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After day five's inconsistencies, day six of the Ottawa International Jazz Festival returned to full strength. Despite its stylistic breadth, the diverse programme indicated just how dedicated the organizers are to keeping this unequivocally and uncompromisingly a jazz festival. Among the events: the ECM cool of Duchesne, Fraser & Wittet; a Mingus-inspired performance by bassist Dave Young; the Brazilian leanings of saxophonist Jean-Pierre Zanella's road-tested quartet; the wholly improvised music of British saxophonist Evan Parker; and the more approachable but no less uncompromising Trio!—featuring banjo whiz Béla Fleck, violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, and... well, more about that later. There was something for everyone, making this the strongest day yet.

Local guitarist Ben Duchesne, bassist Mark Fraser and drummer Bruce Wittet (who seems to be all over the festival's local programming this year) put on a noon-hour show that, despite the incredible heat and humidity—temperatures, with the humidex reached well over 40°C—managed to prove the old adage of mind over matter with their lyrical and generally relaxed set. The group performed tunes primarily from their debut, last year's Passing Note—an album combining aspects of crystalline ECM cool with a slow burn all its own.

Duchesne blends the harmonic reach of John Abercrombie with a more traditional-leaning approach that brings to mind Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. Generally eschewing overt technical displays, he leans towards a lyricism displayed at its best on "Song for Isabelle. Still, he managed to swing lightly on "Yet Another Thursday and travelled into more folkloric territory on "Thank You. Fraser is an understated but firm anchor for the group, demonstrating his roots in Charlie Haden on Haden's own "Waltz for Ruth —a duet with Duchesne on acoustic guitar.

Wittet continues to be a versatile and astute player. In three shows this week he's ranged from the funk-jam of the Bitches Brew Tribute Band to the more straight-ahead but completely committed leanings of the Peter Brown Trio to this, his own cooperative project. Duchesne may write the lion's share of the material, but Wittet brings a penchant for temporal elasticity, with an eye to the kind of fluidity that characterizes Norwegian drum legend Jon Christensen.

This year's festival has already highlighted an inordinate number of legendary performers, with more to come. Canadian bassist Dave Young may not have the cachet of Dave Holland or Charlie Haden, but he's no less distinctive a player—certainly he's a legend of the Canadian jazz scene who's worked with his share of high profile artists, including pianist Oscar Peterson (with whom he's now back, following the tragic and untimely death of Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen), Kenny Barron, Clark Terry, and Lenny Breau. For this year's performance at the Library and Archives Canada theatre, Young brought a quintet of musicians representing some of the best that Canadian jazz has to offer. His Mainly Mingus project captured the evocative spirit of Charlie Mingus, featuring trumpeter Kevin Turcotte, young up-and-coming tenor saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, pianist Gary Williamson and drummer Michel Lambert.

Young possesses a singular bass sound: warm and resonant, with a beautifully restrained vibrato and a certain relaxed gait to his playing. You can actually see the swing as much as feel it. Effortlessly managing to be both firm anchor and equal partner in the interaction rife throughout the performance, Young utilizes some distinctive stylistic devices, including interspersed chordal patterns that never take away from the essential groove. Mingus is a serious influence, but Young's a more fluid player, taking the late master's spontaneity and power and channelling it into his own vision of weight and substance.

Turcotte is arguably the country's strongest trumpeter, with the kind of virtuosity that never stands in the way of meaningful solo construction. Like Young, his technique may be formidable, but it's really secondary to his ability to get to the truth of a song, and his complete commitment is evinced with every note. Jefferson may be young, but he's already a remarkably confident player, with a frightening ability to find the melodic links between even the most challenging chord and tempo changes.

Williamson has had limited exposure, but he's a fixture on the Toronto scene and, like pianist Bill Mays from the previous afternoon, he's imbued with a refined elegance and rich melodic sensibility. Lambert, on the other hand, may be the dark horse of the quintet—distinctly mercurial, with an unpredictable way of holding down the rhythm section with a less-than-obvious approach to Mingus' signature triplet feel, keeping things just the slightest bit on edge.

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