TD OTTAWA JAZZ FESTIVAL
BACKGROUND
Presumably all artists at the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival are booked because they’re master craftspeople. The audience doesn’t need to hear that… So what are the other really exceptional musical and personal angles Jazzfest can use to highlight the listening experience for new audiences? Is it high level? Absolutely. Is it going to piss some people off? Maybe. Are the curators asking people to use their brains? Really.
In 2019, Pop Drone was invited to contribute to a special TD Ottawa Jazz Festival project: Producers of the 39th annual festival went all-in on an initiative to book and support women artists above all else. Besides their usual marketing for festival passes and ticket sales, Jazzfest sought a communication strategy to draw patrons and festival supporters into the narrative; leaving a lasting impression with donors and first-time ticket-buyers alike. We threw out the stock material and artists bios most other festivals copy/paste for promo; and provided Jazzfest with original research, story ideas, descriptive text, listening notes and playlists for key artists in the lineup. The result of this input up front was an extraordinary amount of quality output in @OttawaJazz channels.
For the purposes of this project, Pop Drone would be responsible for researching and producing bilingual social media content, newsletter copy, blog posts and press material, providing guidelines and insights for strategic content. Rather than ticket sales, our goal was to provide rich stories and original material that would enhance Jazzfest’s brand; raise patrons’ awareness for the curatorial decisions; and leave a lasting impressions with audiences as Jazzfest anticipates its 40th anniversary fundraising campaign in 2020.
LINKS
Website – ottawajazzfestival.com
Instagram – @ottawajazz
Facebook – @ottawajazz
Twitter – @ottawajazz
#WOMENINMUSIC
THREAD | Because of history, there are a lot more men doing this work. So with so many of the new affirmations about women’s relevance today 💪 it became time for the @OttawaJazz team to step it up.
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 10, 2019
Here now to spotlight five @OttawaJazz artists and get a YouTube watch party going 📺👀 You know at Jazzfest we do it live 🔥 #OJF2019
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 10, 2019
2. Toronto’s seminal legend of feminist new wave, @janesiberry paved the way for 🇨🇦’s current generation of art-pop from Austra and Allie X, to Grimes and Bernice.
📺 Siberry’s breakout 1985 hit “One More Colour”: https://t.co/GvHFs3aBXP
📅 June 22 at 10:30pm pic.twitter.com/OC1JQF3t3S
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 10, 2019
4. Tenor 🎷 player @melissaaldana is the only female instrumentalist to take 1st prize in the #TheloniusMonkCompetition, which launched careers of Joshua Redman, Chris Potter and Gretchen Parlato.
📺 Melissa Aldana and her Crash Trio: https://t.co/RpzV17hyqe
📅 June 26 at 6pm pic.twitter.com/0b015VWAOX
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 10, 2019
We’re making women a priority. Not just as leaders, but wherever we could find a place for women as players, arrangers, composers… So you won’t find the #WomenInMusic ♀️ banner over any one series. You’ll find women everywhere at #OJF2019.
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 10, 2019
#OJF2019
So at one of my lessons he says, ‘Hey Boppy’—He always called me Boppy—’Mind if this kid up here from Chile sits in on our lesson?’ She was like 13 years old. The tenor 🎷 looked giant on her. Danilo says, ‘Do you mind if she plays with us?’ pic.twitter.com/2pqmQQZqZp
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 26, 2019
“I came back after and started soloing again, trying to make up for it, at which point Danilo just cracked up laughing because he knew… That was when I met @melissaaldana.” — Petr Cancura pic.twitter.com/v7wV7pWLng
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 26, 2019
TONIGHT at #OJF2019 | Tenor 🎷 player @melissaaldana performs new music from ‘Visions’, her latest album. #WomenInMusic ♀️
🕡 6pm
📍 @CanadasNAC 4th Stage
🎶 Discovery Serieshttps://t.co/6pQFk8Kuto— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 26, 2019
Supported by her father’s advice that she master classic blues, @DonnaGrantis devoured Buddy Guy, B.B. King, @EricClapton, and Willie Dixon, quickly developing an impressive foundation. She went on to study #jazzimprovisation at McGill. pic.twitter.com/T9Cek8wa1r
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 25, 2019
By way of a YouTube video of @DonnaGrantis covering Billy Cobham’s “Stratus”, a @prince favourite, she was invited to try out for the Purple One’s new, all-girl electric rock band, @3deyegirl. https://t.co/Kj5ThDjJQM
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 25, 2019
Following #Prince‘s death, but motivated by his work ethos, @DonnaGrantis has gone on to be a highly sought-after guitarist, and successful solo artist. https://t.co/1g0wIVOKPK
— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 25, 2019
Performing Tuesday June 25 on the @OntarioLottery Stage at 10:30pm, @DonnaGrantis wields an impressive axe, smelting Bitches Brew-era jazz fusion with modern funk and metal guitar virtuosity. #OJF2019 #WomenInMusic
♀️
https://t.co/e0A73xQTBG— Ottawa Jazz Festival (@OttawaJazz) June 25, 2019
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