Ottawa Jazz Festival 2025: Roots Tickets Now Available & More New Programming Announced!

Ottawa (April 23, 2025) – Tickets are now on sale for Hip Hop legends, The Roots, performing June 22 at the Ottawa Jazz Festival.

On June 21, the Ottawa Jazz Festival, in collaboration with Axé WorldFest, presents two incredible acts as part of the Festival:

Axé – pronounced ah-sheh (rhymes with sashay!) – is a West African concept from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, symbolizing the power to create change, a life force, and in capoeira, “energy.” With a pioneering spirit and strong commitment to community, Axé WorldFest uplifts emerging artists, promotes cultural diversity, and uses music as a force for positivity.

7:30 PM – Kombilesa Mi (OLG Stage) – Hailing from San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia—the first free Black town in the Americas—Kombilesa Mi fuses Afro-Colombian rhythms with rap in both Spanish and the endangered creole language of Palenquero. Using ancestral percussion, handmade steel drums, and marimbula, their music is a vibrant expression of identity, resistance, and tradition. They’ve graced stages like the Kennedy Center and NPR’s Tiny Desk—now, they’ll bring their powerful sound and cultural workshops (including turban and braiding traditions) to Canada for the first time.

10:30 PM – La Pambelé (OLG Stage) – After enjoying the legendary Mavis Staples on the Main Stage at 8:30 PM, return to the OLG Stage for La Pambelé, presented in conjunction with Axé WorldFest. This genre-defying Colombian salsa dura ensemble—featuring core members of Canada’s Legaia Salsa Brava—delivers a high-energy sound inspired by 70s salsa and Afro-Antillean rhythms. With musical nods to icons like Eddie Palmieri and Ismael Miranda, their set will be a dynamic celebration of love, resistance, and cultural pride.

More New Programming Highlights

Open Thread – June 21 at 4:00 PM | National Arts Centre Fourth Stage – This innovative Melbourne-based ensemble—featuring cellist Peggy Lee, saxophonist Julien Wilson, guitarist Theo Carbo, and drummer Dylan van der Schyff—blends lyrical melodies, rhythmic depth, and immersive improvisation. Each member brings their own compositions and influences to the project, creating a cohesive and evocative group sound.

iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ – June 26 at 7:30 PM | OLG Stage – A powerful voice in Canadian music, iskwē (waseskwan iskwew, meaning "blue sky woman") is a Cree Métis singer-songwriter known for blending electronic rhythms with Indigenous sounds. Her work, including the JUNO-winning Little Star, tackles themes of love, resistance, and identity. With a mesmerizing stage presence and new music on the way, iskwē’s performance promises to be unforgettable.

More lineup announcements to come.