I love the rush of festival season! And now it’s over…until next year.

I have missed this over the last two festival seasons.

This year, in Ottawa, from the June 25th to the July 16th, my life gets busy! Performing with many amazing artists, being able to watch so much hard work and talent on stage, as well as soak up the festival atmosphere – I am fulfilled!

I am incredibly fortunate to work with an array of artists, in different styles, on different instruments, with a short turnaround between gigs.

Here’s a breakdown of my festival season –

• Jughandle – my electric jazz group (baritone saxophone/clarinet)
• Roddy Ellias‘ Free Spirit Ensemble – chamber jazz (bass clarinet/flute)
• JW Jones Big Band – blues trio with a big band (baritone saxophone)
• Prime Rib Big Band – big band that performs original music (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, composer/arranger)
• Renée Landry – soul-pop artist (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, musical director, arranger)
• Matthew Chaffey – soul music (baritone saxophone)
• Sly High – a tribute to Sly and the Family Stone (baritone saxophone) Both at Mont Tremblant, and the Ottawa Bluesfest

On top of those featured acts, I continued my “regular” professional life – performing, rehearsals, teaching my (summer-reduced) student load, and recording.

I love the rush of festival season! Musically, it really caters to my personality. The scramble of making sure that I have all of my music in my ears, and under my fingers, keeping my face together on all of my horns, having all of my gear packed (I take over my dining room with gear – time to clean it all up today! Haha! Also, my office is a disaster.), soundchecks, and the hang with musicians that you don’t always get to spend enough time with through the year.

I feel so incredibly focused during this time, and I like to use it as my “New Years” – taking all of this energy, and directing it towards new projects, reviving old ones, and thinking ahead to the next year.

I’m looking forward to see what the next set of festival dates brings!