On Thursday, Apr. 21, 2022, JazzWorks revives its beloved monthly jam sessions. The music starts at 7:30 pm at Festival Japan, 149 Kent St. Admission is $10, $5 for JazzWorks Friends. The host band will be Off the Record, featuring Frank Edgerton (piano), Neil Sealy (bass), André Ferraton (drums), and Edwin Gans (sax). Following their set, the stage will be open to all musicians for the rest of the evening. Vocalists, feel free to bring your own mics.

For those of you who enjoy a meal at the jams, food from Festival Japan's dinner menu will be available. Please make dinner reservations by calling (613) 234-1224. For participants who like to arrive later in the evening, a selection of appetizers and drinks will be available. The kitchen closes at 9 pm.

:Looking further ahead, planning is underway for a JazzWorks Memorial Jam in June (exact date TBD) to celebrate the lives of our JazzWorks friends Marylise Chauvette, Howard Tweedle, Loic Martin, Ryszard Kowalski, and Tim Leah. We need volunteers to help make this happen. If you are able to help, please contact Leslie Toope.

Register NOW and join us at JazzWorks for a Virtual Mentored Vocal Jazz Open Mic Night with Los Angeles Songwriter/Vocalist Mark Winkler!
March 2nd, 2022
7-9 pm EST
SEVERAL PERFORMER SPACES STILL AVAILABLE & LISTENERS ARE WELCOME TOO!

About Mark Winkler
http://markwinklermusic.com/
“Mark Winkler is a musical marvel. Finally, a writer who sings, and a singer who swings.” Entertainment Critic - Rex Reed.

Mark Winkler is a Platinum Award Winning singer/lyricist who has had over 250 of his songs recorded and/or sung by such artists as Dianne Reeves, Liza Minnelli, Steve Tyrell, Jane Monheit, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kenny Rankin and Sara Gazarek. Charting high on the Jazz Week charts with his last 6 vocal releases, in 2018, Mark was voted ”Rising Star” Male Jazz Vocalist in Downbeat Magazine and has been featured in Jazziz and Jazz Times Magazines.

Mark’s most recent album, “Old Friends” with David Benoit, was #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Vocal Chart, went to #18 on the JazzWeek Charts and was singled out as the best Jazz CD of 2021 by Jonathan Widran in JAZZIZ magazine. His previous CDs received great reviews, including his album ”Jazz and Other Four Letter Words” which was awarded Four Stars in Downbeat and Five Stars in All About Jazz. Mark plans to release his new CD “Late Bloomin’ Jazzman” in April of 2022.

Mark Winkler has sung at Birdland, the Bluenote and the Iridium in NYC and in San Francisco and also in Los Angeles, London, Tokyo and Australia. As part of his “West Coast Cool” project with Cheryl Bentyne of Manhattan Transfer, he has performed at the Syracuse Jazz Festival, in Tuscon, Arizona, Toronto, Canada and Madison, Wisconsin among many other cities.

As a lyricist Mark has 6 musicals to his credit, that are playing across the US - including one that has been Off Broadway for 21 years and is the 2nd longest running show in Off Broadway history - Naked Boys Singing! Mark’s  jazz film noir musical, “Play It Cool” played Off Broadway in 2011 and his musical “Bark!” has played in LA and over 25 other cities as well as going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year.

As an educator Mark Winkler has been teaching his lyric-writing “Crafting Great Lyrics: A Songwriters Workshop” at UCLA Extension for the past 17 years and also at the Los Angeles School of Song writing. Mark also writes columns for Music Connection Magazine and jazz interviews and reviews for LA Jazz Scene.

Please email Peggy Cameron to register for the event and receive the Zoom link.

JazzWorks has just been awarded a “targeted program grant” through the Arts Presentation Canada (APC) Fund of the Dept of Canadian Heritage to support our “JazzWorks Presents”  Concert Series for 2021-22. These live concert events will feature visiting guest artists, along with JazzWorks Faculty and other local and Canadian jazz artists. The concert dates and artist lineup will be announced soon . . . so stay tuned for details!

Our Board has also begun making plans for our Annual Jazz Camp and Composers’ Symposium to be held in August 2022 at the CAMMAC Music Centre. We hope to resume live JazzWorks Jam Sessions soon, as well as to get our vocalists off Zoom and back to singing with a live accompanist for our Vocal Open-Mic Nights starting in January.  

We will need your ideas . . . and your help to make this happen. Covid has been very challenging for JazzWorks and our community of jazz lovers, on many fronts.  A JazzWorks board member or volunteer will be contacting each of you individually over the next several weeks to seek your input and your support to make Jazz Camp and our jazz community activities happen again in 2022.

Judith Humenick, Flutist and Executive Director/Producer  

 JazzWorks Board 2021-22
Peggy Cameron, Vocalist and Chair
Raymond Vles, Guitarist and Vice-Chair
Ira Abrams, Jazz lover and Treasurer
Leslie Toope, Vocalist and Member at large
Catherine McKenna, Vocalist and Member at large
Lynn Hanson, Percussionist and Member at large
Tom Bryant, Jazz lover and Member at large

RACHEL BEAUSOLEIL
VOCAL MASTERCLASS
Thursday, November 4
7-9 PM EST
Free for all to attend!
 
For more information and to register to perform in the masterclass, please email Peggy Cameron. All others are welcome to join, listen, and learn! 

Zoom link
 DONATIONS APPRECIATED

We would like to extend a warm, and heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us Thursday, June 10 for our very first virtual tasting event!
 
Jazz, Wine… & Chocolate was a smashing success; the organization was able to raise over $2,500 to help cover future operating expenses. The feedback from participants has been wonderful, and we are so pleased that JazzWorks was able to create a magical, decadent evening for everyone involved!

Check out images from this event in the JazzWorks Gallery.

The response to Jazz, Wine… & Chocolate was so incredible that we are already looking towards creating our next fundraising event – don’t forget to follow us on social media, and sign up for the Ottawa Jazz Happenings newsletter to stay informed as details become available!
 
We would also like to thank Debbie Trenholm and her team at Savvy Company, Don Braden, Derrick Gardner, Harvey Glatt, Graham Lindsay, and our JazzWorks volunteer team for their contributions to the evening’s programming.
 
As the world collectively moves toward it’s “new normal”, it is reassuring to see that our Ottawa (and beyond) jazz community is alive and well. We are so excited to offer more virtual programming in the coming months, and we hope you join us again to share our passion for community, education, and most importantly… the magic of jazz music!

Sit back, heighten your senses with a glass of red, and enjoy the decadent flavour of artisanal chocolate for an evening filled with the magic and lustre of top-quality jazz!

JazzWorks is hosting our very first virtual tasting & music event - Wine, Jazz, & Chocolate - on Zoom, in collaboration with Savvy Company.  Savour some of the best wine and chocolate pairings featuring jazz mini concerts from our special guests; New York saxophonist/composer Don Braden - with pianist Oscar Perez, and Winnipeg based composer/trumpeter Derrick Gardner - with bassist/pianist power couple Marc & Candice Tugby.

Join us for a fantastic evening celebrating the art of jazz, and discover select Ontario-made red wines, paired with decadent local chocolates created by artisan chocolatiers.

The goal of this Special Fundraising event - with the help of your donation, is to provide JazzWorks with the funds to maintain operations and remain an active part of our music community, and continue to develop exciting new programming for Jazz enthusiasts at all levels.

Save the Date:
DATE: Thursday June 10, 2021
TIME: 7 pm – 9 pm
ZOOM DETAILS: Included in each Red Wine & Chocolate Box

Packages:
The Full Experience...
Purchase of a Premium Package includes 2 event tickets, as well as your Red Wine & Chocolate Box (shipping and HST costs based on your address), which contains everything you’ll need for this fun-filled evening.  Each box includes:

• Two outstanding, Ontario red wines (unavailable at the LCBO) – curated by our Sommeliers:
  • Sprucewood Shores Estate Cabernet Sauvignon (Pelee Island)
  • Creekside Estate Syrah (Niagara)
• A collection of Canadian-made artisan chocolates & bonbons:
  • Hisponola Chocolate Bar from Hummingbird Chocolate
    
  • 6-piece box of chocolates & bonbons from Anna Stubbe Chocolates
    
• Front row seats for the live jazz performances by our special guests: uber-talented New York saxophonist Don Braden, and Winnipeg based trumpeter/composer extraordinaire Derrick Gardner – Their combination of original tunes and jazz standards are sure to liven up your living room!
  

Plus…you’ll meet the winemakers, chocolate makers & learn from Somelliers too!
To enjoy this unique & blissful experience, you’ll be introduced to the art of wine and chocolate tasting by the makers themselves as well as a Sommelier from Savvy Company. Their tips will enrichen your enjoyment of the featured wines & chocolates to ensure you get the most out of these wonderful pairings.

Delivered right to your door, anywhere in Ontario!
For this event, Savvy Chocolate negotiated with their courier partners to get the best rates for you! The following shipping flat fees per Premium Package order will apply:

• $10 to Ottawa
• $15 to Rural Ottawa (Carp, Dunrobin, Manotick, South Gloucester, Rockland, Cumberland, etc)
• $20 to Gatineau
• $20 to Kingston
• $25 to GTA

*HST will be added once shipping fee is determined*

Are you located beyond these cities? No problem, Savvy Company certainly deliver to you too! After you place your order, the Savvy Team will contact you with Purolator’s estimated delivery fee before processing your order.

Premium Package event ticket: 135$ + shipping/HST
*Includes 2 bottles of wine, chocolate for 2 and 2 event tickets*
*Comes with 60$ tax receipt*

*Deadline for purchasing Premium Package tickets is Tuesday, June 8th
to allow for processing and shipment of Wine & Chocolate box.
Outside Ontario the deadline is June 4th.*

JazzWorks is taking the opportunity of this event to honour our dear friend,  jazz enthusiast and benefactor Harvey Glatt, for his significant and wide-reaching contributions to the worlds of music and jazz.

For The Music Lover…
For those who prefer to focus on the music - or have their own preferred pairings for live shows, a “Concert Only” event ticket is available, which will give you full access to the concert performances from Don Braden and Derrick Gardner, with none of the extras. In the absence of wine, these two musicians are sure to have you buzzing with their unique compositions and stellar performances!

Concert Only event ticket: 45$
*Includes ticket for one person*
*Comes with $30 tax receipt*
Purchase a ticket for the concert only by clicking the "Buy Now" button below.

*If you are unable to attend, please consider donating directly to JazzWorks ! Tax receipts are available for any donation of $20 or more!*

About the Musicians:
For over 30 years, Don Braden has toured the world leading his own ensembles on saxophone and flute, in addition to performing with Jazz greats such as Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Tony Williams, and Roy Haynes among others, as a special guest or sideman.  He has composed music in many styles for ensembles ranging from duo to full symphonic orchestra, for recordings, film, and television networks such as NIckelodeon and CBS.  He is an imaginative, soulful saxophonist, and his harmonic and rhythmic sophistication give him a unique approach to improvising, as well as composing and arranging.  Most important of all: he has a beautiful sound, and he swings!  All of this, combined with his joyous yet disciplined personality, makes him one of the most important musicians working today. For more information: www.donbraden.com

Performer, composer, and veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra and Harry Connick Jr. Big Bands, Derrick Gardner has worked with artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Frank Foster, and Tony Bennet to name only a few. Recently, Derrick put together his 18-piece Big dig! Band for the recording of Still I Rise (Impact Jazz) - a powerful, explosive album released in July 2020 that spent over thirty weeks on the JazzWeek Top 50 chart. For more information: www.derrickgardnermusic.com

AUGUST 27, 2020
6:30 to 8:00 PM

Missing Camp? Join the Board and your Jazz Camp colleagues for a fun and informative virtual cocktail party.

SCHEDULE

• Wave and Hi Opener
• Introduction of Board Members presented by Chair, Peggy Cameron
• Virtual Vocal Intensive Workshop Highlights presented by Executive Director, Judith Humenick
• Virtual Composers' Symposium Highlights presented by Music Director, Adrian Vedady
• Financial Update presented by Treasurer, Ira Abrams
• Fundraising Giving Plans presented by Vice Chair, Tom Bryant
• Question & Answer Session & Brainstorming Session
• General Visiting & Storytelling

BRING YOUR FAVOURITE COCKTAIL OR BEVERAGE OF CHOICE!

Please RSVP for a Zoom link

Introduction

This is the first in a series of twelve articles. Each article discusses in detail a technical or non-technical tip for doing live streamed musical performances. This article discusses Tip 1 ‘Do a TEST end-to-end live stream’.

Tip 1 - Do a TEST End-to-End Live Stream

I strongly suggest that you do a test end-to-end live stream at least several days before your actual live stream performance so that you can identify any issues and have time to resolve them. Live streaming musical performances is a very new area for most of us, it’s technically quite complex, and there are a large number of potential technical ‘gotchas’. Furthermore, live streaming services such as Facebook Live and YouTube Live were designed for informal live streams from smartphones (e.g. live streaming to friends and family while on vacation), and not for the major musical performances for which they are currently being used. During my technical investigation of these services (see Background below), I encountered numerous technical issues with these services – some of them ‘show-stoppers’. I would definitely not expect to find these issues if these services had been designed for their current use.

In addition, doing a test end-to-end live stream lets you identify and resolve technical and non-technical issues before your actual live stream performance. You do not want to find about these issues from viewers’ comments during the live stream. For example, prior to the May 9th Zolas live stream by Lucas Haneman and Megan Laurence on May 9th, I watched another (non Zolas) live stream of theirs. During the live stream I noticed that the video was flipped horizontally (mirror image), turning the normally right-handed guitar player Lucas Haneman into a left-handed guitar player. The video was not flipped on their screen – only for viewers of the live stream – and so they didn’t find out about this until viewers commented on it during their live stream performance. If they’d done a test end-to-end live stream, they would have noticed this issue and resolved it (which they did subsequently before the Zolas live stream).

A cautionary tale – the ‘headless classical pianist’. I watched a live stream by a classical pianist where the first three minutes of the performance was an introduction by the headless pianist. He also appeared headless after each piece when he stood up, walked over to the video camera, and introduced the next selection. Even if he didn’t do a test end-to-end live stream, how did he not know?

Appendix A ‘Doing a TEST Facebook Live Stream’ in my reference document ‘Live Streaming Stay-at-Home Musical Performances – Technical User Guide’  provides step-by-step instructions with annotated screenshots on how to do an end-to-end test Facebook Live stream to a single ‘viewer’.

Background

I got involved with live streaming at the end of March 2020 when Zolas Italian Restaurant in Bells Corners asked me to help them with live streaming performances by their jazz performers in order to help support their takeout and delivery business during this very difficult time for restaurants. I had been booking the performers for their ‘Live Jazz Saturday Nights’ program for the previous two years. Being an engineer (and borderline OCD – not a job requirement, but definitely an asset), I spent a couple of weeks investigating Facebook Live and YouTube Live from a technical perspective. I set up numerous end-to-end test live streams in order to understand how the two services work, understand the differences, and identify serious and less serious issues. These tests included (successfully) using as the audio source a USB microphone, a sound system (USB and non-USB mixers), and a high quality digital audio recorder.

I’m a retired Professional Engineer (degree in electrical engineering). I worked for 23 years at Bell-Northern Research/Nortel in Ottawa, Canada, designing telecommunications services. I’ve been playing drums and electric bass in gigging big bands and small jazz ensembles since 1970 (fifty years!). Playing in bands kept me sane when I was in school and working, and is now a part-time retirement business. I’m currently the drummer in the big band Standing Room Only and was the bass player in the bossa nova trio Wave until it disbanded (pun intended) in December 2019. Having a technical background and being a gigging musician is proving very valuable for my involvement with live streaming musical performances, since I can bridge the two areas.

I’m currently organizing the ‘Zolas Live Jazz Saturday Nights ONLINE!’ live stream performance series. We’ve had four successful live stream performances so far – Lucas Haneman & Megan Laurence on May 9th, Laura Anglade on May 16th, Roddy Ellias on May 23rd, and Elise Letourneau & Tim Bedner on May 30th.

Organizing the series includes having Zoom meetings with the performers in the series as required (some of them are self-admitted ‘luddites’, so our Zoom meetings are looong and painful, although by the end I get them ‘from zero to sixty’) to a) determine the best technical setup for their live stream performance, b) do a step-by-step walk-through of how to set up and initiate a live stream, and c) do a test end-to-end live stream. I’ve authored a detailed technical user guide ‘Live Streaming Stay-at-Home Musical Performances – Technical User Guide’ for the performers to use as a reference document after our Zoom meeting, and which you can access (read only) at this URL. Appendix B of the reference document provides twelve technical and non-technical tips on live streaming musical performances based on my technical investigation and on the experiences from the Zolas live streams so far:

Technical Tips

1. Do a TEST end-to-end live stream
2. Use an Internet Connection with the highest upload speed possible
3. Use Facebook Live if viewers will access your live stream on Facebook
4. Use Immediate (Facebook Live ‘Go Live Now’) NOT Scheduled (Facebook Live ‘Schedule a Live Video’) – Live Streams
5. Use a computer for your live stream
6. Use a wired ethernet connection between your computer and your router
7. Use an external audio source for your live stream
8. Use a ‘VHS to DVD converter’ to connect a non-USB mixer to your computer
9. Mic your performance for recording – not a live performance – when using a mixer as your external audio source

Non-Technical Tips

1. Start your live stream 15-30 minutes before the start of your actual performance
2. Use a tablet (e.g. iPad) or smartphone (e.g. iPhone) as a ‘viewer’
3. Don’t erase your recorded live stream

Ten Benefits of Live Stream Musical Performances Over Live Performances
 
Author: Chris Thompson (retired Professional Engineer (electrical engineering) and drummer/bassist in gigging small jazz ensembles and big bands for 50 (!) years)
 
Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Ottawa Jazz Happenings or of JazzWorks.
 
In the current COVID-19 crisis, many musicians have turned to live streaming musical performances* from their homes to at least partially replace their lost income from live performing and teaching, and/or because they miss performing. An example is the Canadian National Arts Centre’s ‘Canada Performs’ series. Musicians who at the beginning of March 2020 didn’t even know what a live stream was have scrambled to come up to speed so that they could put on live stream performances from their homes.
 
* The word ‘performance’ in the remainder of this article refers to a ‘musical performance’.
 
I got involved with live streaming at the end of March 2020 when Carmen Vacchio, General Manager of Zolas Italian Restaurant in Bells Corners, asked me to help him with live streaming performances by Zolas jazz performers in order to help support Zolas’ takeout and delivery business during this very difficult time for restaurants. I had been booking the performers for Zolas’ ‘Live Jazz Saturday Nights’ program for the previous two years. Being an engineer (and borderline OCD – not a job requirement, but definitely an asset), I like to think about things and, if possible, generate lists and/or spreadsheets. As I’ve learned over the years, this can be very annoying to non-engineers – and especially spouses. During the past two months I’ve watched a lot of live streamed performances and thought a lot about live stream performances in general. I’ve noticed and have been keeping a running list of the benefits of live stream performances over live performances. Here’s my current list:

1. performers and audience members don’t need to travel
2.  performers don’t need to rent performance venues and pay sound engineers
3.  audience members can be anywhere in the world (the ‘death of distance’), so that live stream performances quite literally can and do have ‘global audiences’
4. audience members can enjoy live stream performances by performers whom they like but would otherwise not be able to see perform (e.g. NAC’s Canada Performs series)
5.  audience members can enjoy live stream performances in the comfort of their own homes, with high quality audio and video (to watch live stream performances, I connect my iPad to our home theatre system)
6. every audience member has ‘the best seat in the house’
7.  live stream performances are more intimate than live performances:
   1.  it’s like the performer is with you in your living room and the performance is just for you
      
   2. seeing performers’ homes and how they’re decorated makes you feel like you know the performers better
   3. via comments (aka ‘chat’) there’s a level of interaction between audience members and the performer, and even among audience members themselves (because you can see and comment on other audience members’ comments), that doesn’t exist with live performances
8. people who miss a live stream performance or who wish to see it again can view an automatically generated recording of the live stream performance it in its entirety, and with audience members’ comments anytime after the actual live stream – unless live performances are videoed, once they’re over they’re gone forever
   1. Note: Lucas Haneman’s and Megan Laurence’s May 9th, 2020 performance in the ‘Zolas Live Jazz Saturday Nights ONLINE! live stream performance series – the first one in the series – had a maximum of 60 viewers at the same time during the live stream but, two days later, had had over 1400 views (more than 20 times as many!).
9. viewers who join a live stream performance late while it is in progress can literally ‘rewind’ the live stream and watch it from the beginning – try arriving late to a live performance and asking the performer(s) to start from the beginning again; similarly, viewers can literally ‘pause’ the live stream whenever they like, in order to get a snack or take a bathroom break, and then resume watching the live stream from where it was paused
10.  performers can view the automatically generated recording of the live stream performance, with audience members’ comments, anytime after the actual live stream in order to review their performance, and can reply to audience member comments made during the live stream

 
Don’t get me wrong. Live performances clearly have a major benefits over live stream performances. For example, live streaming doesn’t allow musicians in different physical locations to play together in real-time (this is the big one), with live performances interaction between the performer(s) and the audience isn’t just text, performance venues such as GigSpace provide much better sound and lighting than live stream performances done from performers’ homes, and live performances allow people to get out of their homes, socialize with others, and combine dining in a restaurant with the performance – wouldn’t that be nice right now (sigh).
 
How long will the current live stream performances last? My own feeling is that, in the case of restaurants,  these will last at least until there are no social distancing restrictions, which likely won’t be until there’s a vaccine, which is currently seen by health care professionals as best case a year away. With social distancing restrictions in place, restaurants won’t be able to have the number of customers in their dining rooms that they need in order to cost-justify hiring performers. The same goes for GigSpace and other performance venues. Not what anyone wants to hear (denial is not just a river in Egypt), but I believe that’s the reality.
 
It’s becoming more and more apparent that, coming out of the COVID-19 crisis, it’s going to be a very different world and a very new ‘normal’. Musicians who are being forced to use live streaming for the first time to make up for their lost teaching and (especially) performing revenues, and/or because they miss performing, are discovering the powerful benefits of live streaming over live performances. I believe that the ‘new normal’ will still have live performances, but possibly fewer, and a lot more live streaming.