The Great Depression was a dark and challenging time that cast a shadow across much of the world during the 1930s. It was during this time that jazz, still very much in its infancy, began to grow up. It became more diverse and sophisticated, and more popular and accepted as it moved from the underground, to the clubs, and eventually to the concert halls.

In this program featuring a fourteen-piece band, we’ll play the great jazz of the Great Depression. With music from the books of Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and many others, we’ll explore how jazz told the tales of the hard times while helping people to lift their spirits and overcome adversity.

The Ottawa Jazz Orchestra brings together many of the capital city region’s finest jazz and symphony musicians to present highly entertaining and education presentations of jazz. For almost fifteen years the orchestra has delivered unique programmes covering the gamut of jazz, earning acclaim from audiences and critics alike. The core of the orchestra’s annual programming is its season of concerts at the National Arts Centre. This concert is part of the orchestra’s fourteenth season.

Tickets $42. Buy the OJO season package and get tickets for all six evening shows for $220 and save $32. Only available for purchase at the NAC Box Office.