|
contents | jazz | |||||||||||||
| Kobo Town Brings Nick "Brownman" Ali to Toronto Toronto-based Kobo Town will be performing their unique blend of traditional calypso, roots reggae and West Indian folk music at The Speakeasy with special guest Nick “Brownman” Ali. One of Canada's most acclaimed jazz trumpet players, Brownman was recently voted Toronto's Best Jazz Artist of 2005 by the readers of NOW Magazine. “... performing with Kobo Town I couldn't help but be struck with the sparse and languid vibrations, yet layered in vocal poignancy with Drew's lyrics embodying the best in the Trinidadian spirit of storytelling, ” noted Brownman after appearing with the band's September 14th show at Clinton's. Named after the historic neighborhood in Trinidad's Port-of-Spain where calypso was born amid the boastful, humourous and militant chants of the roaming stickfighters, Kobo Town has been sharing this tradition of rhythmic and melodic cross-pollination with audiences around Ontario, including Kaiso Breakfast Lime ( Scarborough), The Studio Theatre (Perth ), Clinton's Tavern (Toronto ), Mercury Lounge (Ottawa). Kobo Town will be headlining the University of Toronto “Hurricane Relief Concert” this December. Kobo Town Kobo Town is an eight piece Toronto-based group formed in order to help revive interest in the art of traditional calypso (kaiso), and to demonstrate its contemporary relevance by engaging the crucial issues of our time. Kobo Town 's music reflects today's Caribbean-Canadian diaspora, melding traditional Trinidadian music and new sounds encountered in Canada, including funk, jazz, Haitian kompa, Cuban descarga, and Congolese soukous. As a global capital of dub poetry, Toronto is the perfect setting for a band that owes a heavy debt to Canada's dub poets, particularly Clifton Joseph and Anthony Bansfield. Trinidadian-born, NYC-schooled and multi award-winning trumpet player Nick “Brownman” Ali has been at the forefront of innovation in the Canadian jazz community for over a decade. A student and creative disciple of the Grammy-winning legend Randy Brecker, Brownman tirelessly leads 6 unique ensembles and is a musical director and/or featured soloist in countless others; testament to his unparalleled diversity of musical vision and skills that makes him a top call for the country's leading Latin, urban, hiphop, reggae, island and DJ artists in addition to his foundational jazz milieu. He has close to 150 recording credits, many of these albums having won or been nominated for Junos. At the personal invitation of Chucho Valdes, he will be again be representing Canada at this year's Havana Jazz Festival; leading CRUZAO HAVANA with younger brother Marcus Ali on sax and an all-Cuban rhythm section comprised of members of Chucho Valdes' essential Afro-Cuban ensemble IRAKERE. write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |