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CBC-TV will be broadcasting the third in its Solo series of concerts this Saturday, August 28, at 7 p.m. It will feature Patricia Cano, a Sudbury-born singer whose family comes from Lima, Peru. Her music crosses between contemporary jazz, Afro-Peruvian, samba, and soul. It will also feature blues singer/guitarist Roxanne Potvin.

The concert was recorded at La Nouvelle Scène on July 5.

Sunday, August 8, 2010,  6 p.m.: 45 jazz musicians are congregating in the Music school on the top floor of the Loeb Building at Carleton University. They range in age from the early teens to retirees. Some have played professional gigs in local clubs or restaurants; others have only played in class. Some have years of experience in jazz; others have backgrounds primarily in rock or classical music.

They are the first class of the new Carleton University Jazz Camp.

That afternoon, the students had short instrument and vocal auditions in order to be placed in combos with similarly-experienced players. Now they are gathered in the Music Department's Studio A for their first jam session, and there  is a certain amount of gingerly looking around and wondering what they should be doing. Guitarist Alex Moxon and his trio break the ice with a few songs, teacher Tim Bedner starts urging people up (in the politest way possible), and a drummer volunteers. And then a guitarist. And then a sax player. And within half an hour, Alex and his band retires to the side chairs and watches as the vibe continues. The camp is humming – and without beer, even!

The brainchild of local jazz musician and teacher Mike Tremblay, this is the first general jazz camp to be held in Ottawa. The JazzWorks jazz camp takes place in rural Quebec, two hours drive outside Ottawa; other local jazz-related camps are devoted to just one instrument: guitar, trumpet, saxophone. Tremblay wanted a different experience: one that emphasized playing in mixed ensembles, and prepared students for the intensity of playing professionally or at university.

It was fun! I got to make a lot of friends, a lot of connections. I got to meet a lot of famous people, like Brian Browne. It was an honour.
– Ryan Lamb

"I've been to Mike's Saxophone Camp a couple of times so I know he has a real focus on – I mean, it's fun – but he has a focus on people getting the work done, focusing on what has to happen," said saxophonist John Graham, who has played in local bands such as Mango Upstart and Without Annette for many years.

Read more: Carleton University Jazz Camp: a happy first set

CBC taped a number of concerts at the 2010 Ottawa Jazz Festival, and all four of them are now available to listen to on-line:

• Michelle Grégoire (with Kirk MacDonald, Kevin Turcotte, Ted Warren, and Jim Vivian)
• Min Rager (with Kevin Dean, Donny Kennedy, Fraser Hollins, and John Fraboni)
• Franca Masu
• Caridad Cruz (with César Ricardo, Israel Martinez,  Armando Delfin Marsal, Carlos Santana, Julián Zapata, Marc Decho, Arien Villegas, and René Fortier)

CBC also taped Bria Skonberg (who appeared at the Ottawa Festival with Solomon Douglas) a few days before at the Vancouver Festival.

Ottawa Jazz Scene editor Alayne McGregor heard Grégoire, Rager, and Skonberg (in Ottawa), and recommends them.

Ottawa Festivals is developing a new on-line volunteer tool to "enhance volunteering in Ottawa's festivals". The tool will help match people to their best position, create forums for volunteers to communicate and to share their experiences, and deliver workshops and seminars to develop volunteer skills and knowledge.

The group is looking for people who have already volunteered at local festivals to give it feedback in focus groups, starting this Wednesday evening (August 18). Refreshments provided. For more information, see www.ottawafestivals.ca/blog/interesting/volunteer/ .