Taking another annual Canadian vacation over the US Thanksgiving week – a trend we started prior to the pandemic and picked back up over the last few years – our destination this year was Ottawa. And for good reasons – we had secured tickets for a pair of shows at the National Arts Centre, to catch both Blue Rodeo and The Dears.
Our original plans to return home on Black Friday were very quickly quashed, however, upon learning just a few weeks prior to our visit that Jill Barber was performing at the venue on that evening. Having not seen Canada’s Sweetheart perform since her visit to Maryland almost two years ago, this was an easy itinerary amendment. Tickets bought!
At the time of purchase, we believed that this would be a regular Jill Barber concert – especially as the information came to us via the venue website, not Jill’s own website. Once Jill made a formal announcement shortly after, sharing news of a holiday themed album release, we quickly learned that this show was to be part of a late November/early December festive tour.
Performing a pair of 45-minutes sets on the Babs Asper stage at the National Arts Centre, Jill had clearly spent a lot of time planning out this show – with a holiday themed stage and props to convey her love for the holiday season – and brought a bunch of her musician pals along to add extra festive cheer for this Jolly Holly Christmas show. As the lights dimmed to signal the start of the show, a home audio recording from the Barber family archives played through the speakers, with a very young Jill reciting the lines to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” before the band graced the stage.
“Good evening, Ottawa. We always feel so at home here at the National Arts Centre. Thank you so much for that little dusting of snow that arrived,” Jill shared, when welcomed to the stage, dressed in a bright red gown complete with a hefty red train. “I’m so pleased that you are here to help us celebrate the launch of a Holly Jolly Jill Barber Christmas album and show, although I was toying with the idea of Jill Barber’s Christmas in November. But I can tell that you’re keen on the season, and if you’re not already feeling holly jolly, we can certainly hope to make your spirits bright tonight.”
Opting to mix plenty of classic holiday tunes with a few original pieces, all delivered in her trademark soothing jazz vocal style (a ‘nice’ first set, and a ‘naughty’ second set), Jill’s pals on stage provided plenty of necessary instrumentation to add the festive spice. Ewen Farncombe (piano), Chris Banks (upright bass), and Norbert Botos (drums) made up the traditional jazz trio, rounded out by the Venuti String Quartet – Amahl Arulanandam (cello), Shannon Knights (viola), Rebekah Wolkstein (violin), and Drew Jurecka (violin/alto saxophone/accordion).
The combination of strings and accordion added a little Parisian flair to many of these tunes – a sound and style that Jill has popularized with several of her previous releases – which served to give the show a cozy, intimate feel. This was Jill’s Christmas party, and we were all invited guests. “Well, here I have some mistletoe, of course, and some holly, and this next song we’re going to sing for you is one that I first heard performed by Sinatra,” Jill shared prior to her cover of “Mistletoe and Holly.” “He did a great version of this, but tonight you’re going to get the Barber version.” Jill would walk around the stage during an instrumental moment with her mistletoe in hand, dangling the buds over two members of the string quartet and waited (somewhat) patiently for them to exchange the traditional kiss. Announcing the band later that night, Jill would acknowledge Rebekah, with Drew simply being “that’s her husband,” sending laughter throughout the theatre.
Making her exit from the stage as Ewen performed “The Christmas Song” on piano – “we know it as Chestnuts Roasting” – Jill promptly returned following a costume change, announcing that she bumped into local musician Jeremy Fisher backstage, inviting him to join her at center stage. “I love that you just dropped by,” she stated. “So unexpected,” Jeremy responded, prompting chuckles from the crowd. “I’m just having a little gathering right now. While you’re here, would you be willing to sing a duet with me,” Jill added. “Oh jeez, sure, why not, why not,” Jeremy added, playing his role in this comedic double act convincingly – the duo going on to collaborate on “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Kicking off her second set following another costume change, Jill took Drew’s deep saxophone cues to commence “the naughty set,” launching into her cover of “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” – a tune she released a year ago as her holiday single, both in English and in French. We would be privy to the English version on this evening: “You’re a rotter, Mr. Grinch / You’re the kind of sinful sots / Your heart’s a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots / Mr. Grinch” – before going off script and ad-libbing a few lines that drew hysteria from the room… “34 felonies, 2 impeachments, untold unfair mean tariffs, currently unjust trade wars” – and switching back to regular programming… “Mangled up in tangled knots.” And how about sealing the deal with her “Elbows Up” statement? Nice. The room was hopping now in solidarity.
Offering Drew a lead violin solo for an instrumental version of “The Christmas Song” – timed for one final costume change – Jill returned to share a moment with a pair of local eight-year-old twins (I’m sure families loved it, but this segment ran a little too long, in my opinion). Perhaps Jill second-guessed herself too, joking, “What’s that old rule in showbiz? Kids and animals. Keep them off the stage.”
Jill would rebound beautifully, though, by sharing an unreleased tune. “Before we say goodnight, I wanted to introduce you to a new song of mine that I wrote. It’s not a Christmas song. This is a momentary pause, but it is coming out on Boxing Day. We thought that was real smart,” she offered. “And it just so happens that the song is called ‘Box of Wishes’ and it’s about not waiting too long to work through your box of wishes, because we don’t know how long we’ll have.”
Following a rousing performance of “Merry Christmas Polka,” Jill and her bandmates returned for an encore. “This is like having a party in your house, and when you’re having a really great time and your guests just refuse to leave,” she stated. “Gonna start doing the dishes.” And with a short song that was a current holiday tune in progress – one she started writing during her flight from her home in BC to ON – she would invite Jeremy Fisher back to join her and the band with their finale, “Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!”
Set List:
- The Christmas Waltz
- Sleigh Ride
- Mistletoe And Holly
- A Very Merry Christmas
- That Time of Year
- Walking in a Winter Wonderland (instrumental)
- Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (ft. Jeremy Fisher)
- We Three Kings
- I’ll Be Home for Christmas
- You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch
- I Want You for Christmas
- The Christmas Song (instrumental)
- Santa, Baby
- Box of Wishes (unreleased)
- Merry Christmas Polka
Encore:
- Christmas 2025 (sic)
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (ft. Jeremy Fisher)
Photo Credit: Artist Website (Tour Poster)
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
