Canadian Jazz Group Raises Funds for Unite With Ukraine

One of UniteWithUkraine’s generous donors is Larysa Rozumna, from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  Larysa herself is a Canadian of Ukrainian descent who has a younger brother who lives in Kyiv and numerous extended family and cousins in Ukraine. “When war broke out, I felt helpless and angry and compelled to do something to help the besieged people in Ukraine,” says Larysa.

She has organized several very successful fundraisers for Ukraine and donated US$ 11,700 (C$ 15,000) to UWC’s UniteWithUkraine.  Just recently, she helped organize a cozy jazz community fundraiser with the Glebop Jazz Trip and vocalist Betty Ann Bryanton.

The musical artists performed a lively outdoor jazz mini concert on a warm summer evening near Patterson Creek Park in Ottawa. The event raised US$ 1,000 (C$ 1300) for Ukraine’s territorial defense forces through UWU. Around 75 jazz lovers listened to classic jazz standards such as “Georgia on My Mind” and “Fly Me to the Moon”.  Concert goers sat on blankets and lawn chairs in the park while the musicians performed on the other side of Linden Terrace in the front yard of residents Allison and Jim Dingle. 

The Glebop Jazz Trio has been performing for over 20 years, becoming a fixture on the Ottawa jazz scene.  They have appeared several times at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival.  They performed monthly at the Arrow and Loon Pub in Fifth Avenue Court for 16 years.  When that was torn down to make way for condos, Glebop started a new monthly engagement at the Glebe Central Pub.  Despite periodic disruptions due to COVID, that engagement will continue again this fall. The group’s name?  The musicians live in Ottawa’s Glebe neighborhood.  “Glebe” + “bebop” = “Glebop.”

Betty Ann Bryanton is Ottawa’s own jazz vocalist.  She has performed frequently with Glebop and with her own groups in a variety of settings.  The crowd enjoyed her warm vocal style and friendly interaction with the audience.  She brightened everyone’s evening with her upbeat original composition “Small Joys.”

Having found that weekend pub engagements don’t attract large audiences in summertime, Glebop decided a few years ago to switch to weekday outdoor performances in the summer as fundraisers for charity. Their Linden Terrace hostess Allison suggested that Glebop support Ukraine’s territorial defense heroes through donations to UniteWithUkraine to which the musicians heartily agreed.

Thank You Larysa Rozumna, Betty Ann Bryanton, The Glebop Jazz Trio and friends for Your Support for UniteWithUkraine!

YOU TOO CAN SHOW YOUR SUPPORT, PLEASE DONATE NOW!