Four Days To Go

With just four days to go before the launch of the 2009 TD Canada Trust Ottawa International Jazz Festival a few trends have revealed themselves.

Al Green is far and away the most requested interview, and thankfully the good reverend is doing his best to accommodate requests. Canada Customs permitting, I'm hoping to have him live on air at the local CBC Radio studio on Friday afternoon.

There is no shortage of good stories among this year's artists, including the new models of music distribution pioneered by Dave Douglas and Maria Schneider, the New York City and Boston breakout of homegrown talent Petr Cancura, our focus on the miracle that was the year 1959, and the Polaris Prize nomination of the astounding young talent Coeur de Pirate.

Surprisingly, no one has yet requested an interview with Pat Metheny. Arguably the most-popular musician just 90 minutes away in Montreal, Metheny hasn't generated one media inquiry yet.

The weather forecasters are predicting temperatures above 30 Celsius by week's end. That sounds like jazz weather to me.