By Courtney Price
What Ottawa’s jazz scene lacks in size, it makes up for in character-building experience.
So says Kellylee Evans, whose sultry singing voice and second-place finish thrilled jazz communities at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition held in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 13.
Evans now lives in Ashton/Prospect, a small town just south of Ottawa, with her husband and two young children.
But Evans once lived at the corner of Bronson and Somerset streets. She credits the Centretown area with helping her start her career.
“It was my formative years in jazz. The whole chance to perform with jazz musicians and to play in local places was very frightening, but also a great opportunity to get me comfortable performing in different scenarios.”
Evans started singing in Centretown restaurants about 10 years ago. She says that since jazz venues were scarce, most artists resorted to bringing jazz into unorthodox venues.
“I don’t think there is a [jazz] scene here. I didn’t feel like [Ottawa] was anti-jazz, but you knew you had to find it. It’s not like folks in New York, where any day you can go and see jazz.”
One of Evans’ first gigs was at the Shanghai Restaurant on Somerset Street. Manager Don Kwan still remembers the performance.
“When she started singing, there was dead silence,” he recalls. “Her vocal power reached the back of the restaurant. There was no milling around or conversation. Everyone was focused.”
Evans’ passion for her music comes through in her presence. She genuinely loves what she does and that resonates with her audience.
Jacques Emond, programming manager for the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, says that although performing in restaurants may not be the ideal situation for artists, it’s a way to get started.
“It’s not bad, but it’s not like the old days when clubs were everywhere,” he explains. “In a community where there’s only a few places to perform, it’s hard to sell jazz.”
Emond says he doubts if Evans’ prestigious win will make enough noise to change Ottawa’s jazz scene. He says he thinks it will take more than one person to warrant a new venue.
But despite this, Evans is determined not to let anything stand in her way. She is more focused on her personal artistic endeavours than a lack of venues.
She says she’s just happy to contribute to the musical landscape.
“The first time I heard somebody play my music, it was just so exciting. I wanted to cry. It’s like, if anything happened to me the next day, I know my music is out there.”
Evans has completed her first album, but needs to finalize the plans for distribution. She is still undecided about whether to sign with an existing record label, or to start up her own.
She recognizes that launching her own label could be difficult, given that she has a young family.
“I’ve never been accused of being sane!” exclaims Evans. “Hopefully, 2004 doesn’t leave before I have a CD.”
Evans reminisces over her early days in Centretown.
She says the area “has character, but is also full of characters.”
As she recalls her start, she remembers how supportive residents were.
“It turned a fledgling artist into someone who felt confident enough to keep going,” she says.