One of Ottawa’s most celebrated musicians, Bruce Cockburn, will be among the headliners at the TD Ottawa Jazz Festival, which will take place between June 18 and July 1 this summer.
“Bruce Cockburn is an iconic Canadian music superstar. He has been the voice and conscience of this country for decades,” says Catherine O’Grady, the festival’s executive producer about the recent announcement that Cockburn would join the 2015 program. He is scheduled to play at the Laurier Avenue Canadian Music Stage in Marion Dewar Plaza at 7.30 p.m. on June 20.
In November, the 69-year-old artist released his memoir titled Rumours of Glory.
According to O’Grady, this summer’s event is the perfect time to celebrate Cockburn.
“The jazz festival is honoured to present him in this new configuration musically which features the great Canadian jazz guitarist Roberto Occhipinti for this special anniversary project. Bruce is known and loved in this community and it seemed fitting that we should celebrate with a local artist who has gone on to international fame and appreciation.”
Cockburn might mean a whole lot to Ottawa, but Ottawa is certainly also playing a unique role in Cockburn’s life, reveals his good friend and manager since 1969, Bernie Finkelstein.
“Ottawa is extremely important to Bruce’s career. He writes at length about it in his book. It’s where he learnt to play, where he first played in front of the public and where he wrote most of his early songs,” he says.
Cockburn might best be known for his folk records but jazz has always appeared in his musically repertoire. After graduating from high school Cockburn left Ottawa to attend Boston’s famous Berklee College of Music, before returning to his hometown and start his journey. Now, nearly 50 years later is Cockburn still relevant as an artist.
“I think it’s largely because his songs have a timeless quality. They continue to be performed by many other artists, many of them young. Also Bruce has not shied away from the important issues of our time and continues to do that but he also never repeats himself. Add to that, consistently remarkable live performances, and you have an artist who is relevant,” says Finkelstein.
”Well, Bruce hasn’t changed all that much. I would say he’s much more comfortable these days with his job as a performer and musician. His music has gone through many changes over the years but at the core it remains honest and true to how he sees himself and the world much like it was on the first album.”
Another music enthusiast who has followed Cockburn’s career is Alayne McGregor, editor of OttawaJazzScene.ca.
“He is obviously a legendary member of the Ottawa music scene. He lived here for many years, and used to play in a lot places downtown like the legendary Café Le Hibou on Chemin Riverside,” she says.
For McGregor, it his guitar skills that makes him great.
“If you listen to him you’ll notice that his guitar style is much more complex than the average folk or pop musician. He is just technically on a level of his own.”