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Bluesman Matt Andersen (Edward Melnychuk)
Canada Day saw masses of people at Confederation Park in downtown Ottawa. Two boys were swimming in the fountain while three others gathered the pennies people had thrown in for good luck while I strolled past. Mobs of people were licking ice cream cones and eating rotis, sipping beer and enjoying poutine along with the all-day free jazz concerts at the 31st annual TD Ottawa International Jazz Festival.
On July 2, however, it was back to tickets and passes for the concerts—well worth it if you attended, as I did, the Matt Andersen blues feast at 7:30 p.m., followed by Bela Fleck & The Flecktones at 9. Both were labelled “Concerts under the Stars” and both featured bright stars of the music world.
I definitely agree with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty who stated in the festival brochure that the event is “a lively showcase of sophisticated and diverse styles.” I also agree with the statement made by Thelonius Monk: “Trying to explain music is like trying to dance architecture.”
Matt Andersen, who has won two Maple Leaf Blues Awards, is a blues genius as far as I can see. His guitar work is best described as the best rocking blues around. The superb picking and deep baritone voice of this New Brunswicker boomed out on the Canal Stage while he sang many of his own compositions, blonde hair streaming down his face, feet stamping while his fingers flew over the guitar.
Songs included “You should be the devil’s bride” and “What you gonna do now I’ve left you alone?” Andersen’s lyrics are storied and his picking is straight out of the Delta. In some of the high notes, he sang in two voices, a falsetto and his normal voice, and twice he growled out with a deep guttural sound I have never heard before. Magical!
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones (the original line-up) played next and definitely wowed the crowd. Bandleader and gentleman Béla Fleck, a superb composer and probably the world’s best banjoist, showed off his groundbreaking style along with Howard Levy, pianist and harmonica player; Victor Lemonte Wooten on bass guitar; and Roy Futureman Wooten on percussion and drums. Each one is a fine musician in his own right, but their unique sound when playing together makes the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
What we heard on this perfect, star-filled night was an absolutely unique bluegrass-jazz crossover displaying what the festival brochure describes as “a special kinship between the four musicians, a bond forged over 20 years ago in a mutual passion for creativity and artistic advancement.” After playing with various artists and taking a hiatus, Fleck reconvened the original Bela Fleck & The Flecktones, that amazing initial line-up of an incredible combo.
Ottawans and fellow jazz lovers were fortunate to have the opportunity to hear these stars play. It was definitely a night to remember.
Susan Hallett is an award-winning writer and editor who has written for The Beaver, The Globe & Mail, Wine Tidings and Doctor’s Review among many others. Email: hallett_susan@hotmail.com .
