sue Reive, Shawn Snider, Jennifer Sutton, Anita Tong & Bill Wylie. Backing band: Chad Linsley, Steve Boudreau, Richard Page & Jose Garcia. For more information on the vocalists and their backing band, see the bio page.
JazzWorks’ Young Artists in Concert
May 3, 2025: Workshops 1-3pm; Concert 7:30-10pm
Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St., Ottawa
Over the past 30 years, JazzWorks has provided over 80 youth scholarships for Jazz Camp. Enjoy the professional jazz stylings of former youth scholarship winners who have gone on to pursue musical careers. And why not take in a Workshop given earlier in the day (1:00-3:00pm) by Claire Devlin or Nick Maclean?
Band Leader: Sam Cousineau; Performers: Brian An, Lucas Denison, Claire Devlin, Nick Maclean, Ross Morgan, Max Simpson & Robert Wannell. Opening act: Nepean All-City Lab Band. These events at Centretown United Church are sure to be a highlight of JazzWorks’ 30th Anniversary Weekend Celebration! Door prizes from select sponsors. For more information on the performing young artists, see the bio page.
Workshops: Both workshops are structured for a general audience. All instruments, vocalists and jazz-curious are welcome to attend.
May 3, 2025: Workshops 1-3pm; Concert 7:30-10pm
Centretown United Church, 507 Bank St., Ottawa
Over the past 30 years, JazzWorks has provided over 80 youth scholarships for Jazz Camp. Enjoy the professional jazz stylings of former youth scholarship winners who have gone on to pursue musical careers. And why not take in a Workshop given earlier in the day (1:00-3:00pm) by Claire Devlin or Nick Maclean?
Band Leader: Sam Cousineau; Performers: Brian An, Lucas Denison, Claire Devlin, Nick Maclean, Ross Morgan, Max Simpson & Robert Wannell. Opening act: Nepean All-City Lab Band. These events at Centretown United Church are sure to be a highlight of JazzWorks’ 30th Anniversary Weekend Celebration! Door prizes from select sponsors. For more information on the performing young artists, see the bio page.
Workshops: Both workshops are structured for a general audience. All instruments, vocalists and jazz-curious are welcome to attend.
- Claire Devlin - "Improv Games for the Apocalypse"
- Nick Maclean - "Problem Solving for Jazz: How to Practice with Clarity, Structure and Direction"
JazzWorks’ 30th Anniversary Jam Session Party
May 4, 2025 Great Big Jam Session Party 3:30-8:30pm
Westboro Legion, 389 Richmond Rd., Ottawa
Join us at the Westboro Legion for a celebration of fun, friends and music. Since 1994, regular monthly JazzWorks Jam Sessions have been a staple for community jazz musicians and they continue to contribute to the formation of many groups that play in local venues. You will hear multiple host bands play at this jam, so bring your instrument or mic and join the party! Come and pay onsite "from the ❤". Free registration is encouraged through Eventbrite so organisers have an idea of attendance numbers. For more information on the host bands, please see here.
May 4, 2025 Great Big Jam Session Party 3:30-8:30pm
Westboro Legion, 389 Richmond Rd., Ottawa
Join us at the Westboro Legion for a celebration of fun, friends and music. Since 1994, regular monthly JazzWorks Jam Sessions have been a staple for community jazz musicians and they continue to contribute to the formation of many groups that play in local venues. You will hear multiple host bands play at this jam, so bring your instrument or mic and join the party! Come and pay onsite "from the ❤". Free registration is encouraged through Eventbrite so organisers have an idea of attendance numbers. For more information on the host bands, please see here.
