Jazzfest: The Roots @ Confederation Park

By Shawn Katuwapitiya

It was the perfect evening for a night of hip-hop/jazz/funk/neo-soul/Guns N’ Roses covers and everything in between at the TD Ottawa Jazzfest. As the sun began to set on Confederation Park, The Legendary Roots Crew delivered a blistering hour and a half set that seamlessly fused genres and radiated energy. Propelled by Mark Kelley’s funky bass, Questlove’s stellar percussion, Captain Kirk Douglas’ otherworldly guitar playing, and “Tuba Gooding Jr” elevating the sousaphone, their live instrumentation places them as unparalleled in the world of hip hop. The highlight of any Roots show, however, is Black Thought. His delivery and breath control are flawless. His commanding presence makes him continuously stand out amongst his band of world-class musicians and, for a rapper, that is no easy feat. Underrated when it comes to lists of best rappers of all time, he is easily one of my favourites.

Though it’s easy to remember highlights like “Proceed”, “You Got Me” and “The Seed 2.0”, it’s impossible to describe a Roots show within their discography. Their sets come across as jam sessions, never losing momentum. And while it took a medley of Guns N’ Roses and Zeppelin to really get the non-hip-hop-aficionado crowd really into it, eventually, everyone was moving.

Speaking of the crowd, the one at my first Ottawa Jazzfest presented some interestingly stark contrasts. As The Roots began to perform, it was clear that the hundreds of older patrons who seemed quite comfortable in lawn chairs, directly in front of the stage, were content with the seating arrangement that they had artificially created. I’ve never seen such a thing. Especially for a world-class act like the Roots. In what became a generational war, the standing, dancing minority began to encroach on that space. An older gentleman remarked loudly that “this wouldn’t happen at a Senators game.”

While at the time my response was less than eloquent, I think it actually was a good point. This wouldn’t happen at a Senators game. But perhaps that should not be our benchmark for what we consider to be a good time in Ottawa. Standing in a crowd of “young hooligans” next to lawn chairs and later dancing in a packed crowd at Ritual Nightclub at Questlove‘s afterparty DJ set, I don’t think that this is what Ottawa once was. And that’s not a bad thing.